It has never been more important for public procurement offices to communicate the value of their work. Inspired by federal policies, an increasing number of states have adopted government efficiency initiatives focused on cost-saving measures. Why does this matter for public procurement offices?

The public procurement process is uniquely positioned to realize cost-saving results while also promoting additional strategic goals like sustainability or local business development. Identifying legislative trends, as well as communicating the value of procurement through educational resources and data should be key concerns for central procurement offices, and this blog will cover strategies on how to do so effectively. Public procurement offices have a lot to offer executive and legislative officials, but their expertise is not often utilized to its full potential.

Creating and maintaining a partnership between legislative officials and public procurement professionals is a necessity for the realization of public procurement policies that promote best practices. Given the prevalence of legislative initiatives around the country, it is vital that those involved in legislative functions understand public procurement in depth.

New Procurement Guide for State Officials

During a series of focus groups facilitated by the Research and Innovation team at NASPO with several state CPOs earlier this year, it was frequently mentioned that public procurement officials needed a resource to easily share with state officials to explain public procurement and its value. In response to this request, NASPO has prepared the “Procurement Guide for Executive and Legislative Leadership,” which is designed to succinctly explain the public procurement process and to communicate the immense value that public procurement provides. The guide is intended to help executive and legislative leadership engage with public procurement in a more informed, strategic, and collaborative approach. Developing a robust partnership between state leadership and public procurement offices can help:

• Achieve State Strategic Goals
• Improve Public Procurement Policy
• Increase Efficiency in the Public Procurement Process
• Reduce the Likelihood of Bid Protests

We encourage you to share this guide with anyone unfamiliar with public procurement, especially new executive and legislative officials and their staff members.

Communicating Value Through Data

An effective way to demonstrate the value of public procurement is through the use of compelling data. Developing key performance indicators (KPIs) that accurately capture and easily convey results to relevant stakeholders can go a long way in informing those about the value of public procurement who might not be familiar with the intricacies of the entire process. Some examples of aggregate-level data include:

• Cost-Savings
• Administrative Hours Saved
• Number of New Suppliers Awarded
• Dollars Awarded to Local Businesses
• Dollars Awarded to Specific Classifications of Businesses
• Number of Personnel Trained
• Environmental Impacts

It is also important that these measurements capture the efficacy of a given program or policy, as opposed to focusing purely on traditional efficiency metrics, which do not on their own provide a complete picture.[1]

For assistance in developing KPIs and a deeper explanation of how they can help you communicate the value of public procurement, you can read this recent report on the topic developed by the Research & Innovation team at NASPO. In addition, NASPO’s Procurement U has just released a new course, “Selecting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in Public Procurement,” which is a self-paced online course designed to teach you the basics of using KPIs within the context of procurement.

Resources to Communicate the Value of Procurement

• Procurement Guide for Executive and Legislative Leadership
• How Do You Do? An Introduction to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• ProU: Selecting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in Public Procurement

Going Forward

You can expect NASPO to continue working on projects dedicated to communicating the value of public procurement not only to executive and legislative officials, but also to the general public. Additionally, resources covering public procurement legislation tracking and analysis are also in development to help your office navigate the increasing volume of procurement-based legislative initiatives.

Have you had success working with your executive office or elected officials? We’d love to hear about it—please reach out to research@naspo.org

[1] Roach, John. “Rethinking government KPIs in the DOGE era,” Route Fifty, accessed on July 1, 2025, https://www.route-fifty.com/digital-government/2025/06/rethinking-government-kpis-doge-era/406413/