Advancing Economic Empowerment Through Competence, Credibility, and Practice Economic development and procurement functions have undergone a fundamental transformation over the past two decades. Once viewed primarily as administrative or compliance-driven activities, they are now widely recognized as strategic instruments of…
Economic Indicators Are Not Neutral: A Practical Framework for Equitable Economic Development State and local governments and economic development organizations are being asked to deliver measurable growth while demonstrating real progress toward equity, inclusion, and long-term resilience. At the same…
Economic Indicators Are Not Neutral: A Practical Framework for Equitable Economic Development State and local governments and economic development organizations are being asked to provide the data that shows measurable growth while demonstrating meaningful progress toward equity, inclusion, and long-term…
Traditionally, many municipal business development initiatives have been evaluated through narrow performance metrics — such as total procurement spend with target firms. While useful as a baseline indicator, this approach fails to capture the broader economic and fiscal effects that…
A procurement leader once told us, “We set goals with good intentions… but we enforce them with outdated tools.” That honest reflection captures a challenge many agencies face today. Supplier diversity goals are rising, but the systems, data, and processes…
In countless conversations with state and local procurement teams, a familiar theme continues to surface. Whether we’re talking with a mid-sized city juggling vendor outreach, RFP development, and bid evaluation, or a county agency navigating new mandates to expand opportunities…
In economic development, good intentions are not enough. While mission statements and policy commitments often emphasize equity and inclusion, real progress is only visible through measurable outcomes. As public agencies, institutions, and private partners face heightened legal scrutiny and growing…
How Data-Driven Inclusion Strategies Generate Measurable Value Public procurement drives billions of dollars in economic activity each year. When agencies intentionally enable supplier diversity, that spending does more than fulfill participation goals—it strengthens local economies through measurable gains in job…
2025 marked more than a change in budgets or policy cycles; it marked a turning point in how economic empowerment is understood, pursued, and measured. Across disparity studies, supplier diversity programs, procurement inclusion strategies, and economic development policy, the conversation…
What City and County Leaders Need to Know Local governments are under increasing pressure to do more with limited resources—deliver services, grow the tax base, address inequities, and demonstrate results to residents and oversight bodies alike. In this environment, economic…