Sponsored content from ICMA partner, NASPO.

Local government professionals and procurement teams often deal with a wealth of data. However, data alone doesn’t drive decisions: storytelling does. It’s important to remember that storytelling isn’t just for procurement and local government professionals—anyone working to interpret and utilize data can benefit from turning numbers into stories. Working together, these teams can take the raw data of their jobs and transform it into meaningful narratives that can support and achieve shared goals, such as justifying spending, local supplier participation, and achieving community priorities.
 

Why does narrative matter?

• Clarity and Comprehension: Raw data can be overwhelming. A narrative helps distill complexity into a clear, digestible storyline.
   
• Contextualization: Narratives frame data in terms of business impact. It can explain why a decline in supplier lead time matters or how consolidating vendors aligns with strategic goals.
   
• Persuasion and Influence: Stories are more memorable than charts. A strong narrative can win buy-in from stakeholders who don’t completely understand procurement systems. 
   
• Alignment: Storytelling ensures procurement aligns its goals with broader organizational strategies (e.g., cost savings or risk management).

One thing to keep in mind when crafting a narrative to help others understand why your data is important: “Brevity is confidence. Length is fear.” These two sentences hang on the wall in the newsroom of Axios.[1] Don’t hide in extra words and fluff. Identify one important idea that you want to communicate and support it with your narrative. At NASPO, our Research and Innovation team works hard to make resources accessible and readily available to help out anyone who might want or need more information about procurement.

Who is your narrative for?

Pick one person you would like to understand the data you are presenting and tailor your story for them specifically. Are you trying to help your supervisor understand why you need to go with a particular supplier for a contract? What do they need to know about the supplier and contract for them to agree with your point of view? How can you translate the facts of numbers into a persuasive narrative?

• Translate Jargon: Avoid procurement-specific or technical terms and instead use simple language that conveys your meaning without further explanation that could derail your message. Have someone who does not have a procurement background review what you have written, and if they have difficulty understanding it, revise.
   
• Highlight Desired Outcomes: Cost savings, risk management and reduction, sustainability goals, supplier diversity. When you spell out the goal you hope to achieve, it can be easier to get buy-in.
   
• Stay Short, Not Shallow: Communicate your main point and add a few supporting details. Don’t let your audience get lost in too many extra words and ideas.

For every data point that you include in your narrative, you should ask yourself, “So what?” Why should your audience care about the figures you are communicating to them? Each data point should have a reason for its inclusion.

Where can narrative take you?

• Transparency: Procurement often requires spending with public funds. When you explain the data of your work, you are helping others understand your good stewardship of public money. You help them understand that the process is fair, competitive, and free from bias.
   
• Data-Driven Decision Making: When you explain the trends behind the data, such as supplier diversity or spending patterns, you can support smarter future budgeting, planning, and forecasting.
   
• Expanded Focus: Relying solely on numbers and data without understanding the meaning behind them can result in a narrowed focus, often only on cost savings. While saving money is a benefit, focusing too strongly on just one aspect of procurement can lead to missed opportunities in innovation or sustainability.

Effective procurement reporting isn’t just about collecting accurate data; it’s about transforming that data into a narrative that can drive action in the direction that you want to go. When you can weave a compelling narrative that is tailored for your audience, you will be able to not only work and communicate with your local elected officials more effectively but also help to ensure that you are achieving your own professional goals.
 

Further Resources and Reading

• Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less by Jim Vandehei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz
• Writing that Works: How to Communicate Effectively in Business by Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson
• Writing on the Job: Best Practices for Communicating in the Digital Age by Marth B. Coven
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
• State and Local Government Procurement: A Practical Guide