If you frequent the NIGP message boards, you see the relationship between procurement and the governing body discussed often. It is also a recurring theme among purchasing professionals at seminars, forums and person-to-person conversations. Each discussion, each incident has its own peculiarities, but a common thread persists: Why do they (council, board, commission, etc.) act like they do, and how can we get along better?

To explore these questions, I decided to go straight to the source. Before I semi-retired late last year, my last position was as purchasing manager of Irving, Texas, a Dallas suburb of 200,000 people. I sat down with two members of the city council to discuss how elected officials relate to, and work with, purchasing.

In my public purchasing career, I have experienced both supportive and less-than-supportive governing bodies. The City Council of Irving appreciates staff but doesn't rubber-stamp every recommendation. They ask hard questions, ultimately driving everyone's best efforts to the table.

"It all begins with a vision," Irving Councilwoman Rose Cannady said in her folksy but straight-forward manner. "The Council has a vision, and we hired a city manager who has the same vision. Now he and the city staff have to implement the vision."

In addition to Cannady, I spoke with Irving Councilman Rick Stopfer. Their comments and observations can help us better understand why governing bodies act as they do. And with better understanding comes a better relationship.

Based on my years of experience in addition to the feedback from Cannady and Stopfer, this article will explore five words that can form the foundation for building a strong, mutually-beneficial relationship with a governing body.

1. Vision

Too often we focus on what a governing body should not be doing, such as micro-managing or getting too involved in day-to-day operations. Instead, we should remember what a governing body should be doing, which is setting the general direction for the entity. The word for that is "vision," which has been defined as seeing things not as they are, but as they could be.

Cannady said that staff's role is implementing that vision. If you substitute "purchasing" for "staff," it becomes more personal. As purchasing pros, we have a lot of different tasks and customer groups, but at the very foundation of our work is the implied directive to work toward the vision articulated by our governing body.

"When visions align," Stopfer declared, "we can take it to the next level."

You can have a vision for any area you have control over — your desk, your unit, your department — but your vision must dovetail with that of your governing body. If it doesn't, you're likely to be frustrated and discouraged.

On an airplane, you are likely to hear a message from the flight attendant: "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome aboard flight 1429, non-stop service to Denver." Now if you have a vision of being in Denver, congratulations. You have aligned yourself with a pilot, crew and fellow passengers who have the same vision.

But if your vision is seeing yourself in San Francisco, you have three choices:

• Get off and find a plane going to San Francisco,
• Fly to Denver and then board another plane to the Bay area, or
• Change your vision to Denver.

You do not realistically have the choice of convincing the flight crew and all the other passengers that you should all be going to San Francisco.

If you are constantly trying to change the vision, you're not going to win the battle. Maybe it's time to look for another flight.

Try to implement these "Vision" actions:

• Learn where your governing body is headed. What do they consider important? What is their vision?
• Share that vision with your co-workers.
• Decide how you and your team can specifically support the vision.
• Make recommendations that show you understand the vision.
• Realize that in all probability you are not going to change the vision significantly. Only the citizens who directly or indirectly elect your governing body are able to do that.