Client need

To improve on-reservation economic development, a tribal organization located in New Mexico needed to analyze their current institutional and organizational climate. This included the role of the governmental organization, the role of existing business enterprises and any legal or process impediments inherent within the organization.

In addition, this provided opportunity for the tribe to review and connect prior related work, including master plans and economic development studies, to legal and regulatory impediments found within the constitution and relevant ordinances, codes, policies, procedures, and other regulatory requirements associated with economic development.

Baker Tilly solution

Baker Tilly’s tribal services team partnered with a firm specializing in tribal law to analyze the current state of the tribe’s economic development climate, including relevant plans, policies, procedures and regulations. To complete the project, the team held meetings with elected officials (Governor, staff officers and Council members), tribal staff, current business owners, board members and key executive team members to enhance its understanding of the economic development climate.

Results

The project team combined all information from meeting attendees and relevant sources to produce a comprehensive analysis of the institutional and organizational climate for economic development for the tribal government. This included 23 primary recommendations to increase the ability for economic development within the tribe. Recommendations focused on improving strategic planning, enhancing the economic development function, retooling policies and procedures, and clarifying the role of each tribal entity.

The tribe utilized Baker Tilly’s analysis as the basis for a strategic planning session to further identify areas to focus its resources and to prioritize implementation of key recommendations.

For more information on this topic, or to learn how Baker Tilly specialists can help, contact our team.