The Municipal Partnering Initiative: Mixed Contracting in Local Government Procurement

Abstract

The Municipal Partnering Initiative (MPI), which formally began in 2011 in the northern suburbs of Chicago, can be described as an instance of mixed contracting. Mixed contracting occurs when multiple public agencies jointly contract services with a nongovernmental agency for service delivery. This is in contrast to joint contracting, which connotes a public entity contracting out some service to a private or nonprofit organization singularly. More than 24 local governments in the MPI jointly craft mutually agreed-upon bid specifications for public works, construction, and administrative shared services through compromise and discussion. Contracts with contractors are crafted to include all of the participating communities, with contractors working with the various communities to schedule their construction season.