Collaborative service agreements are truly win-win scenarios; they help local governments cut or share costs, while maintaining or even improving the level of services provided to citizens in the community. These agreements can take place between a local government and almost any other entity, from a local nonprofit or private organization to another nearby local government. While these agreements can be about almost anything they typically include a breakdown of the costs, which entity will provide which service, and any scheduling that needs to be worked out beforehand. If your local government is not already taking advantage of collaborative service delivery solutions, check out these links for ideas on how collaborative service delivery can be used to enhance your community.

• A question posted by one of our members received various examples from community leaders of collaborative service delivery agreements implemented in in their communities.
• ICMA created a whitepaper highlighting opportunities for collaborative service delivery between parks and recreation departments and other entities in the community that resulted in win-win situations.
• Another whitepaper delves into collaborative service delivery showcasing a jointly operated (by the local government and a non-profit society) community center in West Vancouver.
• An amazing resource for those wanting to learn more about collaborative governance is ICMA’s Collaborative Governance and Leadership: A 2012 Survey of Local Government Collaboration. This document provides insight on the how and why behind local government collaboration. 
• This webinar reflection highlights collaborative service delivery at the regional level, showing that consolidating resources can cut costs for local governments and increase efficiency at the regional level.
• ICMA has a resource page of on-demand webinars about negotiating with vendors and service delivery as well as books and reports providing in-depth information on service sharing agreements and nontraditional government strategies.
• And if you are not already convinced that collaborative service delivery is a great idea, check out this article that discusses how innovative ideas, such as collaborative service delivery, will be key in the coming decade for local governments.

In addition to traditional collaborative service delivery, between an organization and a local government, there are types of civic engagement that can function similarly. To learn more about collaborative service delivery through civic engagement check this out! 

These have all been pulled from ICMA’s website where you can find many more interesting examples of collaborative service delivery. In addition to the resources that ICMA has to offer, please chime in with examples of the exciting collaborative service agreements you have in your community. We can’t wait to hear about them!

Best,

Robin Saywitz

Knowledge Network Intern, ICMA

rsaywitz@icma.org