NJPA Announces Partnership with Alliance for Innovation
We are excited to partner with the Alliance for Innovation and look forward to collaborating with the organization’s members, affiliates, and other corporate partners.
STAPLES, Minn. (11 October 2017) -- National Joint Powers Alliance® (NJPA) is pleased to announce it has signed on as a Corporate Partner with the Alliance for Innovation, a national network of professionals in city and county government dedicated to inspiring innovation to advance communities.
NJPA Director of Regional Programs Paul Drange says the values and mission of NJPA and the Alliance for Innovation align in such a way that an official partnership makes sense.
“We exist to serve public entities and are dedicated to delivering innovative solutions that help our members work more efficiently,” Drange said. “NJPA is passionate about continuous improvement and enhancing processes. We are excited to partner with the Alliance for Innovation and look forward to collaborating with the organization's members, affiliates, and other corporate partners.”
The Alliance for Innovation seeks partnerships with organizations that demonstrate a passion for excellence in public service, dedication to improving community processes and service delivery, and a commitment to accelerate innovation with flexible, scalable solutions.
As an official partner, NJPA will help support national webinars, regional workshops, Innovation Labs and Forums, publications, and educational and networking opportunities for Alliance members.
Placing an emphasis on innovation has sparked significant growth for NJPA in recent years. The organization is eager to encourage the same for other public entities across the nation.
Within its home region of central Minnesota, NJPA supports the local governments and schools across a five-county area comprised of some of the highest poverty-stricken communities in the state. One of the fastest-growing and most innovative services NJPA offers in the region is Shared Services.
In 2012, NJPA identified a common pain point among its regional membership: a need for professional services but not enough resources to attract/sustain part- or full-time help. The following year, NJPA launched its Shared Services program. NJPA employs professionals in a variety of fields. Instead of each city, township, county, and school district hiring its own position, local leaders can tap into a high-quality, cost-effective labor pool and utilize the shared resources at 50% or better under the market rate.
Drange says regional members look to NJPA as a partner in helping them more effectively and efficiently meet the day-to-day needs of the people and students they serve.
“The Shared Services model is replicable,” Drange said. “It's our hope that what we're doing here in central Minnesota will ignite conversations and inspire others across the country to establish similar programs.”
Throughout the U.S., and Canada, NJPA offers an innovative cooperative purchasing program. On behalf of its 50,000 public entity members, NJPA conducts competitive solicitations, awarding to the most responsive and responsible vendors at the manufacturer level. Members can purchase off these contracts through their local dealers, streamlining the procurement process, saving time, energy, and money while shopping locally.
NJPA membership is free. Visit www.njpacoop.org to learn more and see all documentation of the 200+ awarded vendor contracts.
Sourcewell (formerly National Joint Powers Alliance) is a self-supporting government organization, partnering with education, government, and nonprofits to boost student and community success. Created in 1978 as one of Minnesota's nine service cooperatives, we offer training and shared services to our central-Minnesota members. Throughout North America, we offer a cooperative purchasing program with over 200 awarded vendors on contract. Sourcewell is driven by service and the ability to strategically reinvest in member communities.