Motivated by the national economic downturn and Illinois’ fiscal crisis, management of 18 northern Cook County and Lake County municipalities worked together in fall 2010 to develop a new business model, drawn from familiar concepts we’ve known for years – the powers of bulk purchasing, and working together instead of working independently.  Instead of separately seeking contractors for work they routinely do, the administrations work together to purchase shared services and commodities, in a concept the communities refer to as the Municipal Partnering Initiative (“MPI”).