The most successful third-party management arrangements don’t start with a contract — they start with a relationship. As cities face tighter budgets and rising expectations, and as facility operators look for stable, long-term partnerships, a growing number of communities are turning to external management to run a verity of key assets, including sports and recreation facilities, convention/performing arts center, 911services, and solid waste and recycling collection, more effectively. But the communities getting the best results aren’t just hiring vendors — they’re building genuine partnerships grounded in shared goals, mutual accountability, and trust. This session explores how city leaders and operators can find the right fit, structure agreements that protect public value while giving operators room to perform and build the kind of working relationship that survives leadership transitions, budget cycles, and the inevitable curveballs. Whether you sit on the city side or the operator side, you’ll walk away with a practical framework for how to evaluate, structure, and sustain partnerships that deliver for the community long after the ink dries.