How Municipalities Can Leverage Piggybacking To Streamline Service Delivery

Municipalities today face mounting challenges. Staffing shortages, rising service demands, and increasingly tight budgets are putting more pressure on local governments than ever before. The question isn’t if more support is needed, it’s how fast that support can be secured without compromising quality or compliance.

That’s where piggybacking* comes in. This practical, underused procurement strategy helps fill service gaps, reduce delays, and keep communities moving forward.

Understanding Piggybacking

At its core, piggybacking is a form of cooperative purchasing. It allows a municipality to use another agency's competitively awarded contract, avoiding the need for a lengthy RFP process, if legal conditions permit.

How piggybacking works

1. A neighboring city or county awards a contract through a competitive bid
2. The contract includes language allowing others to participate
3. Your team adopts the agreement, pending internal approval

Piggybacking is used in many states, including Florida, Georgia and Texas*. Still, it’s important to confirm that your local ordinances and the original contract terms support cooperative use.

Benefits of piggybacking for municipalities

When done correctly, piggybacking can:

• Accelerate timelines by enabling services to start in days or weeks
• Lighten administrative lift by bypassing bid preparation and evaluation
• Reduce risk by working with vetted vendors
• Ensure continuity during transitions or emergencies

When To Use Piggybacking

In high-pressure situations, piggybacking on existing work isn’t just a smart strategy —it’s how you stay focused on what matters most. You should consider it when facing:

Urgent service needs

When permit backlogs, seasonal surges, or staff vacancies create pressure, piggybacking makes it possible to scale quickly without recruitment delays.

Limited resources and budget constraints

Creating a new procurement path takes time, money, and capacity. Piggybacking eases that burden while providing predictable pricing.

In one example, SAFEbuilt helped a North Miami-Dade Municipality activate inspection services in just days using an existing contract from a neighboring city. It’s a model that shows how effective this approach can be under pressure.

Implementing Piggybacking Strategies

Once you’ve identified piggybacking as a potential solution, follow these steps to move forward smoothly:

1. Look for existing contracts in nearby communities that include cooperative use language
2. Bring your key team members to the table early (this typically includes procurement, legal, and finance)
3. Confirm the contract details match your community’s scope, pricing needs, and legal requirements
4. Obtain written consent from both the originating agency and the vendor
5. Pull together the necessary documents to help your team move through internal reviews efficiently

These steps lay the groundwork for a successful piggybacking agreement, but ongoing coordination is just as important.

Best practices for effective piggybacking

To ensure long-term success:

• Set shared expectations across departments from the start
• Track service delivery to ensure it meets your goals
• Start with a manageable scope, then expand as needed

Partnering with an experienced provider, like SAFEbuilt, can also help reduce setup delays and keep everything on track.

Turn Budget Constraints Into Strategic Wins

When time and resources are limited, piggybacking offers a clear path forward. It helps maintain momentum on critical services, reduces delays, and makes the most of every dollar.

Ready to explore if piggybacking* is the right fit for your community?

Download the Municipal Partnership Guide to learn how it works—and how to get started. Or contact our team to get started. 

* Important Note: While piggybacking can significantly streamline the process, internal approvals—such as council or commission review—may still be required. Always confirm your city’s procurement thresholds and legal procedures before proceeding. Municipalities and public agencies should consult legal counsel, procurement officials, or governing authorities to determine how local laws, ordinances, or internal policies may impact the use of contract adoption or cooperative purchasing mechanisms.