Our findings suggest that contingency theory does apply not only to the management level within a network but also to the institutional level interactions among intersectoral partners during the network formation period. McGuire (2002) once argued that the management of public networks is fluid and contingent on several factors. Unlike his analysis which lies mainly on the individual level of analysis (managing behaviors of public managers) and the confines of management activities within the networks, our findings show empirically that the contingency logic also extends to the stage of network formation and at the intersectoral interactions among collaborating institutions as well.