In some EU member states Central Purchasing Bodies are responsible for awarding public contracts and framework agreements for other contracting authorities. SIGMA Brief 20 provides an overview of the establishment and operation of a Central Purchasing Body as defined by the European Union Directives. The Brief focuses on Central Purchasing Bodies that base their operations on the awarding and use of centralised framework agreements. The brief explains the rationale for establishing a Central Purchasing Body and gives a short summary on the typical product and service areas covered by a Central Purchasing Body. The brief also discusses the key operational issues for these bodies. Finally the brief presents important “lessons learnt” as well as risk and success factors.