The term “utilities” is commonly used to describe the organisations which deliver services – such as the provision of water, electricity, gas or transport – to a community as a whole, typically through fixed networks. In some EU member states activities in the utilities sector are entrusted to government organisations which are public entities, while in other states bodies in the utilities sector are wholly private undertakings, and even both private and public entities operate in the same utilities markets. The Utilities sectors are covered by separate and more flexible procurement rules in the European Union (Directive 2004/17/EC). SIGMA Brief 16 summarises these specific rules.