So far, they have been an important instrument to increase the geographical outreach of federal policies, enabling firms everywhere in the country to access information about existing policies and programmes. In doing so, they have also become a vehicle for the formalisation of the shadow economy, a stumbling block to the development of Mexico, as participation in public programmes is a common way to allure informal businesses in the regular economy. Being managed by intermediary organisations, CMEs also facilitate the local rooting of these organisations. If a drawback is to be singled out, this is the shortage of competition in the selection of the intermediaries running the centres. The very large majority of the centres are managed by the three main employer associations and chambers of commerce, whereas the implication of a more heterogeneous group of intermediaries should in principle result in better terms and conditions for the client firms of the centres.