The Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) is a tool of economic analysis whose purpose is to measure, on the basis of individuals' stated preferences, the utility they attach to the production of public goods, thereby enabling a public decision-maker to arbitrate between different items of expenditure. The approach has been deployed as part of a centralist conceptual scheme that leaves little room for citizens in the decision-making process and is now being challenged by the increasing prominence of multilevel governance, particularly in Europe. The purpose of this article is to discuss the use in this context of citizen advisory committees (CACs) rather than the other participatory tools sometimes recommended in contingent valuation studies, such as citizen juries and the scenario workshop. It also discusses the limitations of the CAC/CVM combination in order to ensure that citizens' opinions are fully taken into account in the specification and implementation of public programmes.