What is a CPV code?
Updated 18 Oct 2026 · figures from 5 Nov 2026
A CPV code is the category a public tender is filed under. CPV stands for Common Procurement Vocabulary, a list of about 9,000 categories that every buyer in the EU must use, so the same code means the same thing in every country and language. For example, 45000000 is construction work and 33000000 is medical equipment.
What the digits mean
A code has eight digits and a check digit, written like 45210000-2. The first two digits are the division, the broadest level. Each following digit narrows it down:
| 45000000 | Construction work (division) |
|---|---|
| 45200000 | Works for complete or part constructions and civil engineering work (group) |
| 45210000 | Building construction work (class) |
| 45214000 | Construction work for buildings relating to education and research (category) |
| 45214200 | Construction work for school buildings |
The UK still uses CPV on Find a Tender, and Ukraine's DK 021:2015 list on Prozorro is the same vocabulary, so one set of codes works across all the countries on our pages.
The ten divisions on our pages
| Code | Division | Tenders in Germany, 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| 45000000 | Construction | 34,048 |
| 33000000 | Medical equipment | 2,789 |
| 71000000 | Architecture and engineering | 15,339 |
| 72000000 | IT services | 4,138 |
| 48000000 | Software | 2,972 |
| 90000000 | Cleaning and waste | 5,868 |
| 34000000 | Vehicles | 5,278 |
| 50000000 | Repair and maintenance | 1,989 |
| 79000000 | Business services | 4,032 |
| 35000000 | Security and fire safety | 1,299 |
How to find the codes for what you sell
Start from tenders you know. Open a few past tenders you won or would have bid on, on TED or your national portal, and note their codes. This is the fastest way, because it shows how buyers actually file your kind of work.
Search the list in your own words. The CPV list can be searched by keyword in any EU language. Orbigate's category search does this in any language and shows how many tenders each code had per year, so you can see which codes are really used.
Use both broad and narrow codes. Buyers are not consistent. A school renovation may be filed under 45214200, under 45453000 (overhaul and refurbishment work) or only under 45000000. Search a few levels up from your exact code, then filter by keyword.
Expect a few codes, not one. Most companies need five to fifteen codes to see their market. A tender can carry several codes, so one notice may match more than one of yours.
Questions
What does CPV stand for?
Common Procurement Vocabulary. It is the EU's shared list of about 9,000 categories for public contracts, used in every tender notice.
How many digits does a CPV code have?
Eight digits plus a check digit, for example 45210000-2. The first two digits are the division; each following digit makes the category narrower.
How do I find my CPV codes?
Look up the codes on past tenders you would have bid on, then search the CPV list for your products in your own language. Most companies need several codes, at more than one level.