CPV codes: how the Common Procurement Vocabulary works and how to choose your codes

The CPV is laid down in Regulation (EC) No 2195/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council, as amended by Regulation (EC) No 213/2008. The version in force is CPV 2008, in use since September 2008. Contracting authorities use it to complete procurement notices, and you use it to search for procurements on TED.

The full list of codes is available in the CPV section of TED in PDF, XML, ODS and XLS formats. Code names are translated into the official EU languages, including Latvian, and you can also browse them on EU Vocabularies, the vocabulary portal of the EU Publications Office.

A code in the main vocabulary consists of eight digits plus a ninth check digit, separated from the others by a hyphen. The check digit helps catch errors when the code is entered. The more zeros at the end of a code, the more general it is.

The supplementary vocabulary lets you refine a main code, for example to state the material, shape, user or intended use. Its code consists of two letters (the first indicates the section, the second the group), two digits and a check digit. Sections are labelled with the letters A to U, for example A – materials, D – general and administrative attributes, M – transport, P – hire services.

An example from the European Commission’s CPV guide: the main code 34110000-1 (passenger cars) can be refined with the supplementary codes MB02-8 (right-hand drive) and CA36-8 (Euro 5 fuel).

Pay attention to the boundaries between divisions. Buying a ready-made software package (division 48) is a supply, while custom software development (division 72) is a service. Construction work is in division 45, while architectural and engineering services are in division 71.

You can use the CPV code as a filter in the EIS procurement search; for working with EIS, see the EIS registration guide.

1. 1Write a list of the goods and services you offer and the procurements you have already taken part in.
2. 2Find the matching division (first 2 digits) and work down the levels to the most precise code.
3. 3Search for keywords in the code names, for example by filtering the CPV list XLS file or on the EU Vocabularies portal. Try synonyms as well.
4. 4Check neighbouring codes in the same group and class, and repeat the search with other keywords. The European Commission’s CPV guide specifically recommends this.
5. 5Look at the codes contracting authorities have used in procurements in your sector on EIS or TED, and add them to your list.
6. 6Keep both the precise codes and their more general levels, because a contracting authority may choose a general code.

In the notice, the contracting authority states the main classification and, where needed, additional classification. In Latvian-language notices on TED these appear as „Galvenā klasifikācija (cpv)” (main classification) and „Papildu klasifikācija (cpv)” (additional classification), and the codes there are usually shown without the check digit.

The European Commission’s CPV guide recommends choosing the most precise code possible. The first code serves as the title of the procurement and may be more general. Several additional codes can be stated, but no more than 20 is recommended.

Each contracting authority chooses its own codes, so similar procurements are often classified differently:

• one contracting authority chooses a precise code, another a general division code, for example 45000000-7;
• in mixed procurements, for example building a kindergarten together with the supply of furniture and learning equipment, the main code may come from a different division than the part you are interested in;
• in borderline cases a similar subject ends up in different divisions, for example software in division 48 or 72;
• if you follow only the main code, you miss procurements where your field appears only in the additional classification;
• a code list that is too narrow excludes related categories, while one that is too broad returns many irrelevant results.