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Welcome to the Greenville CPV Search engine.

The Greenville CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary) search function is a way to identify the category of a procurement (i.e., whether it is a supply, work, service or Title III service and the relevant EU threshold).

Enter a code, the start of a code, a word, or part of a word in the search box.
Read more about CPV codes

What is the CPV?

The CPV is the Common Procurement Vocabulary employed in the procurement field throughout the EU in order to identify the precise nature of tenders being advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). The CPV could be thought of as the matchmaking service between contracting authorities and economic operators interested in seeking out business throughout the EU.

The CPV is a standardised numerical vocabulary enabling ease of identification in all the Member States to assist advertising in the OJEU.   It is a critical tool for searching for contract opportunities used by economic operators.

It begins by identifying the types of contracts as supplies, works or services as follows:

 

Type of Contract CPV Series White

Supplies

03000000 to 44000000 and 48000000

Works

45000000 only

Services

50000000 to 98000000

 

This coding system was last updated in 2008.

In Ireland, the primary system used to advertise in the OJEU, is the Irish Government portal www.etenders.gov.ie.   Most Member States now operate similar portals, all of which are fully open to economic operators in every Member State.  When contracting authorities are advertising, they are obliged to use the relevant CPV codes and the economic operators using eTenders can register their interest in as many codes as they like.   Registered economic operators will receive email notifications when tenders of interest to them are published.

The CPV system consists of a main 8-digit vocabulary, which defines the type of contract; in addition to a subsidiary vocabulary, which adds further qualitative information about the contract. The main vocabulary is made up of approximately 9450 terms, listing supplies, works and services which are commonly used.

 

Hierarchy

 

The CPV operates on pyramid type structure.  The first two digits ending with six (6) zeros is the topmost level of the hierarchy and may be summarised as below.  Under each heading there are further sub-headings which get into more detail as you drill down.   When it is difficult to find a precise code, it is advisable to use the nearest higher-level code meeting your needs.

 

TOP LEVEL

CPVs for SUPPLIES

03000000

Agricultural, farming, fishing, forestry and related products

09000000

Petroleum products, fuel, electricity and other sources of energy

14000000

Mining, basic metals and related products

15000000

Food, beverages, tobacco and related products

16000000

Agricultural machinery

18000000

Clothing, footwear, luggage articles and accessories

19000000

Leather and textile fabrics, plastic and rubber materials

22000000

Printed matter and related products

24000000

Chemical products

30000000

Office and computing machinery, equipment and supplies except furniture and software packages

31000000

Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; Lighting

32000000

Radio, television, communication, telecommunication and related equipment

33000000

Medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

34000000

Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

35000000

Security, firefighting, police and defence equipment

37000000

Musical instruments, sport goods, games, toys, handicraft, art materials and accessories

38000000

Laboratory, optical and precision equipment (excl. glasses)

39000000

Furniture (incl. office furniture), furnishings, domestic appliances (excl. lighting) & cleaning products

41000000

Collected and purified water

42000000

Industrial machinery

43000000

Machinery for mining, quarrying, construction equipment.

44000000

Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus)

48000000

Software package and information systems

Top Level

CPVs for WORKS (**See additional note with next level down for Works)

45000000

Construction work

TOP Level

CPVs for SERVICES

50000000

Repair and maintenance services

51000000

Installation services (except software)

55000000

Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

60000000

Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

63000000

Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

64000000

Postal and telecommunications services

65000000

Public utilities

66000000

Financial and insurance services

70000000

Real estate services

71000000

Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

72000000

IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

73000000

Research and development services and related consultancy services

75000000

Administration, defence and social security services

76000000

Services related to the oil and gas industry

77000000

Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services

79000000

Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

80000000

Education and training services

85000000

Health and social work services

90000000

Sewage-, refuse-, cleaning-, and environmental services

92000000

Recreational, cultural and sporting services

98000000

Other community, social and personal services

 

The CPV Code

The 8-digit code is the code which is chosen to best describe the procurement.  Some CPV divisions are very precise, while others require you to use the nearest suitable code.   In the event that you experience difficulty in identifying an appropriate CPV you should choose a higher level CPV.

 

Title

This is the official description of the code.  This is used by the OJEU for automatic translation into all the other EU Member State languages.

 

Category

This relates to the definition of the contract type pertaining to the specific code.

 

Supply

This is a contract for the supply of a products or goods.  It may involve siting and installation.   It is a supply, even when it is rented, leased and purchased by hire purchase.

Type of Entity Central Government Sub-Central Government Utility
EU Threshold €143,000 221,000 443,000

Works

This is a contract involving works, usually relating to building or civil engineering and may involve design and execution.  However, it can involve aspects on a broader definition – please refer to Annex II of Directive 2014/24/EU / Annex I of Directive 2014/25/EU.

Type of Entity Central Government Sub-Central Government Utility
EU Threshold 5,538,000 5,538,000 5,538,000

Service

This is a standard service, which is not categorised as a Title III Service.  The majority of CPV codes for services relate to such services.  They incur the lower threshold relevant to services (e.g. €139k/€214k/€428k).

Type of Entity Central Government Sub-Central Government Utility
EU Threshold 143,000 221,000 443,000

Title III Service

This relates to social and other specific services as defined in Art. 74 of Directive 2014/24/EU / Annex XIV and Article 91 of Directive 2014/25/EU / Annex XVII.   Only a few articles of the Directive apply when procuring these services.  They are known as “Light Touch Regime” services and have flexibility around choice of procedure, threshold, duration of frameworks, choice of criteria, etc.   They include social services, education services, legal services, etc.  They are services which are considered less suitable for cross border trade.

Type of Entity Central Government Sub-Central Government Utility
EU Threshold €750,000 €750,0000 €1,000,000

Reserved Service

A small number of CPV Codes (114) are capable of being reserved for award to certain types of organisation designated as pursuing a “public service mission”.    They are a sub-set of the Title III services.  If an authority chooses to reserve who can tender, they are limited to awarding a three (3) year contract/framework.   They are however free not to limit who can tender, in which case the duration is not limited to 3 years.  Reserved services can be awarded using the “Light Touch Regime”.

 

Title III/Reserved Service

This identifies the codes which fall into both categories, i.e. Title III and Reserved.

 

Central Government

This refers to the type of contracting authority.   It refers to the State and essentially covers Central Government Department and Agencies who are directly controlled by Government Departments.

 

Sub-Central Government

This refers to the type of contracting authority.  It refers to agencies one step removed from Central Government, being either set up by statute or including local and regional authorities and bodies governed by public law or associations of bodies governed by public law.   The sub-central threshold also applies to agencies not directly linked to the public sector, but funded from public money, such as non-governmental organisations like Leader Groups, Charities, etc.

 

Utility

This refers to a specific type of contracting entity operating within the field of Water, Energy, Transport and Postal services.  These entities may be publicly owned or privately owned.  They may operate on a special or exclusive right, generally operate a network and often constitute public undertakings and not public authorities.

** Additional levels for Works under CPV 45

 

2nd Level

CPVs for WORKS

45000000

Construction work

45100000

Site Preparation work

45110000

Building demolition and wrecking work and earthmoving work

45120000

Test drilling and boring work

45200000

Works for complete or part construction and civil engineering work

45210000

Building construction work

45220000

Engineering works and construction works

45230000

Construction work for pipelines, communication and power lines for highways, roads, airfields

45240000

Construction work for water projects

45250000

Construction work for plants, mining and manufacturing and for buildings relating to the oil and gas industry

45260000

Roof works and other special trade construction works

45300000

Building installation work

45310000

Electrical installation work

45320000

Insulation work

45330000

Plumbing and sanitary works

45340000

Fencing, railing and safety equipment installation work

45350000

Mechanical installations

45400000

Building completion work

45410000

Plastering work

45420000

Joinery and carpentry installation work

45430000

Floor and wall covering work

45440000

Painting and glazing work

45450000

Other building completion work

45500000

Hire of construction and civil engineering machinery and equipment with operator

45510000

Hire of cranes with operator

45520000

Hire of earthmoving equipment with operator

 

Note: there is a NACE Nomenclature for works to be found at Annex II of EU Directive 2014/24/EU and Annex I of Directive 2014/25/EU (the Utilities Directive).

In the event of any difference of interpretation between the CPV and the NACE, the CPV nomenclature will apply.

 

 

Research and Development Services (Article 14 (2014/24/EU) / Article 32 (2014/25/EU)
The Procurement Directives shall only apply to (public) service contracts for research and development services which are covered by CPV codes

 

CPV Codes

Description

73000000-2

Research and development services and related consultancy services

73100000-3

Research and experimental development services

73110000-6

Research services

73111000-3

Research laboratory services

73112000-0

Marine research services

73120000-9

Experimental development services

73300000-5

Design and execution of research and development

73420000-2

Pre-feasibility study and technological demonstration

73430000-5

Test and evaluation

 

provided that both of the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the benefits accrue exclusively to the contracting authority for its use in the conduct of its own affairs, and

(b) the service provided is wholly remunerated by the contracting authority.

NOTE: if both (a) and (b) are not applicable, then the procurement would not be subject to the Directives

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