Guide
CPV code: what it is, how to read it and which ones fit your company
Short answer
The CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary) is the European classification that says, in 8 digits plus a check digit, what each tender is buying: 45000000-7 is construction, 90910000-9 is cleaning, 72000000-5 is IT.
The version in force is the one in Regulation (EC) No 213/2008, and every notice in Portugal and the EU uses it. Knowing the codes for what you sell is the most reliable way to find and filter tenders.
By José BrandãoPublished on Updated on
Search CPV codes
Look up the 9,454 codes of the TED main CPV 2008 vocabulary, by description or number. The descriptions are the official Portuguese ones used in notices, so search in Portuguese or by number: a prefix such as 45, or a full code such as 90910000-9.
03000000-1division 03Produtos da agricultura, da pesca, da silvicultura e afinsSee tenders in the sector: Agricultura, jardinagem e pesca →45000000-7division 45ConstruçãoSee tenders in the sector: Obras de construção e reabilitação →45331000-6category 45331Instalação de aquecimento, ventilação e ar condicionadoSee tenders in the sector: Obras de construção e reabilitação →50730000-1class 5073Serviços de reparação e manutenção de grupos de refrigeraçãoSee tenders in the sector: Manutenção e reparação →72000000-5division 72Serviços de TI: consultoria, desenvolvimento de software, Internet e apoioSee tenders in the sector: Serviços de informática →90910000-9class 9091Serviços de limpezaSee tenders in the sector: Limpeza, resíduos e ambiente →
Source: TED, CPV 2008 vocabulary. The links to tenders show the whole sector, which may include other CPV codes.
What is a CPV code?
CPV stands for Common Procurement Vocabulary. It is a single list of thousands of codes, the same in every EU country, that describes what a public contract is for without depending on language. It was created by Regulation (EC) No 2195/2002, and the version in use since 2008 is the one in Regulation (EC) No 213/2008.
In Portugal, every tender notice published in the Diário da República (the official gazette) and on the Portal BASE (the public contracts portal) has at least one CPV code. It is a required field. When a council launches a tender to paint a school, the notice does not just say "painting": it says 45442100-8, painting work. That number lets a painter in Faro and one in Bragança find the same tender without guessing words. It also helps if you do not read Portuguese well, because the code means the same in every language.
How do you read a CPV code?
The main vocabulary is a tree with up to 9 digits: 8 that identify what is bought and 1 check digit, after a hyphen, that only serves to verify the others. The more non-zero digits, the more specific the code.
| Level | Digits | Example | What it describes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Division | the first 2 | 45000000-7 | Construction |
| Group | the first 3 | 45400000-1 | Building completion work |
| Class | the first 4 | 45440000-3 | Painting and glazing |
| Category | the first 5 | 45442000-7 | Application of protective coatings |
| Subcategory | all 8 | 45442100-8 | Painting work |
There are 45 divisions, from 03 (agricultural products) to 98 (other services). All works are in division 45. Services start at 50 (repair and maintenance) and run up to 98. Goods take divisions 03 to 44 and some in between. There is also a supplementary vocabulary, with a letter and four digits (for materials or features, for example), which notices in Portugal rarely use.
How do you find your company's codes?
The fastest way is not to read the list: look at the contracts your company has already won. On the Portal BASE, every published contract has the CPV code it was tendered under. The codes that repeat in your contracts, and in those of companies doing the same work, are yours. Adjudica does this for you: from your NIF (Portuguese tax number) it reads past contracts and suggests the codes and type of work for your profile.
If you have never sold to the State, follow three steps:
- Start with the division: works (45), cleaning services (90), IT (72), consultancy (79), training (80), food (15 and 55), transport (60), health (33 and 85).
- Go down to the group or class that describes your main work. You do not need the eighth digit: many notices stop at class level.
- Keep 3 to 6 codes, not 30. Notices use neighbouring codes, and a filter on the whole division catches them all so you can pick by eye. The guide on how to find open public tenders combines these codes with the other filters in a weekly routine.
Watch out for one trap: public bodies pick codes in different ways. A tender for "green space maintenance services" may come out as 77310000-6 (planting and maintenance of green areas) at one council and 77311000-3 (maintenance of gardens) at another. That is why following the division or group is safer than one exact code.
Example: an air conditioning company
To see, for each division, how many contracts there were in the last 3 years, who buys and who wins, open the page on public contracts by CPV code.
This pattern repeats in almost every sector: what you sell shows up under works, goods and services codes. The open tenders on Adjudica are organised by sector, grouping CPV divisions into types of work with plain names, so you do not have to memorise numbers.
What else is the CPV used for?
- In international notices (above the thresholds in Article 474 of the CCP, the Portuguese Public Contracts Code), the CPV is the search key on TED, the European portal where tenders from the whole Union are published.
- In statistics: IMPIC (the Portuguese procurement regulator) and the European Commission count contracts by CPV. These codes tell you, for example, how much the State spends on software or school meals.
- In alerts: any tender alert system, Adjudica's included, uses CPV codes as the first filter, before words and area.
- In qualification: for works, matching the tender's CPV with the categories of the IMPIC licence (alvará) is one of the first things to check (see the guide on qualification documents).
If you want the tenders with your codes by email, see the plans. On Starter you see the tenders that fit your company's profile; email alerts come with Pro. For the terms in this guide, see the glossary.
Frequently asked questions
How many CPV codes are there?
The main vocabulary has thousands of codes, organised in 45 divisions. In practice, a small company works with half a dozen, and the tenders in a sector concentrate in two or three divisions.
What does the last digit after the hyphen mean?
It is a check digit, calculated from the previous 8, used to catch typing errors. It adds no meaning: 45000000-7 and 45000000 refer to the same thing.
Can I bid for a tender whose CPV is not my line of business?
The CPV in the notice does not limit who can bid. What limits you are the qualifications the tender documents require (licence, certifications, technical capacity). A code badly chosen by the public body does not stop you from submitting a bid.
Where can I see the full list of CPV codes?
On the EU's TED portal and in the annex to Regulation (EC) No 213/2008. On this page you can search the 9,454 codes of the main vocabulary by name or number, including prefixes such as 45. The descriptions are the official Portuguese ones, as they appear in notices. The links to tenders take you to the whole sector, which may include other codes.
Want to see what AI does at each stage of a tender? Read the guide to AI for public tenders.