What is a CPV code for?
CPV classifies the subject of a public contract: works, supplies or services. It describes the purchase, not your company profile. A code has eight digits and a check digit after the hyphen. The first two digits identify a broad division; further levels make the need more specific.
A four-step method
- Describe the actual service or product. An IT company may supply software, consultancy or hardware: these purchases do not necessarily belong to the same division.
- Start with a reasonably broad sector. Read several relevant notices, then note their main and additional codes and the subject of each lot.
- Check the wording in the official vocabulary. Keep useful specific codes while retaining a broader search to catch notices classified differently.
- Test before saving your radar. Compare around ten results, choose the relevant geographical area and adjust keywords. Revisit the criteria if results are too numerous or too scarce.
Worked example: one supplier, different purchases
Imagine your business supplies IT to community organisations. A buyer replacing office computers gives you a reason to explore division 30. A notice for an existing software package points towards division 48. A project to develop an application or provide IT consultancy leads you towards division 72. Searching only for “IT” blurs those different needs. Try separate searches, then read the lots and the more detailed codes. A contract may combine software licences with implementation services, so check the actual scope before ruling it out. These two-digit divisions help you start; they do not automatically identify the correct detailed code.
Mistakes that hide opportunities
One very specific code can exclude relevant notices. A broad division can create noise. An empty result does not prove there is no market: widen your criteria. CPV never replaces reading the requirements, lots, conditions and official deadline.
Five starting points
These divisions are starting points, not an automatic choice of the right code for your offer. Check subcodes and the notice text for a specific service.