The Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) is the EU's standardised classification system for public contracts. Every tender published in TED — and most national portals — must include at least one CPV code identifying what is being purchased. Understanding the CPV system is not optional for companies that want to monitor EU procurement effectively: it is the fundamental language that connects buyers and suppliers across all 27 member states.
CPV codes are 8-digit numbers with a hierarchical structure. The first two digits identify the top-level division: 45 covers construction works, 72 covers IT services, 60 covers transport services, 85 covers health and social work. The subsequent digits narrow the category progressively — 72230000 is custom software development, while 72611000 is technical computer support services. Selecting codes at the right level of specificity matters: too broad and your monitoring is flooded; too narrow and you miss notices buyers tagged with parent codes.
Finding the right codes for your business requires matching what you sell against the CPV hierarchy. Start by searching TED's CPV browser at simap.ted.europa.eu — type your product or service in plain language and browse the matching categories. Most SMEs have 3–8 highly relevant codes. Awarda's onboarding wizard uses past match data to suggest the codes most likely to yield actionable notices in your sector and target markets.
One important caveat: CPV assignment errors are common. Buyers frequently assign a parent- category code instead of the precise subcategory, or use a closely related code. Awarda accounts for this by scoring notices against expanded code sets that include parent and sibling CPV categories, reducing the risk of missed opportunities due to buyer mis-classification.
Find tenders by CPV codeA CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary) code is an 8-digit classification number that identifies exactly what a contracting authority is purchasing. Every EU public tender notice must include at least one CPV code. The system covers over 9,000 categories arranged hierarchically: the first two digits identify the division (e.g., 45 = construction works), the next three digits the group and class, and the final digits the subcategory.
Start from what you sell, not from the codes themselves. List your core products and services in plain language, then search TED's CPV browser (simap.ted.europa.eu) for matching terms. Most businesses have 2–8 highly relevant codes. Avoid adding tangentially related codes — broader coverage sounds appealing but floods your monitoring feed with irrelevant notices and dilutes your scoring.
CPV code errors happen regularly — buyers sometimes assign a broad parent code instead of the precise subcategory. This means monitoring only your exact codes can cause you to miss relevant notices. Awarda addresses this by also scoring notices tagged with parent-category codes and near-neighbour codes, reducing the risk of missed opportunities due to buyer mis-classification.