# CPV codes

A CPV code is a number in the EU's common classification for public procurement. It helps you find competitions, and for some services decides the rules.

Canonical URL: https://tendline.no/en/glossary/cpv-codes

In Norwegian: [CPV-koder](https://tendline.no/ordliste/cpv-koder.md)

## Definition

CPV stands for Common Procurement Vocabulary, the EU's common classification for public procurement. The Public Procurement Regulations (anskaffelsesforskriften) define a CPV code as a reference number that refers to this classification (§ 4-4 letter e; the § references on this page are to the Regulations unless another instrument is named). The contracting authority uses the codes in the contract notice to describe what it is buying. According to DFØ (the Norwegian Agency for Public and Financial Management), the purpose is to standardise the terms contracting authorities use to describe what they are procuring.

The classification was introduced by Regulation (EC) No 2195/2002. The vocabulary was replaced by a new version by Commission Regulation (EC) No 213/2008, which applies from 15 September 2008 and is referred to in Annex 1 to the Regulations. It consists of a main vocabulary and a supplementary vocabulary. The main vocabulary has 9,454 codes in 45 divisions. The supplementary vocabulary has alphanumeric codes that can add to the description, for example with characteristics or the purpose of what is being bought.

Each code in the main vocabulary has eight digits and a ninth check digit, written XXXXXXXX-Y. The ninth digit is used to verify the eight before it. The first two digits give the division, the first three the group, the first four the class and the first five the category. Each of the last three digits makes the description more precise within the category. A code with many zeros at the end therefore covers more than a code where all the digits are in use.

## Why it matters for suppliers

The codes are made to make contract notices searchable. According to DFØ, suppliers can sort notices by CPV code to find the relevant ones, and in Doffin, the Norwegian national database for procurement notices, you can link your search to CPV codes; see the page on Doffin. The contracting authority chooses the codes, and DFØ states that the notice must have CPV codes that together describe the whole procurement. The codes therefore say something about what the contracting authority means to buy, but a code can be broader, narrower or different from the one you would have chosen yourself. Advice: follow the code for what you deliver, the code one level up and neighbouring codes, search on free text as well, and read the description in the notice before you decide whether the competition is for you.

For services, the codes also matter for which rules apply. The Regulations define special services (særlige tjenester) and health and social services as the services in Annex 2 and Annex 3, and both annexes are lists of CPV codes (§ 4-1 letters f and g). Annex 2 includes, among others, canteen and catering services, hotel services, legal services, and investigation and security services. Annex 3 includes health and social services and services related to training and education. Part II applies from NOK 1.3 million up to the EEA thresholds (except health and social services), and to special services from NOK 1.3 million with no upper limit (§ 5-1 (2) letter b), so Part III does not apply to special services, but above NOK 8.7 million Part II itself adds the Part III rules on publication in TED, contract award notices and the standstill period (§ 8-17 (4), § 8-19 and § 10-2 (2)). Health and social services follow only Part I, with no duty to advertise, below NOK 8.7 million, and Part IV at or above NOK 8.7 million (§ 5-1 (2) letter a and (4); DFØ). Other services follow Part II from NOK 1.3 million up to the EEA thresholds, and Part III at or above the EEA thresholds (§ 5-1 (2) and (3)). For works, Annex 1 lists the building and construction activities with both NACE and CPV codes, and where they conflict, the CPV code prevails (§ 4-1 letter d no. 1 and Annex 1).

If the contracting authority buys several types of services in the same contract, or both supplies and services, the part with the highest value is the main subject of the contract and decides the rules (§ 6-1 (1) and (2)). To decide which part of the Regulations applies, the value of the whole contract is used (§ 6-1 (3)). If the parts are objectively separable, a part that is not the main subject may still decide which part of the Regulations applies. If the value of that part exceeds the EEA thresholds while the main subject's does not, the contract must be awarded under the part of the Regulations that applies to that part. If the main subject belongs to Part I and the other part to Part II, the contract must be awarded under Part II (§ 6-1 (4) and (5)). So the code for one part of the delivery does not decide on its own.

## Legal basis

Public Procurement Regulations (anskaffelsesforskriften) § 2-5, § 4-1 letters d, f and g, § 4-4 letter e, § 5-1, § 5-3, § 6-1 and Annexes 1 to 3 · Commission Regulation (EC) No 213/2008

## Example

A municipality is buying the running of the canteen in its town hall for NOK 3 million excluding VAT over four years, and uses CPV code 55512000 (canteen management services) in the notice. The code is in Annex 2, so the purchase is a special service and follows Part II (§ 5-1 (2) letter b), even though the value is above NOK 2.5 million, which is the EEA threshold for the municipality's other service contracts. For special services the EEA threshold is NOK 8.7 million (§ 5-3 (2)). The European Single Procurement Document (ESPD), the standard self-declaration form, is then not mandatory, and the standstill period (karensperiode) has no fixed minimum length, but must be reasonable.

The same municipality buys first-aid courses for its staff for NOK 1.5 million and uses CPV code 80562000 (first-aid training services). Services related to training and education, codes from 80000000 to 80660000, are in Annex 3, so under the Regulations the course is a health and social service. Below NOK 8.7 million only Part I applies, and the municipality has no duty to advertise the purchase in Doffin. A course provider who only follows contract notices can therefore miss purchases like this. Advice: also follow the contracting authorities you want to sell to.

## Frequently asked questions

### What do the digits in a CPV code mean?

The digits go from the general to the specific. In 55524000 (school catering services), 55 gives the division, 555 the group and 5552 the class, which is catering services (55520000). 55524 is the category, and the last three digits can make it more precise within the category. After the eight digits comes a check digit after a hyphen, which is used to verify the digits before it (Regulation (EC) No 213/2008, Annex I).

### Where can I find a list of all CPV codes?

The whole main vocabulary and supplementary vocabulary are in Annex I to Commission Regulation (EC) No 213/2008, which you can find on EUR-Lex. The Public Procurement Regulations give, with Norwegian names, the codes that decide which rules apply: the building and construction activities in Annex 1, the special services in Annex 2 and the health and social services in Annex 3. When you search in Doffin, you can link your search to CPV codes. Advice: find the code for what you deliver, and then look at the other codes in the same group and class to find neighbouring codes the contracting authority may have used.

### Can the CPV code decide which rules apply?

Yes, for services. If the service is in Annex 2, it is a special service, and if it is in Annex 3, it is a health and social service. Both have different limits and follow different parts of the Regulations from other services (§ 4-1 letters f and g and § 5-1). For building and construction work, Annex 1 lists the activities with CPV codes (§ 4-1 letter d no. 1), but a contract can also be a works contract under § 4-1 letter d no. 2 and no. 3, so there the code does not decide on its own. In a mixed contract, it is as a rule the main subject that decides, not the code for each part (§ 6-1). The exception for research and development is also defined by CPV codes: the Regulations still apply to nine specific codes in division 73 when the benefits accrue exclusively to the contracting authority and the contracting authority pays for the whole service (§ 2-5). Advice: if the codes seem wrong for what is actually being bought, ask the contracting authority before the deadline for questions.

### Why do I not find all relevant competitions when I search by CPV code?

Because the contracting authority chooses the codes, and because not all purchases are advertised. The codes in the notice must describe the whole procurement (DFØ), but a contracting authority may have chosen a broader or a different code from the one you search for. In addition, there is no duty to advertise between NOK 500,000 and NOK 1.3 million, nor for health and social services below NOK 8.7 million, and contracts under a framework agreement are awarded without a new notice. Advice: combine the code search with free text and with following the contracting authorities you want to sell to.

## In Tendline

[Tendline assesses each competition against what you actually deliver, not just against the code](https://tendline.no/en#how-we-work)

## Sources

- [Lovdata: Public Procurement Regulations (anskaffelsesforskriften), § 2-5, § 4-1, § 4-4, § 5-1, § 5-3, § 6-1 and Annexes 1 to 3 (Norwegian)](https://lovdata.no/dokument/SF/forskrift/2016-08-12-974)
- [EUR-Lex: Commission Regulation (EC) No 213/2008 amending Regulation (EC) No 2195/2002 on the Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) and Directives 2004/17/EC and 2004/18/EC, as regards the revision of the CPV](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008R0213)
- [DFØ: Guide to the Public Procurement Regulations, chapter 31 Notices, section 31.3 on CPV codes (Norwegian)](https://www.anskaffelser.no/veileder-til-anskaffelsesforskriften/31-kunngjoringer)
- [DFØ: Guide to the Public Procurement Regulations, chapter 5 Threshold values and the different parts of the Regulations (Norwegian)](https://www.anskaffelser.no/veileder-til-anskaffelsesforskriften/5-terskelverdier-og-de-ulike-delene-i-anskaffelsesforskriften)
- [EUR-Lex: Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement, Articles 3 and 23 (English terminology)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/24/oj/eng)

Last checked against the sources: 14 October 2026

## Related terms

- [Doffin](https://tendline.no/en/glossary/doffin.md)
- [Contract notice](https://tendline.no/en/glossary/contract-notice.md)
- [Threshold values](https://tendline.no/en/glossary/threshold-values.md)
- [EEA threshold values](https://tendline.no/en/glossary/eea-threshold-values.md)
- [Public Procurement Regulations (anskaffelsesforskriften)](https://tendline.no/en/glossary/public-procurement-regulations.md)
- [TED (Tenders Electronic Daily)](https://tendline.no/en/glossary/ted.md)
- [ESPD (European Single Procurement Document)](https://tendline.no/en/glossary/espd.md)
- [Access to tenders and the procurement record](https://tendline.no/en/glossary/access-to-tenders.md)