CPV for Supplies

Supplies contracts cover the purchase, lease, hire, or hire-purchase of goods. They form one of the three principal categories of public procurement, alongside works and services. Within the Common Procurement Vocabulary, supplies are classified across a wide range of divisions depending on the type of product, from food and pharmaceuticals to vehicles and electronic equipment. Building a comprehensive CPV code profile for supplies requires understanding which divisions cover your product market.

What are CPV codes for supplies?

Unlike works contracts, which are concentrated in a single division (45), supplies contracts are spread across many CPV divisions depending on the product category. The major supplies divisions include:

Division 03 (agricultural, farming, fishing, and food products in raw form), division 09 (petroleum products and fuels), division 14 (mining products and related), division 15 (food, beverages, and tobacco), division 16 (agricultural machinery), divisions 18-22 (clothing, leather goods, luggage, printed matter), divisions 24-25 (chemicals, rubber, plastic), division 26 (non-metallic minerals), divisions 30-35 (office machinery, electrical equipment, communications equipment, medical equipment, transport equipment), divisions 37-39 (sports equipment, laboratory instruments, furniture), divisions 41-44 (industrial machinery and materials), and division 48 (software packages and information systems).

The defining characteristic of a supplies contract under Directive 2014/24/EU is that the predominant obligation of the contract is delivery of goods. Where a contract combines goods with incidental installation or configuration, it remains a supplies contract as long as the goods element is dominant. Where installation or configuration becomes the primary obligation, the contract may cross into works or services territory.

The supplies threshold under EU procurement law is lower than the works threshold, meaning more goods contracts are caught by the above-threshold rules and therefore appear on TED. This makes the total volume of supplies opportunities across Europe very high.

Why it matters for bidders

Suppliers of goods need to map their product range to CPV codes at the most specific available level, typically subcategory or category. For commodity goods (stationery, cleaning products, personal protective equipment), the relevant codes are well established and easy to identify. For innovative or highly specialised products, finding the best-fit code requires browsing from the relevant division down through groups and classes.

Supplies contracts are also frequently awarded through framework agreements, where a contracting authority or central purchasing body establishes a multi-year arrangement with one or more suppliers covering a range of products. Framework notices often carry codes at group or class level because the scope spans multiple subcategories. Monitoring at a broader level ensures you see framework establishment notices in addition to individual call-off contracts.

The distinction between supplies and services matters for threshold calculations. A managed print services contract (where the supplier provides printers, paper, consumables, and maintenance) may be classified as services rather than supplies depending on whether the maintenance element is dominant. Correct classification by the authority determines the applicable threshold and the notice type.

Example

A Finnish medical devices company identifies the relevant CPV codes for their product range within division 33 (medical equipments, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products). Their core codes include 33162000-3 (operating theatre devices and instruments), 33163000-0 (devices for intensive care), and 33192100-3 (hospital beds). They use a CPV code lookup tool to verify that these are current CPV 2008 codes and set monitoring alerts on TED and on the Finnish national portal Hilma.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the supplies threshold under EU procurement law?

The supplies threshold differs between central government authorities and sub-central authorities, and is revised every two years by the European Commission. Current threshold figures are published in the Official Journal. For most EU member states, the central government supplies threshold is lower than the works threshold, meaning a larger number of contracts fall within the regulated regime.

Can a contract for software be classified as supplies?

Yes, in some circumstances. Directive 2014/24/EU includes the purchase of software packages within the definition of supplies (distinct from software development services). Off-the-shelf software licences are typically classified under division 48 as supplies. Bespoke software development is typically classified as services under division 72. The classification depends on whether you are buying a pre-existing product or commissioning original development.

How do I identify framework agreements for my product category?

Framework notices appear on TED and national portals with the same CPV codes as individual supply contracts. You can identify framework notices by filtering for framework agreement notices specifically in the advanced search. Monitoring CPV additional object codes alongside main object codes increases the chance of finding frameworks where your product is a secondary but significant element.