NUTS Codes (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics)

NUTS codes are the geographic backbone of European public procurement. Every contract notice published on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and the Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) database carries at least one NUTS code indicating where contract performance will take place. For bidders, understanding this classification system is essential for filtering opportunities by geography and for understanding the regional context of a tender.

What are NUTS Codes?

The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics is a hierarchical system created and maintained by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. It organises the territory of EU member states into a three-level hierarchy: major socio-economic regions at NUTS Level 1, basic regions at NUTS Level 2, and small regions at NUTS Level 3. The country itself forms NUTS Level 0.

Each NUTS code consists of a two-letter country identifier followed by up to three additional alphanumeric characters that narrow down to progressively smaller geographic areas. Germany, for example, is DE at Level 0, and the Free State of Bavaria is DE2 at Level 1, with further subdivision into regions such as DE21 (Oberbayern) at Level 2.

The classification is governed by Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and Council, which has been amended several times to reflect changes in administrative boundaries across member states. The most recent revision is the NUTS 2024 Classification, applicable from 1 January 2024.

Why NUTS codes matter for bidders

When a contracting authority publishes a call for tenders under Directive 2014/24/EU (public sector), Directive 2014/25/EU (utilities), or Directive 2014/23/EU (concessions), the standard form requires a place of performance expressed as a NUTS code. This field is mandatory and searchable on TED.

For bidders, the NUTS code is the primary geographic filter. A logistics company looking for distribution contracts in northern France can search TED using the relevant NUTS codes for Hauts-de-France (FRE) rather than scanning all French notices. A construction firm operating in southern Poland can limit its pipeline to the relevant NUTS 2 codes covering that region.

NUTS codes also determine eligibility for EU-co-funded contracts. Contracts partially financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) or the Cohesion Fund are assigned to specific NUTS regions because structural funds are allocated at the NUTS 2 level. Knowing which regions attract co-funded contracts can help bidders target their business development activity.

Example

A Dutch municipality procuring IT support services publishes a contract notice on TED. The place of performance is listed as NL310, the NUTS 3 code for Utrecht. A software company headquartered in Amsterdam filters TED by the NL3 NUTS 2 group (West-Nederland) and finds the notice. Because NUTS codes are standardised, the same company can equally search for opportunities across Belgium or Germany using the equivalent NUTS hierarchy without learning a different regional naming convention for each country.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do NUTS codes apply to UK procurement after Brexit?

The UK left the EU and its NUTS classification was replaced by an equivalent domestic system called International Territorial Levels (ITL), which mirrors the NUTS hierarchy but is administered by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). UK contracting authorities publishing on Find a Tender (FTS) use ITL codes, not NUTS codes. However, UK suppliers bidding on EU contracts via TED still need to understand NUTS codes to find and filter notices in EU member states.

Are NUTS codes updated regularly?

Yes. Eurostat reviews the classification every three years. Changes reflect boundary modifications, administrative reorganisations, and shifts in population thresholds. The NUTS 2024 Classification is the current version. Bidders using older filtering systems should verify that their geographic filters reflect the current classification, as outdated codes may return no results or incorrect matches.

Can a single contract cover multiple NUTS codes?

Yes. Multi-region contracts routinely list several NUTS codes in the place-of-performance field. A national framework agreement, for example, might list all NUTS Level 1 codes for a given country because delivery can occur anywhere in the territory.