What are CPV codes?
Every public contract notice in the European Union carries at least one CPV code. It is the single field that decides which suppliers ever see the notice, and it is the reason this classification exists at all.
The short answer
CPV stands for Common Procurement Vocabulary. It is a single classification, used across all EU member states, for describing what a public contract is actually buying - supplies, services or works.
It was established by Regulation (EC) No 2195/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council and amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 213/2008. The version in force is the 2008 vocabulary as revised in 2013, and it has not changed since. Anything advertised as a "2026 CPV list" is that same 2013 revision.
Why it exists
Before CPV, a buyer in Portugal and a buyer in Finland described the same purchase in their own language and their own words, and no supplier could search across both. CPV replaces the words with a number that means the same thing in 23 languages.
That is the practical point. A supplier subscribes to the codes that match what they sell, and receives every notice carrying those codes regardless of which country published it or which language it was written in.
How the eight digits break down
A CPV code is eight digits, followed by a ninth check digit after a hyphen - 45453000-7. The check digit only verifies the eight before it. It is not part of the classification, so 45453000 and 45453000-7 mean the same thing.
The significant digits narrow the meaning from left to right:
- The first 2 digits are the division - 45 is construction work. There are 45 divisions.
- The first 3 digits are the group - 45.2 covers complete or part construction works.
- The first 4 digits are the class - 45.45 is other building completion work.
- The first 5 digits are the category - 45.453 is overhaul and refurbishment work.
- Digits 6 to 8 refine the category further, down to the most specific code on that branch.
The supplementary vocabulary
Alongside the 9,454 codes of the main vocabulary there is a supplementary vocabulary of 903 letter-based codes such as AA01-1. These add a detail the main code cannot express - a material, a purpose, a target group. They are optional and they never replace the main code.
CPV and NUTS are not the same thing
A contract notice carries both. The CPV code says what is being bought; the NUTS code says where the contract will be performed. NUTS 2024 has 1,971 units across four levels in 39 countries and has applied since 1 January 2024.
Suppliers usually filter on both at once: this kind of work, in this region.
Where to go next
If you already know roughly what you are buying, the fastest route is to search the description rather than guess at a number. If you are the buyer writing the notice, the choice of code matters more than most people assume - that is covered separately.