What are CPV codes?
CPV stands for Common Procurement Vocabulary. It's a standardised numerical classification system used across the UK and European Union to categorise the goods, works, and services that public sector bodies buy.
Every contract notice published on Find a Tender Service (FTS), Contracts Finder, and most other UK procurement portals must include at least one CPV code. When a council needs IT support, a hospital needs cleaning services, or a government department needs management consultancy, they select the CPV codes that best describe what they're buying.
The system was introduced by the European Commission in 1996 and adopted as the UK standard. Following Brexit, the UK retained CPV codes as the classification standard for public procurement.
How CPV codes are structured
Each CPV code is a nine-digit number in the format XXXXXXXX-Y, where the first eight digits identify the category and the final digit is a check digit used to verify the code.
Code breakdown example: 72212000-4
72Division
IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
722Group
Software programming and consultancy services
7221Class
Systems and technical consultancy services
72212Category
Programming services of application software
72212000Item
Programming services of application software (full item)
-4Check digit
Verification digit — not meaningful for classification
The hierarchy works from broad to narrow: a division (2 digits) contains groups (3 digits), which contain classes (4 digits), which contain categories (5 digits). Most contract notices use codes at the full 8-digit (item) level, but some use higher-level codes when the scope is broader.
Why CPV codes matter to suppliers
CPV codes matter because they're how procurement portals let you filter and search for relevant contracts. If you set up tender alerts based on CPV codes and miss the right ones, you'll either drown in irrelevant results or miss contracts that were written for you.
There are three practical reasons to understand them:
- 1
Setting up alerts correctly
Most portal alert systems use CPV codes as the primary filter. Get the codes right and you filter out noise. Get them wrong and you either miss contracts or receive hundreds of irrelevant ones.
- 2
Understanding what buyers are buying
Reading the CPV codes on a notice tells you immediately what the buyer categorises the work as. A code for 'Management consultancy services' (73200000) tells you something different from 'Business and management consultancy services' (72224000).
- 3
Monitoring competitor wins
Award notices published on FTS include CPV codes. Tracking awards in your codes tells you who is winning work in your sector, at what value, and from which buyers.
Finding the right CPV codes for your business
The best method is to work backwards from contracts you've already won or tendered for, or from contracts your competitors have won. Look up the award notice and note which codes were used.
If you're starting from scratch:
- 1.Identify your primary service or product in plain English.
- 2.Search the division list below for the relevant sector (e.g. IT, construction, health).
- 3.Navigate down to the group and category level using the EU CPV browser or SIMAP database.
- 4.Cross-reference by searching Contracts Finder for your service and checking which codes appear on similar contracts.
- 5.Build a list of 5–15 codes that cover your core offering and adjacent areas.
The CPV code problem most suppliers miss
Buyers often choose CPV codes that don't perfectly match what they're actually buying — because the taxonomy is broad and the person writing the notice isn't always a procurement specialist. A contract for "website development" might be filed under IT services, communications, or even marketing. Relying on CPV codes alone means you'll miss contracts that were written for your business but categorised loosely. RevnIQ reads the full contract text and scores relevance semantically, so you catch these regardless of which codes the buyer chose.
The limitations of CPV codes
CPV codes are a useful starting point, but they have real limitations:
- —Inconsistent application: Different buyers choose different codes for the same work. There's no enforcement mechanism to ensure accuracy.
- —Granularity gaps: The taxonomy was last substantially updated in 2008. Many modern services — particularly in digital, data, and AI — don't have specific codes and are filed under broad IT categories.
- —Single primary code requirement: A complex contract might genuinely span multiple categories. The single primary code requirement means one aspect dominates the classification, even if the other elements are equally significant.
- —No link to contract value or complexity: A £5,000 contract and a £50 million contract can share the same CPV code. The code alone tells you nothing about scale.
Full CPV division list
There are 45 divisions covering the full range of goods, works, and services purchased by public bodies. The two-digit prefix identifies each division.
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 03000000 | Agricultural, farming, fishing, forestry and related products |
| 09000000 | Petroleum products, fuel, electricity and other sources of energy |
| 14000000 | Mining, basic metals and related products |
| 15000000 | Food, beverages, tobacco and related products |
| 18000000 | Clothing, footwear, luggage articles and accessories |
| 22000000 | Printed matter and related products |
| 24000000 | Chemical products |
| 30000000 | Office and computing machinery, equipment and supplies |
| 31000000 | Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables |
| 32000000 | Radio, television, communication, telecommunication and related equipment |
| 33000000 | Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products |
| 34000000 | Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation |
| 35000000 | Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment |
| 37000000 | Musical instruments, sport goods, games, toys, handicraft, art materials and accessories |
| 38000000 | Laboratory, optical and precision equipment |
| 39000000 | Furniture (incl. office furniture), furnishings, domestic appliances and cleaning products |
| 41000000 | Collected and purified water |
| 42000000 | Industrial machinery |
| 43000000 | Machinery for mining, quarrying, construction equipment |
| 44000000 | Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (excl. electric apparatus) |
| 45000000 | Construction work |
| 48000000 | Software package and information systems |
| 50000000 | Repair and maintenance services |
| 51000000 | Installation services (excl. software) |
| 55000000 | Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services |
| 60000000 | Transport services (excl. Waste transport) |
| 63000000 | Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services |
| 64000000 | Postal and telecommunications services |
| 65000000 | Public utilities |
| 66000000 | Financial and insurance services |
| 70000000 | Real estate services |
| 71000000 | Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services |
| 72000000 | IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support |
| 73000000 | Research and development services and related consultancy services |
| 75000000 | Administration, defence and social security services |
| 76000000 | Services related to the oil and gas industry |
| 77000000 | Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services |
| 79000000 | Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security |
| 80000000 | Education and training services |
| 85000000 | Health and social work services |
| 90000000 | Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services |
| 92000000 | Recreational, cultural and sporting services |
| 98000000 | Other community, social and personal services |
Frequently asked questions
How many CPV codes can a tender have?
A contract notice must have one main CPV code but can include multiple supplementary codes. Most notices carry between one and five codes in total, though complex contracts can have more.
Are CPV codes still used after Brexit?
Yes. CPV codes remain the standard classification system for UK public procurement. They're used on Find a Tender Service (FTS) for above-threshold contracts and on Contracts Finder for below-threshold work.
What's the difference between the main CPV code and supplementary codes?
The main CPV code identifies the primary subject of the contract. Supplementary codes describe additional aspects — for example, a facilities management contract might have a main code for building maintenance with supplementary codes for cleaning and security services.
Can I search for tenders using CPV codes alone?
You can filter by CPV code on FTS and Contracts Finder, but you'll miss contracts where the buyer chose a slightly different but related code. AI-powered tools like RevnIQ read the full contract text, so you catch relevant opportunities regardless of which code the buyer used.
How often are CPV codes updated?
The current CPV taxonomy (2008 version) has been stable for over a decade. The EU periodically reviews the system, and any updates are adopted in UK procurement post-Brexit by reference.