Source: https://tendernation.io/glossary/cpv-code Glossary # CPV code A Common Procurement Vocabulary code, a standard numeric label that describes the goods, services or works a public contract is for. Updated 14 Oct 2026 A CPV code is a number from the Common Procurement Vocabulary, a standard list used to label what a public contract is buying. Each code is eight digits plus a check digit, for example a code for cleaning services or for road construction works, and codes are arranged in a hierarchy from broad divisions down to specific items. ## What it means The Procurement Regulations 2024 make CPV codes part of the "contract subject-matter" that buyers must give in their notices. [Regulation 14(1)(f)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/692/regulation/14/made) lists "the relevant CPV codes" alongside a description of what is being bought and where it will be delivered. CPV codes also do legal work. [Regulation 42 and Schedule 1](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/692/regulation/42/made) use CPV codes to define which services count as light touch services, so the code can affect which rules and [procurement thresholds](/glossary/procurement-thresholds) apply. The UK still uses the CPV list originally developed in the EU, so codes match those on older notices and on European tender sites. ## Why it matters for SMEs Most tender alert services, including the government's own search, filter by CPV code. If you set up alerts with the wrong codes you will miss relevant work, and if you pick codes that are too broad you will drown in irrelevant notices. Buyers are not always consistent, either. The same type of service can appear under several neighbouring codes, and some buyers pick a broad parent code rather than the exact one. ## Practical tip Pick a small set of specific codes for your core services, then add their parent codes to catch buyers who code broadly. Review past [contract award notices](/glossary/contract-award-notice) for work you have won or lost and note which codes the buyers actually used. The [CPV code finder](/tools/cpv-code-finder) lets you search the list in plain English. TenderNation also matches tenders by meaning, so a badly coded notice can still reach you. Find tenders that fit your business Search UK, EU and World Bank tenders in one place, get AI summaries and a fit score for each one, and track bids in a pipeline. Professional comes with a 14-day free trial, no card needed. [Browse live tenders](/opportunities)[Start free trial ](/register) 14-day free trial, no card required Browse by sector - [Construction work](https://tendernation.io/sectors/construction-work)356 - [Architecture, engineering & surveying](https://tendernation.io/sectors/architecture-engineering-surveying)131 - [IT services](https://tendernation.io/sectors/it-services)51 - [Business services](https://tendernation.io/sectors/business-services)171 - [Health and social work](https://tendernation.io/sectors/health-social-work)291 - [Sewage, refuse, cleaning & environmental](https://tendernation.io/sectors/sewage-refuse-cleaning-environmental)76 [All sectors ](/sectors) ## Nearby terms [Contract award noticeA public notice that a buyer intends to enter into a contract with a named supplier, published before the contract is signed.](https://tendernation.io/glossary/contract-award-notice)[Contract details noticeA notice a buyer publishes after signing a public contract, confirming the supplier, value, dates and other key details.](https://tendernation.io/glossary/contract-details-notice)[Contracts FinderThe UK government website, launched in 2015, for lower-value contract opportunities and awards in England, now mainly for older procurements.](https://tendernation.io/glossary/contracts-finder)[Direct awardAwarding a public contract to a supplier without a competitive tender, allowed only where a justification in the Procurement Act 2023 applies.](https://tendernation.io/glossary/direct-award)[Dynamic marketA list of pre-qualified suppliers, open to new members throughout its life, from which buyers run competitions for individual contracts.](https://tendernation.io/glossary/dynamic-market)[Dynamic purchasing system (DPS)An electronic, always-open list of qualified suppliers under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, replaced by dynamic markets for new procurements.](https://tendernation.io/glossary/dynamic-purchasing-system) [Read our procurement guides ](/guides)