Description (short summary):
The Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) establishes a single classification system for public procurement aimed at standardising the references used by contracting authorities and entities to describe the subject of procurement contracts.
The CPV consists of a main vocabulary for defining the subject of a contract, and a supplementary vocabulary for adding further qualitative information. The main vocabulary is based on a tree structure comprising codes of up to 9 digits (an 8 digit code plus a check digit) associated with a wording that describes the type of supplies, works or services forming the subject of the contract.
The use of the CPV has been mandatory in the European Union since 1 February 2006.
On 28 November 2007, the European Commission has adopted a Regulation that updates the Common Procurement Vocabulary.
The CPV has been transformed into a more user-friendly classification, adapted to the needs of the electronic age as envisaged by the eProcurement Action Plan, and updated in line with the most recent developments in technology and services. The update of the CPV is the result of an unprecedented consultation exercise with the private and the public sectors throughout the EU and an extensive comparative study on other existing business classifications.
The emphasis has been put on a streamlined structure that serves purchasers, making the CPV more "product driven" and less "material driven". The previous version of the CPV contained, for instance, different codes for chairs depending if they were made of plastic, wood or metal. Now the accent has been put on the product itself (i.e. the chairs), and the additional specifications, if any, are to be added using appropriate codes of the supplementary vocabulary.
Number of pages:
Regulation: 74 pages
Guide: 16 pages
Explanatory Notes: 43 pages
Supplementary Codes Explanatory Notes: 5 pages
Related article(s):Â
EU: Public procurement: new classification system
Nature of documentation: Manual (technical documentation)