CPV 15 – Food, Beverages and Tobacco Products

What does CPV Division 15 cover?

CPV Division 15 (15000000) classifies public contracts for food, beverages, tobacco and related products. Unlike Division 03 (primary agricultural commodities), CPV 15 focuses on processed and manufactured foodstuffs: meat and charcuterie, dairy products, bakery goods, preserves, frozen foods, beverages, condiments and food additives.

Collective catering is one of the largest procurement categories in the public sector. Schools, nurseries, universities, hospitals, prisons, the armed forces and publicly operated care homes all require continuous, high-volume food deliveries. Tenders under CPV 15 are frequently structured as framework agreements with multi-year terms and regional lots.

Division 15 is subdivided into numerous groups, including meat and meat products (151), fish and fish products (152), dairy products (155), bread and fine bakery wares (158), beverages (159) and tobacco products (160). It is one of the most extensive CPV divisions, with more than 400 individual codes.

Further information on the CPV system is available from the European Commission (SIMAP) and Regulation (EC) No 213/2008 amending the CPV.

Key CPV Groups in Division 15

Examples of Tenders with CPV 15

• Full catering supply for a prison facility: A correctional institution with several hundred inmates procures daily delivery of all required foodstuffs for collective catering – from fresh meat and vegetables to dry goods and beverages.
• Catering raw materials for municipal school canteens: A local school authority awards a four-year framework agreement for the supply of fresh dairy products, bakery goods and frozen food to all municipal school kitchens.
• Mineral water supply for federal authorities: A federal agency procures bottled mineral water, hot beverages and coffee beans for events and meeting rooms across multiple locations.

Current tenders with CPV 15 are published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on national procurement platforms.

Who is CPV Division 15 relevant for?

Public Contracting Authorities

School authorities, hospital administrations, prison services, the armed forces, municipal care homes and publicly operated nurseries are the primary contracting authorities under CPV 15. Tenders are frequently bundled through central purchasing bodies to achieve better pricing. Organic, regional and sustainable products play an increasing role in award decisions.

Companies and Bidders

Food wholesalers, butchers serving institutional clients, dairies, bakeries and beverage distributors are the typical bidders. Regional food producers in particular can benefit from the growing preference of public buyers for locally sourced products. HACCP certification and food hygiene documentation are mandatory requirements.

Information on eligibility criteria and procurement procedures is available from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

How does Bond help with CPV 15?

Tender Match – Automatically Find Tenders (CPV 15)

With tender.match, food suppliers, wholesalers and catering companies automatically receive all relevant tenders with CPV 15 directly in their dashboard. BOND indexes tenders from over 1,000 procurement portals in the EU – from TED to national platforms and regional contracting authorities. Instead of manually searching dozens of portals every day, matching food supply contracts are filtered and delivered by industry, competency, region, and company profile. An automated gap analysis immediately shows where the company meets the requirements and where gaps exist. This ensures companies never miss a deadline and can focus on preparing their bids.

Company Match – Find the Right Partners and Suppliers (CPV 15)

For companies looking for suppliers, subcontractors, or consortium partners for food supply projects, company.match provides direct access to qualified firms from an EU-wide database of over 28 million companies. Especially for larger full-catering contracts that a single company cannot handle alone, company.match automatically identifies suitable partners for bidding consortia and partial services – increasing the chances of winning the contract.

Frequently Asked Questions about CPV 15

What does the CPV code 15000000 mean?

The CPV code 15000000 represents the division "Food, Beverages, Tobacco and Related Products" in the EU's Common Procurement Vocabulary. It classifies public contracts for the procurement of processed foods and beverages for collective catering and general operations of public institutions. CPV 15 is one of the highest-volume divisions in public procurement.

How do I find tenders with CPV 15?

Tenders with CPV 15 are published at EU level on TED. Since many municipal food contracts fall below EU thresholds, national platforms such as are also relevant. Bond aggregates all sources and delivers filtered results daily.

What are the requirements for participating in tenders with CPV 15?

Mandatory requirements typically include food hygiene documentation (HACCP), food law approvals, references for comparable supply contracts and transport capacity with cold-chain compliance. Organic tenders require organic certification. Details are governed by the VgV or the UVgO depending on contract value.