CPV 553 – Restaurant and Food-Service

What does CPV 553 cover?

CPV group 553 covers restaurant and food-service operations. This includes the provision of meals and beverages at official events, conferences and receptions, catering for parliamentary and governmental ceremonies, and restaurant services at publicly operated venues such as visitor centres, museums and cultural institutions.

In public procurement, CPV 553 is particularly relevant for government departments and public authorities hosting representative events, official receptions and working conferences. Unlike CPV 555, which covers ongoing institutional catering such as canteen operations, CPV 553 is used for individual or periodic food-service assignments – from a ministerial dinner to a series of conference lunches during a parliamentary session.

Publicly operated cultural venues, exhibition halls, national museums and visitor centres that operate their own catering facilities also use this code when tendering restaurant concessions or event hospitality contracts. Further information on the CPV system is available from the European Commission (SIMAP) and Regulation (EC) No 213/2008.

Typical Services in CPV 553

Examples of Tenders with CPV 553

• Event catering for a federal ministry: A federal ministry tenders a framework contract for event catering services covering approximately 40 events per year – ranging from working lunches for 20 persons to representative receptions for up to 300 guests, including beverages, table service and crockery hire.
• Restaurant concession at a state museum: A state museum authority tenders the operation of its in-house restaurant and café for a five-year period, including daily visitor catering, private event hire and catering for official museum openings and vernissages.
• Parliamentary food-service contract: A state parliament awards a multi-year contract for restaurant services within the parliament building, covering daily meal provision for members and staff, committee meeting refreshments and formal hospitality for official delegations.

Current tenders with CPV 553 are published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on national procurement platforms such as the German Procurement Portal (DTVP).

Who is CPV 553 relevant for?

Public Contracting Authorities

Federal and state ministries, parliamentary administrations, public cultural institutions, municipal event venues and government-operated visitor attractions are the main contracting authorities in this segment. These bodies require reliable catering partners for both routine hospitality and high-profile official events.

Companies and Bidders

Professional event caterers, restaurant operators with event capacity, hospitality companies and specialised public-sector food-service providers are typical bidders. References for comparable official events, HACCP concepts, proof of service quality standards, evidence of staffing capacity and experience with protocol requirements are generally required. Further information on eligibility requirements and procurement procedures is provided by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

How does Bond help with CPV 553?

Tender Match – Automatically Find Tenders (CPV 553)

With tender.match, event caterers and restaurant operators automatically receive all relevant tenders with CPV 553 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-service 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 553)

For companies looking for suppliers, subcontractors, or consortium partners for restaurant and event catering projects, company.match provides direct access to qualified firms from an EU-wide database of over 28 million companies. Especially for larger event 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 553

What does the CPV code 55300000 mean?

The CPV code 55300000 designates restaurant and food-service operations in the European classification system for public contracts. It covers the provision of catering, meals and beverages at official events, receptions, conferences and publicly operated venues procured by public contracting authorities.

How do I find tenders with CPV 553?

Tenders are published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) for EU-wide procedures and on the German Procurement Portal (DTVP) for national tenders. Bond automatically aggregates all relevant tenders from over 1,000 portals and delivers them filtered by company profile.

What are the requirements for participating in tenders with CPV 553?

Bidders must generally provide an HACCP concept, food safety certifications, references for comparable catering contracts, proof of staffing capacity and experience with official or protocol-sensitive events. Details are governed by the VgV and the UVgO depending on the contract value.