CPV 721 – IT Consultancy Services

What does CPV 721 cover?

CPV group 721 covers IT consultancy services – a broad range of intellectual services that support public contracting authorities in planning, designing and managing their IT programmes. This includes IT strategy consultancy (e.g. digitalisation strategies, IT consolidation), enterprise architecture advisory, IT project management and project control services, technical analyses and IT audits, and feasibility studies for planned IT projects.

Contracting authorities procure IT consultancy services primarily when they need to supplement internal expertise or require an external, independent perspective. Typical occasions include impending system changes, IT consolidation projects, the development of IT strategies, or the independent oversight of large procurement exercises. The distinction from CPV 722 (software development) and CPV 725 (IT operations) is important for correct CPV classification.

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

Typical Services in CPV 721

• IT strategy consultancy and digitalisation concept development
• Enterprise architecture advisory (e.g. TOGAF, SIAM)
• IT project management and project control
• Technical analyses, IT audits and system inventories
• Feasibility studies for IT projects
• IT governance and IT organisational advisory
• Procurement support for complex IT acquisitions

Examples of Tenders with CPV 721

• IT Strategy Consultancy for the Digital Transformation of a Federal Agency: Development of a multi-year IT strategy including a roadmap, prioritisation of digitalisation projects and alignment with the overarching administrative modernisation strategy.
• Enterprise Architecture Advisory for a Regional Government: Development of a target-architecture-aligned IT landscape plan for a government agency with over 50 specialist applications, including a migration concept and prioritisation framework.
• IT Project Control for an ERP Implementation at a University Hospital: Independent project management and quality assurance for a three-year ERP implementation project, including risk management, reporting and escalation management.

Current tenders with CPV 721 are published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on national procurement platforms.

Who is CPV 721 relevant for?

Public Contracting Authorities

Contracting authorities procuring IT consultancy services must pay particular attention to precise service specifications, as the outputs of intellectual services are often difficult to measure. Eligibility criteria (references, qualifications of proposed staff) and award criteria (quality of methodology, conceptual approach) play a central role in evaluation. Further information is available from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

Companies and Bidders

IT consultancies and strategy advisers with a focus on the public sector will find a wide range of tendering opportunities under CPV 721. Demonstrated methodological expertise, relevant references from the public sector and the qualifications of the proposed consultants are decisive for success. The distinction from software development (CPV 722) should be borne in mind when structuring bids.

How does Bond help with CPV 721?

Tender Match – Automatically Find Tenders (CPV 721)

With tender.match, IT consultancies and strategy advisers automatically receive all relevant tenders with CPV 721 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 IT consultancy tenders 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 721)

For companies looking for suppliers, subcontractors, or consortium partners for IT strategy projects, company.match provides direct access to qualified firms from an EU-wide database of over 28 million companies. Especially for larger IT consultancy tenders 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 721

What does the CPV code 72100000 mean?

The CPV code 72100000 designates IT consultancy services in the European classification system for public procurement. It covers all advisory, analytical and planning activities in the IT field that do not result in the creation of a software product.

How do I find tenders with CPV 721?

Tenders with CPV 721 are published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) for EU-wide procedures 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 721?

Bidders are generally required to provide references from comparable IT consultancy projects in the public sector, evidence of relevant certifications and qualifications of the proposed consultants. Details are governed by the VgV and, for below-threshold awards, the UVgO.