CPV 850 – Health and Social Work

What does CPV 850 cover?

CPV group 850 is the overarching classification for health, veterinary and social work services in European public procurement. It encompasses medical care and hospital services, veterinary services for animal health and food monitoring, and a broad spectrum of social services — from residential care through outpatient social assistance to counselling and support services for vulnerable population groups.

Public contracting authorities in this sector include municipalities and district authorities as providers of essential public services, social welfare bodies, health insurance funds and statutory health associations, veterinary offices, and public hospitals and care facilities. In Germany, the award of health and social services follows the simplified procurement regime under §130 GWB, which provides for a higher threshold of €750,000 and greater procedural flexibility.

Demographic change and a shortage of skilled workers are shaping current procurement priorities: municipalities are increasingly awarding outpatient nursing, day care and short-term care to independent providers. Digital health applications, telemedicine and AI-supported diagnostic software are increasingly being procured by public hospitals. Demand for psychosocial counselling services and crisis intervention teams is also growing. Further information on the CPV system is available from the European Commission (SIMAP) and from Regulation (EC) No 213/2008.

Typical Services in CPV 850

Examples of Tenders with CPV 850

• Outpatient nursing services for social welfare recipients: A district authority procures outpatient nursing services for care-dependent social welfare recipients — comprising basic nursing, treatment nursing and domestic assistance, called off within an hourly contingent and subject to SGB XI quality standards.
• Veterinary services for official slaughter animal inspection: A veterinary office procures official ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection services at a slaughter facility for four years, with licensed official veterinarians and daily availability.
• Telemedicine platform for a municipal hospital: A municipal hospital authority procures a telemedicine platform for video consultations between clinicians and patients — CE-marked as a medical device, GDPR-compliant and with EHR integration.

Current tenders with CPV 850 are published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on national procurement platforms such as the German Procurement Portal (DTVP).

Who is CPV 850 relevant for?

Public Contracting Authorities

Municipalities, district authorities, social welfare bodies, veterinary offices, public hospitals, public health offices and public care facilities are the central contracting authorities. Health insurance funds and statutory health associations also commission supplementary care services. Federal authorities such as the Robert Koch Institute or the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices occasionally act as contracting authorities.

Companies and Bidders

Care services providers, hospitals, medical practices, veterinarians, social sector consultancies and health IT companies are the typical bidders. Sector-specific licences (such as authorisation under SGB V or SGB XI), recognition by social welfare bodies and evidence of staff qualifications are standard eligibility requirements. Information on eligibility requirements and procurement procedures is available from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

How does Bond help with CPV 850?

Tender Match – Automatically Find Tenders (CPV 850)

With tender.match, health and social service providers automatically receive all relevant tenders with CPV 850 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 health and social care 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 850)

For companies looking for suppliers, subcontractors, or consortium partners for health and social projects, company.match provides direct access to qualified firms from an EU-wide database of over 28 million companies. Especially for larger care provision tenders that a single organisation 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 850

What special procurement rules apply to health and social services?

Health and social services are social services under §130 GWB. Above the EU threshold of €750,000, a transparent procurement procedure with prior publication is required, which may be designed in a less formal manner than standard procedures. Details are governed by the VgV and the UVgO.

Are welfare associations required to participate in competitive tenders?

Under European procurement law, independent providers have no fundamental exemption from the competition requirement. Municipalities may, within certain limits, award services preferentially to recognised welfare associations. Case law has increasingly restricted this practice. When in doubt, a competitive procedure must be conducted.

Where can I find current tenders with CPV 850?

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, filtered by company profile.