CPV 985 – Private Household Services with Domestic Staff

What does CPV 985 cover?

CPV group 985 covers services provided in the context of private household management, with a focus on staff-based household support. These include home helps and housekeepers, domestic care workers and elderly care in the home, childcare and childminding services, gardening and caretaking services for private households, and general domestic services. Where public contracting authorities procure such services for their clients — for instance under social welfare or disability inclusion frameworks — CPV 985 is the applicable code.

Public contracting authorities procure household support services in the social care sector. Social welfare bodies award home help services for elderly, care-dependent, or disabled persons. Job centres may procure home help for families in emergency situations. Public health offices award home helps as a supplement to home nursing care. Municipalities commission domestic services as part of outpatient care provision.

Demographic change is driving demand: the number of older persons requiring domestic support is growing continuously. At the same time, demand is rising for professionally qualified domestic workers who possess basic care knowledge and can work in a culturally sensitive manner. Digital brokerage platforms for household services are changing market structures, though publicly commissioned services remain subject to procurement law. Further information on the CPV system is available from the European Commission (SIMAP) and Regulation (EC) No 213/2008.

Typical Services in CPV 985

Examples of Tenders with CPV 985

• Home help for social welfare recipients: A rural district procures home help services under § 70 SGB XII for elderly and disabled persons — including cleaning, laundry care, shopping, cooking, and organisational support, callable by the hour in accordance with individual care plans.
• Daily living assistance for persons with disabilities: A municipal disability inclusion authority procures daily living assistance services under § 78 SGB IX for up to 100 eligible persons — with household management, accompaniment to leisure activities, office appointments, and personal administrative management.
• Childcare in domestic settings: A youth welfare office procures supplementary childcare services for families in emergency situations (parental illness, crisis situations) under § 20 SGB VIII — with qualified childminders, flexible call-off, and placement within 24 hours.

Current tenders with CPV 985 are published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on national procurement platforms.

Who is CPV 985 relevant for?

Public Contracting Authorities

Social welfare bodies, disability inclusion authorities, youth welfare offices, public health offices, and municipal social administrations are the contracting authorities for household support services in the social care sector. These services are classified as social services under Section 130 GWB and are subject to the simplified procurement regime with an elevated threshold of €750,000.

Companies and Bidders

Outpatient care services, social welfare stations, home help companies, welfare organisations, and private domestic service providers are the typical bidders. Professional qualifications in domestic economy (domestic sciences, family care worker), a first aid certificate, a clean criminal record, and references from the social care sector are standard requirements. Further 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 985?

Tender Match – Automatically Find Tenders (CPV 985)

With tender.match, social service providers and home help companies automatically receive all relevant tenders with CPV 985 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 household and care support 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 (CPV 985)

For companies looking for suppliers, subcontractors, or consortium partners for household support projects, company.match provides direct access to qualified firms from an EU-wide database of over 28 million companies. Especially for larger home help 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 985

What does the CPV code 98500000 mean?

The CPV code 98500000 designates the group of private household services with domestic staff in the European classification system for public contracts. It covers staff-based domestic and household support services procured by public bodies on behalf of their clients, including home help, domestic care, childminding, and daily living assistance for vulnerable groups.

How do I find tenders with CPV 985?

Tenders with CPV 985 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 procurement rules apply to home help services in the social care sector?

Home help services procured under social welfare or disability inclusion frameworks are social services within the meaning of Section 130 GWB. Above the threshold of €750,000, a transparent but simplified procurement procedure must be conducted. Below the threshold, the UVgO applies. The VgV contains the relevant rules for above-threshold procedures, including the light-touch regime for social services.