X-Vergabe in Procurement Law

X-Vergabe is a standardised electronic exchange format for public procurement procedures in Germany, eForms-compatible and based on NORMA.

Definition: X-Vergabe is a standardised, XML-based data exchange standard for electronic procurement procedures in Germany, enabling uniform and interoperable data exchange between procurement platforms, contracting authorities and bidders, and based on the NORMA standard of the IT Planning Council.

Last updated: January 2026 · Legal status: VgV (DE), IT Planning Council NORMA, eForms Regulation (EU) 2019/1780

What is X-Vergabe?

X-Vergabe is not a procurement procedure in the legal sense but a technical standard that specifies the format in which data is exchanged between the various actors in electronic procurement. Without uniform data formats, procurement platforms, bidder management systems and government systems cannot communicate with each other – X-Vergabe solves this interoperability problem.

The standard is developed and maintained as part of the German e-government standardisation initiative XÖV (XML in public administration) under the leadership of the IT Planning Council. It defines data structures, interfaces and semantics for all essential elements of an electronic procurement procedure.

Significance in the procurement procedure

X-Vergabe is a key element of the digitalisation of German public procurement and enables the cross-platform networking of all parties involved in the procedure.

Standardised data exchange

X-Vergabe defines uniform data formats for:

Notices and contract notices
Procurement documents and technical specifications (bill of quantities data)
Bidder offer data
Communication between contracting authority and bidder (questions, answers)
Award notices and procurement file

eForms compatibility

X-Vergabe is aligned with the requirements of the EU eForms Regulation (EU) 2019/1780, which has been gradually mandatory for all EU-wide procurement notices since 2023. eForms standardises the machine-readable notice forms at EU level; X-Vergabe closes the national implementation gap in the German context.

Relevance for procurement platforms

In Germany, numerous procurement platforms are on the market (DTVP, cosinex, Vergabe.NRW, Subreport ELViS, etc.). X-Vergabe enables contracting authorities and bidders not to be tied to a single platform, but to operate across platforms. Bidders can submit offers from their own systems, and contracting authorities can import data into their ERP systems.

Austria: ÖSAG platforms and own standards

In Austria there are dedicated standardised procurement platforms such as the federal e-procurement system (ANKÖ, Austrian Official Gazette) and platform-specific standards. There is no direct counterpart to X-Vergabe in the German sense; however, the eForms requirements apply EU-wide, including for Austrian EU-wide procurements.

Related terms

Last updated: January 2026 All information without guarantee. For legally binding advice, please contact a law firm specialising in procurement law.