NACE 06.1 – Extraction of Crude Petroleum | Public Tenders

Definition: NACE 06.1 covers the extraction of crude oil, including all preparatory and accompanying activities such as drilling, production, pumping installations and on-site pipelines. The group also includes the extraction of oil shale and oil sands, where these primarily serve crude-oil production.

Legal basis: NACE Rev. 2 (Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006) · Last updated: January 2026

What does NACE 06.1 cover?

NACE 06.1 (Extraction of crude petroleum) classifies crude-oil production companies — a sector relevant in public procurement primarily through state-owned energy companies, utility contracting entities and the procurement of drilling and production services.

Group 06.1 within Section B (Mining and quarrying) and Division 06 (Extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas) is broken down into the following classes:

Public contracting authorities in NACE 06.1 are mainly state-owned or state-controlled oil companies, national raw-material agencies, regulators and ministries that administer licence awards and exploration rights.

Public Tenders: Scope of NACE 06.1

Crude-oil extraction is a typical utility sector — public contracting authorities are often state-controlled energy companies that tender drilling services, equipment and maintenance EU-wide.

Typical types of contract

• Drilling services: Exploration and production drilling, workover drilling, sidetracking
• Production and pumping installations: Supply and installation of downhole pumps, ESP systems, gas-lift installations
• Pipeline construction and maintenance: Field pipelines, gathering stations, pig launchers, corrosion protection
• Measurement and control technology: SCADA systems, flow measurement, pressure monitoring at production sites
• Environmental protection and decommissioning: Well plugging, site restoration, disposal of drilling fluids
• Expert reports and reservoir management: Geological assessments, reservoir simulation, production optimisation

Thresholds and procedure types

Crude-oil extraction is a utility sector pursuant to Annex II of Directive 2014/25/EU. Contracting authorities that extract or transport crude oil are subject to utilities procurement law (SektVO / BVergGVS). Thresholds: EUR 431,000 for supply and service contracts, EUR 5,538,000 for works contracts (as of 2024/2025). Utility contracting entities have greater flexibility in their choice of procedure than classical contracting authorities.

Relevant CPV codes for NACE 06.1

CPV codes enable targeted searches for crude-oil procurement and service tenders on TED and national platforms.

Current tenders can be found on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on national procurement platforms.

Who is NACE 06.1 relevant for in procurement law?

Public contracting authorities

In Europe, public contracting authorities in crude-oil extraction are mainly state-controlled energy companies and national raw-material agencies. In Austria, OMV (with state participation via ÖBAG) is a relevant utility contracting entity. In Germany, state-affiliated companies such as Wintershall Dea (with state influence) and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) act on exploration matters. Regulatory authorities (Bundesnetzagentur, Austria's E-Control) additionally award expert reports and monitoring services.

Companies and bidders

Bidders in crude-oil extraction and related services typically require:

• Authorisation: Mining-law approvals, where applicable international certifications (API, ISO)
• Technical capacity: Evidence of comparable drilling projects and production services
• Economic capacity: Liability cover for drilling accidents and environmental damage
• HSE certifications: ISO 45001, ISO 14001, where applicable OHSAS

NACE 06.1 in context: Section B and Division 06

NACE 06.1 is part of Division 06 (Extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas) within mining Section B — a core area of European utilities procurement law.

• NACE B – Mining and quarrying: Parent section
• NACE 06.2 – Extraction of natural gas: Related group, utilities procurement
• NACE 09.1 – Support activities for petroleum and natural-gas extraction: Drilling services and pump maintenance
• NACE 05.1 – Mining of hard coal: Further fossil-energy raw-material extraction

Frequently Asked Questions about NACE 06.1 and Public Tenders

Which companies fall under NACE 06.1? Companies predominantly engaged in crude-oil extraction, including all upstream and downstream activities at the production site. Pure drilling-service providers, by contrast, tend to be classified under NACE 09.1.

What is the difference between NACE 06.1 and NACE 09.1? NACE 06.1 covers the crude-oil production company itself (the operator of the fields), while NACE 09.1 classifies the service companies that perform drilling, maintenance and technical services on behalf of producers.

How does procurement work for state-owned oil companies? As utility contracting entities, state-owned oil companies can use more flexible procedures: negotiated procedures without prior publication are permitted in certain exceptional cases. Nevertheless, the principles of transparency and non-discrimination apply.

Where do I find tenders in crude-oil extraction? On TED with the CPV codes 71351000 (geosciences), 45221250 (pipeline construction) and on specialist energy procurement platforms.

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