NACE 21 – Manufacture of Pharmaceutical Products | Public Tenders
NACE 21: Pharmaceutical industry in public procurement. CPV codes, contracting authorities and contract types for medicines, vaccines and medical products.
Definition: NACE 21 covers the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products as well as medicines, vaccines, blood products and other pharmaceutical specialities. Pharmaceutical procurement is one of the highest-volume and most heavily regulated areas of public contracting.
Legal basis: NACE Rev. 2 (Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006) · Last updated: April 2026
What does NACE 21 cover?
NACE 21 (Manufacture of pharmaceutical products) classifies companies that produce medicines and vaccines — one of the most strategically important sectors in public procurement.
| Group | Title | Typical outputs |
|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products | Active substances (APIs), pharmaceutical intermediates |
| 21.2 | Manufacture of pharmaceutical specialities | Medicines, vaccines, blood products, diagnostics |
Public tenders – Pharmaceutical products
Hospitals, care facilities and state health systems are the largest public buyers of pharmaceutical products — with annual budgets running into the billions.
Typical contract types:
- Medicine supplies to hospitals: generics, originator products, oncology medicines
- Vaccine procurement: state vaccination programmes (influenza, COVID, travel vaccines)
- Blood and plasma products: clinical supply to hospitals
- Laboratory diagnostics: reagents and test kits for public laboratories
- Emergency medicines for civil protection: antidotes, emergency stockpiles for federal authorities
| CPV code | Title | Application |
|---|---|---|
| 33600000 | Pharmaceutical products | Medicines in general |
| 33610000 | Medicines for the alimentary tract | Clinical medicine supply |
| 33651600 | Vaccines | State vaccination programmes |
| 33696000 | Reagents and contrast media | Laboratory diagnostics |
| 33141000 | Non-chemical medical consumables | Dressings, single-use items |
| 33690000 | Various medicinal products | Specialist and emergency medicines |
Contracting authorities
The principal contracting authorities for pharmaceutical products are:
- Public hospitals and university clinics: largest single buyers of medicines
- Health ministries: state vaccine procurement, pandemic preparedness
- Armed forces: medicine supply for soldiers at home and abroad
- Social insurance bodies: rebate contract negotiations with manufacturers
- Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM): reference materials
FAQ
How are medicines procured by public hospitals? Hospitals frequently pool their procurement through purchasing groups (e.g. hospital consortia). Tenders follow VgV/VOL or are conducted as negotiated procedures. Framework agreements of 2–4 years are standard.
Does public procurement law apply to medicine rebate contracts of the statutory health insurance funds? Rebate contracts of statutory health insurance funds under § 130a SGB V are subject to a special procurement regime. They are concluded under GWB procurement law (Part 4) or under § 130a SGB V in conjunction with European procurement rules.
Related NACE entries:
- NACE C – Manufacturing
- NACE 21.1 – Basic pharmaceutical products
- NACE 21.2 – Pharmaceutical specialities
- NACE 20 – Manufacture of chemicals
- NACE 32 – Other manufacturing
Last updated: April 2026 All information provided without warranty. For legally binding advice, please consult a law firm specialising in public procurement.
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