NACE 28.9 – Manufacture of Other Special-Purpose Machinery | Public Tenders

NACE 28.9: Printing machinery, mining machinery and construction machinery in public tenders. CPV codes for civil engineering and infrastructure procurement.

Definition: NACE 28.9 covers the manufacture of other special-purpose machinery not classified elsewhere, including machinery for mining, the food industry, the printing industry, glass and ceramics production, and construction machinery. This machinery is particularly relevant in civil engineering and infrastructure tendering.

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

What does NACE 28.9 cover?

NACE 28.9 (Manufacture of other special-purpose machinery, n.e.c.) is a catch-all group for specialised machinery categories — from printing presses for public printers and mining machinery for state mines to construction machinery procured publicly in civil engineering tenders.

Group 28.9 is broken down into the following classes:

Class	Title	Typical Products
28.91	Manufacture of machinery for metallurgy	Smelting furnaces, casting plants, continuous casting plants
28.92	Manufacture of machinery for mining, quarrying and construction	Tunnel boring machines, excavators, crawlers, drilling rigs
28.93	Manufacture of machinery for food, beverage and tobacco processing	Bottling plants, meat processing machinery
28.94	Manufacture of machinery for textile, apparel and leather production	Weaving machines, knitting machines
28.95	Manufacture of machinery for paper and paperboard production	Sawmill machinery, paper cutting systems
28.96	Manufacture of plastics and rubber machinery	Injection moulding machines, extruders
28.99	Manufacture of other special-purpose machinery n.e.c.	Printing presses, bookbinding machinery, weapons manufacturing equipment

Public contracting authorities in NACE 28.9 are municipal and state civil engineering companies, state mining operations, public printers (official printing works), road maintenance depots and infrastructure operators.

Public Tenders: Scope of NACE 28.9

Construction machinery and tunnel boring machines characterise the largest public procurement segment within NACE 28.9 — major projects such as tunnel construction, sewerage or metro construction require specialised machinery that is regularly tendered EU-wide.

Typical Contract Types

Tunnel boring machines (TBM): Procurement or provision of tunnel boring machines for metro and railway tunnel projects
Excavators and crawlers: Supply of earthmoving machinery for municipal civil engineering and sewer construction operations
Official printed matter: Machinery for state printers (Bundesdruckerei, Austrian State Printing House), security printing
Mining machinery: Procurement for state mining and salt mining operations
Asphalt plants: Mobile asphalt mixing plants for road construction projects
Sewer machinery: Sewer flushing vehicles, sewer robots for municipal sewer operations

Thresholds and Procedure Types

Different thresholds apply depending on contract type (supply of the machine vs. construction with machinery). The pure supply of the machine is a supply contract (EU threshold EUR 221,000). Where the machine is used as part of construction works, the works contract threshold of EUR 5,538,000 applies.

Relevant CPV Codes for NACE 28.9

CPV Code	Title	Scope
43000000	Machinery for mining, quarrying, construction equipment	Top-level category
43250000	Front-end shovel loaders	Crawler excavators, hydraulic excavators
43260000	Mechanical shovels, excavators and shovel loaders	Wheel loaders, compact loaders
43310000	Civil engineering machinery	Bulldozers, road pavers
43322000	Dismantling equipment	TBMs, microtunnelling systems
30130000	Printing equipment	Offset printing presses, digital printing systems

Current tenders can be found on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily).

Who is NACE 28.9 relevant for in public procurement?

Public Contracting Authorities

In civil engineering, state and municipal civil engineering companies and utility contracting entities (metro operators, tunnel construction authorities) are the most important buyers. Bundesdruckerei GmbH and the Austrian State Printing House procure printing machinery as specialised public undertakings. State mining companies (e.g. K+S, Solvay) may be contracting authorities depending on their ownership structure.

Companies and Bidders

Manufacturers of special-purpose machinery must demonstrate in tendering:

Specific technical capability: Project-specific references (e.g. tunnel kilometres bored), works certificates
International standards: ISO, EN and DIN conformity depending on machine type
Operating permits: BImSchG approvals for emission-relevant installations
Installation capability: Evidence of capability to deliver, install and commission on site

Frequently Asked Questions on NACE 28.9 and Public Tenders

Are tunnel boring machines publicly tendered or supplied by the construction company?
As a rule, the construction company supplies the machinery. For public-sector own-account operations (e.g. municipal metro companies with their own construction department), machinery may be procured separately. PPP and rental models are also possible.

Is Bundesdruckerei subject to public procurement law?
Bundesdruckerei GmbH is a privately constituted GmbH wholly owned by the federal government. Whether it is subject to public procurement law depends on its classification as a contracting authority under § 99 GWB — this must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Which emission rules apply to construction machinery?
Non-road mobile machinery must comply with emission stage Stage V (Regulation (EU) 2016/1628). For inner-city construction sites, contracting authorities are increasingly prescribing zero-emission solutions (electric excavators).

NACE 28.9 in context: Section C and Division 28

NACE C – Manufacturing: Parent section
NACE 28.1 – Manufacture of general-purpose machinery: Pumps, compressors, fittings
NACE 28.2 – Manufacture of other general-purpose machinery: Lifting equipment, refrigeration plants
NACE 28.4 – Manufacture of metal forming machinery and machine tools: Machine tools, presses

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