NACE 42.1 – Construction of Roads and Railways | Public Tenders

Definition: NACE 42.1 covers the economic activity of building, maintaining and refurbishing roads, motorways, bridges, tunnels and rail transport routes. This group is one of the highest-volume activity areas in European public procurement.

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

What does NACE 42.1 cover?

NACE 42.1 (Construction of roads and railways) classifies companies that provide construction, refurbishment and maintenance services for transport infrastructure — one of the largest single areas in European public procurement.

Group 42.1 within Section F (Construction) and Division 42 (Civil engineering) is divided into three classes:

Public contracting authorities under NACE 42.1 are primarily federal authorities (ASFINAG, Deutsche Autobahn GmbH), federal states, municipalities, municipal civil engineering offices, railway infrastructure operators (ÖBB, DB InfraGO) and utility contracting entities in the rail and tram sectors.

Public Tenders: Scope of NACE 42.1

Road and rail construction is among the most frequently tendered service areas in the public sector — at EU level, several thousand notices with a NACE 42.1 link are published on TED every year.

Typical contract types

• Road construction and pavement renewal: Asphalt surface renewal, cold milling, surface course refurbishment for federal, state and municipal roads
• Cycle path construction and pedestrian crossings: Municipal cycle path programmes, barrier-free crossings, cycle expressways
• Track works: Renewal of permanent way (rails, sleepers, ballast), switch replacement, new track projects
• Bridge refurbishment and new construction: Strengthening of road bridges, railway bridges, footbridges
• Tunnel works: Tube refurbishment, safety upgrades in tunnels under the EU Tunnel Directive
• Winter road service and road maintenance: Framework agreements for winter services, vegetation management at roadsides

Thresholds and procedure types

Contracts in road and rail construction frequently exceed the EU threshold for works contracts (EUR 5,538,000, as of 2024/2025) due to project size. These must be tendered EU-wide on TED — usually in the open procedure or, for particular technical complexity, in the restricted procedure following a prior call for participation.

Relevant CPV codes for NACE 42.1

The bridge between NACE classification and tender search is formed by CPV codes (Common Procurement Vocabulary), which must be stated in every TED notice.

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

Who is NACE 42.1 relevant for in public procurement?

Public contracting authorities

Road authorities at every level — from municipalities to the federal government — dominate as contracting authorities in this segment. In Austria, motorway construction is the responsibility of ASFINAG (a utility contracting entity); state roads are managed by state road services. In Germany, Deutsche Autobahn GmbH is responsible for federal motorways, while federal roads are managed by the states on behalf of the federal government. ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG and DB InfraGO AG play a special role as railway infrastructure operators and utility contracting entities.

Companies and bidders

Construction companies active under NACE 42.1 typically must provide the following suitability evidence for EU-wide tenders:

• Trade authorisation: Trade licence as a construction company or civil engineering contractor
• Technical capacity: Reference lists of comparable projects (contract value, complexity, construction period)
• Economic and financial capacity: Annual turnover, equity ratio, insurance evidence
• Certifications: ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 14001 (environmental management), SCC (safety certificate)

For larger projects, joint bidders and the use of subcontractors are common. Capacity reliance (reliance on third parties) enables smaller companies to demonstrate missing capacity through third parties.

NACE 42.1 in context: Section F and Division 42

NACE 42.1 is part of Division 42 (Civil engineering) within the construction Section F — the economically most important section in public procurement.

• NACE F – Construction: Parent section covering all construction activities
• NACE 42 – Civil engineering: Division covering road, water and pipeline construction
• NACE 42.2 – Construction of utility projects: Sewer, water and energy pipelines
• NACE 42.9 – Construction of other civil engineering projects: Port facilities, dams, industrial sites

Frequently asked questions on NACE 42.1 and public tenders

Which companies fall under NACE 42.1?
All construction companies that predominantly carry out road, motorway, track or bridge construction work. Classification is based on the focus of economic activity.

How do I find current tenders for road and rail construction?
EU-wide tenders are available on TED by CPV search (e.g. 45233000, 45234000). National tenders below the thresholds can be found on state platforms and municipal procurement portals.

Must my company have NACE 42.1 registered in the commercial register to participate in tenders?
The NACE classification is primarily a statistical classification system. The relevant factors for the suitability assessment are trade authorisation and demonstrated technical capacity — not the statistical NACE classification.

Which lot sizes are common in road construction projects?
Larger measures are often divided into trade lots (e.g. earthworks, asphalt works, marking) or geographical lots in order to involve SMEs. Lot division is generally required under § 97 (4) GWB and § 76 (2) BVergG 2018.

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