NACE 53 – Postal and Courier Activities | Public Tenders

Definition: NACE 53 covers the carriage and delivery of letters, parcels and express consignments by postal and courier services. Public contracting authorities regularly award postal services to service providers — postal service tenders are a standardised area of municipal and state procurement.

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

What does NACE 53 cover?

NACE 53 (Postal and courier activities) covers all service providers that carry and deliver physical consignments — from the state postal service to private express services.

Public Tenders – Postal services

Public authorities have a continuous need for postal services and tender these under framework agreements:

• Letter post services (outgoing mail, registered mail, priority letters)
• Parcel delivery for public authorities (dispatch of decisions, documents, materials)
• Internal courier services (in-house messenger services between locations)
• Hybrid postal services (digital printing, enveloping, franking, dispatch)
• Express services (urgent consignments, same-day delivery)
• Address management and return processing

Relevant CPV codes

Contracting authorities

• Federal, regional and local government (general official correspondence)
• Tax offices and tax authorities (decision dispatch in large volumes)
• Social insurance providers (mass correspondence with insured persons)
• Courts (service under ZPO/ZustellG — special requirements)
• Municipal institutions (city administrations, district offices)

FAQ

Are there special procurement rules for postal services? Yes. In Germany, the Postal Services Ordinance (PDV) contains requirements for licensed postal service providers. When awarding postal service contracts above the thresholds (EUR 221,000), authorisation under the Postal Act (PostG) must be taken into account as an eligibility criterion.

Can public authorities place direct orders with Deutsche Post / Österreichische Post? No. Despite the market position of the universal service providers, postal services are fully subject to public procurement law. A direct order without a competitive procedure is impermissible above the thresholds — even where only one provider supplies the universal service nationwide.

• NACE H – Transportation and storage: Parent section
• NACE 52 – Warehousing and support activities for transportation: Logistics and parcel handling
• NACE 61 – Telecommunications: Digital communications

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