NACE 58 – Publishing Activities | Public Tenders

NACE 58 Publishing activities: book, journal and software publishers in public tenders. CPV codes, contracting authorities and procurement procedures.

Definition: NACE 58 covers publishing as an economic activity, including the publication of books, journals, newspapers and software. Publishers acquire rights to content and distribute it in printed or digital form — regardless of whether they operate their own printing facility.

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

What does NACE 58 cover?

NACE 58 (Publishing activities) classifies undertakings that procure content, edit it and distribute it in printed or digital form — an area of growing importance in public procurement through digitalisation and e-government.

Division 58 within Section J (Information and communication) is broken down into two groups:

Group	Title	Typical services
58.1	Publishing of books, periodicals and other publishing activities	Specialist books, official gazettes, periodicals, maps
58.2	Software publishing	Standard software, operating systems, computer games, application software

Public contracting authorities procure from this area in particular specialist publications, official publications, digital educational content and software licences for standard applications.

Public Tenders: Activities under NACE 58

Publishing activities are represented in public procurement mainly through framework agreements for specialist literature, digital library licences and standard software — areas with regularly high procurement volumes.

Typical types of contract

Specialist literature and library licences: Higher education institutions and research institutions conclude framework agreements for access to academic databases and e-books
Official publications: Printing and publishing of official gazettes, legal texts, statistical publications
School and teaching materials: Publishers supply public educational institutions with teaching and learning aids
Software licences: Standard software for office communication, security and specialist applications is procured on an ongoing basis
Digital platform licences: Access to specialist portals, legal databases and educational platforms

Relevant CPV codes for NACE 58

CPV codes (Common Procurement Vocabulary), which must be specified in every contract notice on TED, link the NACE classification with tender searches.

CPV code	Title	Field of application
22100000	Printed books, brochures and leaflets	Specialist literature, teaching aids, official publications
22200000	Newspapers, journals, periodicals and magazines	Subscriptions for public bodies
48000000	Software package and information systems	Standard software, ERP, office licences
72268000	Software supply services	Software licences, updates, maintenance contracts
22314000	Maps and hydrographic charts	Cartographic products for public authorities
22113000	Library books	Collection building for public libraries

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

For contracting authorities and bidders

Public contracting authorities

Libraries, higher education institutions, school authorities, ministries and subordinate authorities are the dominant contracting authorities in the publishing area. In Austria, Bundesbeschaffung GmbH (BBG) coordinates framework agreements for standard software and specialist literature. In Germany, central procurement bodies such as the Kaufhaus des Bundes (KdB) bundle the corresponding call-offs. Consortium agreements for academic databases are of particular importance, negotiated by university library consortia (e.g. the Austrian Library Network, HeBIS, KOBV).

Companies and bidders

Publishers and software providers participating in public tenders typically have to provide the following evidence:

Trade authorisation: Evidence of publishing rights or licensee status for the software offered
Technical capacity: References on comparable supplies to public institutions
Copyright clearance: Evidence that the content supplied is free from rights defects
Data protection and compliance: Particularly for cloud-based software solutions, GDPR compliance must be demonstrated

Frequently asked questions about NACE 58 and public tenders

Which companies fall under NACE 58?
Book publishers, journal publishers, software manufacturers that distribute standard software and providers of digital library licences. Classification follows the principal economic activity.

How does NACE 58.1 differ from NACE 58.2?
NACE 58.1 covers the publishing of printed products (books, journals, newspapers, maps), while NACE 58.2 covers only the publishing of software — including digital games and operating systems.

Must software licences be tendered EU-wide?
Above the EU threshold for supply contracts (EUR 221,000 for higher federal authorities; EUR 431,000 for other public contracting authorities, as of 2024/2025), EU-wide publication on TED is required. Below this, national rules apply.

Are direct awards permissible for publishing products?
Below national direct-award thresholds, yes. For copyright-protected content that can only be obtained from one provider, the negotiated procedure without prior publication (procedure on grounds of urgency or exclusivity) is possible — but this is to be interpreted narrowly.

Navigation: NACE 58 in context

NACE J – Information and communication: Parent section
NACE 59 – Motion picture, video, sound recording and broadcasting activities: Related media sector
NACE 62 – Computer programming, consultancy and related activities: IT services and software development
NACE 63 – Information service activities: Data processing and hosting

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