NACE 75.0 – Veterinary Activities | Public Tenders

Definition: NACE 75.0 covers all veterinary medical activities — from veterinary practices and animal clinics to official veterinarians and veterinary laboratory services. In public procurement, veterinary services are relevant through municipal animal disease control, food inspection and tasks of the animal welfare authorities.

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

What does NACE 75.0 cover?

NACE 75.0 (Veterinary activities) classifies all companies and freelance veterinarians providing veterinary services for domestic, farm and wild animals.

Group 75.0 within Section M (professional and scientific activities) and Division 75 comprises one class:

Public contracting authorities in the area of NACE 75.0 are veterinary and food monitoring offices (VetA), health authorities with veterinary departments, municipal animal shelters, the armed forces (military veterinary service) and research institutions with animal facilities.

Public Tenders: NACE 75.0 in Practice

Veterinary services are tendered at various administrative levels — from municipal animal shelters to nationwide animal disease control programmes.

Typical types of contract

• Animal shelter operations: Operation of municipal animal shelters (stray animal management, animal care, veterinary treatment); often awarded as a service concession or grant contract
• Animal disease control: Veterinary services for official disease control measures (avian influenza, foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever)
• Food inspection and control: Laboratory services for official food inspections, meat inspection at slaughterhouses
• Official veterinary assessment: Expert reports for animal welfare proceedings, import controls, transport inspections
• Military veterinary services: Meat and food inspection for armed forces catering, veterinary hygiene advice
• Veterinary care for public facilities: Care of animals in publicly owned zoos, animal parks and wildlife enclosures

Thresholds and procedure types

Veterinary services above EUR 221,000 (2024/2025) must be tendered EU-wide. For the operation of municipal animal shelters, it must be assessed whether the arrangement is a service contract or a service concession (transfer of operating risk). Many municipalities also operate animal shelters via grant agreements with recognised animal welfare organisations, which gives rise to a procurement-law grey zone.

Relevant CPV Codes for NACE 75.0

Current tenders are published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on national procurement platforms.

Who is NACE 75.0 relevant to in procurement law?

Public Contracting Authorities

Districts and county-status cities, as operators of veterinary and food monitoring offices (VetA/LÜVA), are the most frequent public contracting authorities for veterinary services. The operation of animal shelters is mostly a municipal responsibility or delegated to animal welfare associations. The Veterinary Office of the armed forces (VA BW) is responsible for food inspection within the forces and cooperates with civilian inspection offices. Public zoos, wildlife parks and nature conservation facilities require veterinary care contracts.

Companies and Bidders

Veterinarians and veterinary facilities seeking public-sector contracts must meet the following requirements:

• Veterinary licence: Veterinary licence under TAppO, and where applicable specialist veterinarian recognition for specialised areas
• Officially recognised laboratories: For official analyses under food law (accredited to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025)
• Official veterinarian training: For applications for official functions
• Capacity evidence: Sufficient physical and staffing capacity for the tendered service volume

NACE 75.0 in Context: Section M and Related NACE Groups

• NACE M – Professional and scientific activities: Parent section
• NACE 72 – Scientific research and development: Veterinary research
• NACE 86 – Human health activities: Counterpart in human medicine
• NACE 01 – Crop and animal production: Livestock farming with veterinary links

Frequently Asked Questions on NACE 75.0 and Public Tenders

Must the operation of a municipal animal shelter be tendered?
In principle yes, where the contract value exceeds the threshold. Many municipalities enter into grant agreements with animal welfare associations instead of procurement contracts. This arrangement is contested under procurement law where the municipality receives stray animal services in return (exchange of consideration).

Which veterinary services are in principle not subject to procurement?
Sovereign tasks performed by official veterinarians in the exercise of state powers (e.g. authorisations under the Animal Welfare Act) are not contracts within the meaning of procurement law. The appointment of a veterinarian to perform official functions (e.g. as an established civil-servant veterinarian) is governed by civil-service law, not procurement law.

How are animal disease control services awarded?
Typically via framework agreements with regional veterinary practices or on-call ring arrangements. In acute outbreaks (e.g. foot-and-mouth disease), services may be awarded under the urgency procedure without competition if the narrow conditions of § 14 (4) no. 3 VgV are met.

Are veterinarians obliged to participate in public zoo tenders?
No — but as a public contracting authority, the zoo is obliged to tender veterinary services above the threshold. A veterinarian who manages to conclude a framework agreement with the zoo benefits from long-term planning security.

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