NACE 86.2 – Medical and Dental Practice Activities | Public Tenders

Definition: NACE 86.2 covers outpatient medical care by medical practices, general practitioner and specialist practices, health centres and dental and orthodontic practices. This group plays an important role in public procurement, in particular as a contracting authority for medical equipment and health infrastructure.

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

What does NACE 86.2 cover?

NACE 86.2 (Medical and dental practice activities) classifies institutions providing outpatient medical care — from individual practices to integrated health centres with a public service mandate.

Group 86.2 within Section Q (Human health and social work activities) and Division 86 (Human health activities) is broken down into the following classes:

Contracting authorities under NACE 86.2 are in particular municipally operated health centres, primary care units in public ownership, school dental clinics and outpatient clinics of public health insurance institutions (e.g. ÖGK outpatient clinics in Austria, MVZ in municipal ownership in Germany).

Public Tenders: Activity area NACE 86.2

Publicly operated outpatient health facilities award contracts for medical equipment, practice management software, fit-out of new build and refurbishment projects, and services.

Typical types of contract

• Medical equipment and diagnostics: Ultrasound devices, ECG systems, spirometers, ophthalmoscopes, laboratory equipment for practice laboratories
• Dental equipment: Treatment units, digital X-ray systems (DVT), CAD/CAM milling machines for dental technology centres
• Practice management software (PVS): Medical information systems, electronic health records (eGA), appointment management systems
• Health-centre fit-out: Furnishing, reception systems, waiting-area design, hygiene stations
• Conversion and fit-out of outpatient facilities: Accessibility, interior fit-out, medical-technology installations
• Telematics and eHealth: Telematics infrastructure (TI), video consultation systems, electronic patient data interfaces

Thresholds and procurement procedures

Outpatient facilities in public ownership are subject to EU-wide tender obligations for supply contracts above EUR 221,000 and construction works above EUR 5,538,000. Below national threshold values, simplified procurement procedures apply (e.g. direct award up to EUR 100,000 in Austria, sub-threshold procurement in Germany).

Relevant CPV codes for NACE 86.2

CPV codes (Common Procurement Vocabulary) form the bridge between the NACE classification and the tender search — they must be stated in every notice published on TED.

Current tenders with these CPV codes are available on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on national procurement platforms.

Who is NACE 86.2 relevant to under procurement law?

Public contracting authorities

In Austria, primary care units (PVE) in public ownership and outpatient clinics of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) are relevant contracting authorities. In Germany, medical care centres (MVZ) in municipal or non-profit ownership are subject to procurement obligations, as are municipal public-health offices with their own care mandate. Privately operated medical practices are in principle not subject to procurement law.

Companies and bidders

Companies pursuing contracts of outpatient health facilities typically need:

• Product approvals: CE marking under MDR (Medical Devices Regulation), software certification as a medical device (Class I–IIb)
• Technical references: Evidence of comparable installations in outpatient facilities
• Data protection and IT security: GDPR compliance, data protection certification for software products (BSI C5, ISO 27001)
• Interoperability: Certification for telematics infrastructure (gematik approval in Germany), ELGA compatibility in Austria

NACE 86.2 in context: Section Q and Division 86

NACE 86.2 is part of Division 86 (Human health activities) — one of the most procurement-intensive sections in public procurement.

• NACE Q – Human Health and Social Work Activities: Parent section with all health and social services
• NACE 86 – Human health activities: Division with hospitals, practices and other health services
• NACE 86.1 – Hospital activities: Inpatient care, medical technology, hospital construction
• NACE 86.9 – Other human health activities: Laboratory services, physiotherapy, ambulance services

Frequently asked questions on NACE 86.2 and public tenders

Which institutions fall under NACE 86.2?
Medical practices of all specialisations, dental practices, group practices, health centres and polyclinics — provided the focus of activity is on outpatient patient care, not on inpatient care.

How do I find current tenders for outpatient health facilities?
EU-wide tenders are available on TED via a CPV search (e.g. 33100000 for medical devices, 48180000 for health software). National platforms such as DTVP (Germany) and the federal tender database (Austria) complement the search.

Must health centres in municipal ownership tender?
Yes, provided they exceed the thresholds and qualify as contracting authorities. Primary care centres financed predominantly from public funds are generally subject to procurement law.

What role do framework agreements play in the procurement of practice equipment?
Larger operators (e.g. associations of statutory health insurance doctors, health insurance funds with their own facilities) frequently use framework agreements for recurring requirements such as consumables or software maintenance. This enables efficient call-off ordering without individual tenders.

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