NACE 86.9 – Other Human Health Activities | Public Tenders
NACE 86.9: Laboratory services, physiotherapy and ambulance services in public tenders. CPV codes, contracting authorities and relevant types of contract.
Definition: NACE 86.9 covers other human health activities that do not constitute inpatient hospital care or medical practice activity: nursing services, physiotherapy, medical laboratories, ambulance services, midwifery as well as other paramedical and non-medical health professions.
Legal basis: NACE Rev. 2 (Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006) · Last updated: January 2026
What does NACE 86.9 cover?
NACE 86.9 (Other human health activities) is a heterogeneous group covering all outpatient and supporting health services outside hospitals and medical practices — with significant importance for public procurement.
Group 86.9 is broken down into the following classes:
| Class | Title | Typical institutions |
|---|---|---|
| 86.90 | Other human health activities | Laboratories, physiotherapy practices, ambulance services, midwifery services, opticians, speech therapy, occupational therapy |
Relevant contracting authorities are ambulance service organisations in public ownership (Red Cross, ASB with public service mandate), municipal public-health offices, public laboratories (e.g. hygiene institutes, AGES in Austria, state health offices in Germany) and social security institutions with their own in-kind benefit facilities.
Public Tenders: Activity area NACE 86.9
Other health facilities are active both as contracting authorities and as bidders in public procurement — in particular in the areas of laboratory services, ambulance services and therapeutic care.
Typical types of contract
- Laboratory services and laboratory equipment: Tenders for medical laboratory analyses (blood count, microbiology, PCR), laboratory equipment (analysers, centrifuges), reagents and quality-control materials
- Physiotherapy and rehabilitation: Therapeutic facilities and equipment for physiotherapy centres, procurement of training equipment, ultrasound therapy devices, electrotherapy devices
- Ambulance and emergency services: Ambulance vehicles (RTW, NEF, KTW), defibrillation equipment, emergency medical equipment, construction and fit-out of ambulance stations
- Medical aids and orthopaedics: Orthopaedic technology, wheelchair provision, hearing aids and audiological care for publicly financed care points
- Health prevention and screening: Vaccine procurement, screening programmes (mammography, colorectal cancer screening), public-health infrastructure
- Telemedicine and remote monitoring: Telemonitoring systems, home emergency call systems, remote diagnostic infrastructure
Thresholds and procurement procedures
Service contracts in the health sector (CPV classes 85000000 ff.) can be classified, depending on national law, as social and special services, for which the elevated threshold of EUR 750,000 applies. Supply contracts for laboratory equipment or ambulance vehicles are subject to the general supply threshold of EUR 221,000.
Relevant CPV codes for NACE 86.9
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.
| CPV code | Title | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| 85145000 | Services provided by medical laboratories | Laboratory analyses, diagnostic services |
| 33696500 | Laboratory reagents | Reagents, test kits, consumables |
| 85143000 | Ambulance services | Emergency services, patient transport |
| 34114100 | Emergency vehicles | RTW, NEF, KTW, emergency doctor vehicles |
| 85142000 | Paramedical services | Therapy services, rehabilitation |
| 33155000 | Apparatus for physical therapy | Therapy equipment, training equipment |
Current tenders with these CPV codes are available on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on national procurement platforms.
Who is NACE 86.9 relevant to under procurement law?
Public contracting authorities
Public laboratories (hygiene institutes, AGES, state health offices) regularly tender laboratory equipment, reagents and consumables. Ambulance service organisations with a statutory service mandate qualify as contracting authorities in many countries or are at least subject to a tender obligation if they are predominantly publicly financed. Municipalities and social security institutions partly tender therapeutic services in the context of service concessions.
Companies and bidders
Companies from the NACE 86.9 segment that participate in public tenders need:
- Professional qualification: Evidence of the qualification of the personnel deployed (e.g. state recognition as a physiotherapist, authorisation as a laboratory medical doctor)
- Accreditations: EN ISO 15189 for medical laboratories, DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 for testing laboratories
- Vehicle and equipment evidence: Approvals for ambulance vehicles, type approvals under EN 1789 (ambulance vehicle standard)
- Quality management systems: ISO 9001, specific quality standards for ambulance services (DIN 13050)
NACE 86.9 in context: Section Q and Division 86
NACE 86.9 complements inpatient care (86.1) and medical practices (86.2) as a catch-all group covering the broad area of non-medical and complementary health services.
- NACE Q – Human Health and Social Work Activities: Parent section with all health and social services
- NACE 86 – Human health activities: Division with all health facilities
- NACE 86.1 – Hospital activities: Inpatient care, medical technology, hospital construction
- NACE 86.2 – Medical practice activities: Outpatient medical care and health centres
- NACE 87 – Residential care activities: Inpatient care and residential-care facilities
Frequently asked questions on NACE 86.9 and public tenders
Which institutions fall under NACE 86.9?
Physiotherapy practices, occupational therapy and speech therapy facilities, medical laboratories, ambulance services, midwifery services, opticians and other paramedical and non-medical health professions — provided they are not operated as inpatient facilities or medical practices.
Are ambulance service contracts considered special services?
Yes. Ambulance services fall under so-called social and special services pursuant to Annex XIV of Directive 2014/24/EU (CPV 75252000, 85143000). For these, an elevated threshold of EUR 750,000 and a simplified procurement procedure apply.
How are laboratory services tendered?
Public laboratory contracts are frequently tendered as framework agreements admitting multiple laboratories. Award criteria cover analysis quality, turnaround time, accreditation status and price.
Must physiotherapists participate in public tenders?
Individual practices typically fall below the procurement thresholds. Larger tenders for therapeutic services (e.g. for hospitals, care facilities or rehabilitation) are aimed at businesses or cooperation associations of therapeutic professions.
Last updated: January 2026
All information is provided without guarantee. For legally binding advice, please consult a law firm specialising in public procurement law.
Book a demo.
See what BOND finds for your company — tenders, suppliers, and partners you'd never discover on your own. Cancel any month, anytime.