NACE 93.1 – Sports Activities | Public Tenders

Definition: NACE 93.1 covers the provision of sports services — including the operation of sports facilities, professional sports events and services for sportspeople. The associated infrastructure (sports-facility construction, swimming pools, sports halls) is almost exclusively financed and built by public contracting authorities, making this one of the most procurement-intensive areas in the municipal sector.

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

What does NACE 93.1 cover?

NACE 93.1 (Sports activities) classifies businesses and facilities that provide sports services — from fitness and sports facilities through professional sports clubs to sports federations. In public procurement, the construction, refurbishment and equipment of public sports facilities dominate.

Group 93.1 within Section R (Arts, entertainment and recreation) includes:

Contracting authorities are municipalities and cities as operators of municipal sports facilities and swimming pools, school authorities for school sports facilities, universities for university sports centres and state sports-facility funding companies.

Public Tenders: Activity area NACE 93.1

Sports and swimming pool infrastructure is among the highest-volume municipal investment areas — the new build, refurbishment and fit-out of public sports facilities regularly generate tenders of substantial scope.

Typical types of contract

• Sports-facility construction and refurbishment: New build and refurbishment of sports halls, multi-purpose halls, gymnasiums for schools and clubs
• Swimming pools and outdoor pools: New build, refurbishment and technical fit-out of indoor and outdoor pools, water treatment systems, pool liners
• Sports-pitch construction: Artificial-turf pitches, tartan tracks, athletics facilities, beach volleyball courts
• Sports equipment and fit-out: Gymnastics equipment, sports-floor systems, stand systems, lighting systems for sports facilities
• Operation and facility management: Operation of municipal pools and sports halls by external service providers
• Swimming-pool technology: Water treatment systems, filter systems, chlorination systems, energy technology
• Sports-facility planning: Architectural and engineering services for sports-facility construction

Thresholds and procurement procedures

Works contracts for sports facilities frequently exceed the EU works threshold (EUR 5,538,000, as of 2024/2025) due to project size and must be tendered EU-wide. Supply contracts for sports equipment and fit-out follow the lower thresholds for supplies.

Relevant CPV codes for NACE 93.1

The following CPV codes are decisive for the search for tenders in sports-facility construction and the sports area.

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

Who is NACE 93.1 relevant to under procurement law?

Public contracting authorities

Municipalities are the most important contracting authorities in sports facilities — they are legally required to provide sports facilities and regularly refurbish and build halls and pools. School authorities and school operators procure school sports fit-out and award the refurbishment of school sports halls. In Germany, investment programmes (e.g. sports-facility funding by the states, Goldener Plan) support the construction of municipal sports facilities. In Austria, the Austrian Federal Sports Plan supports investments in sports infrastructure.

Companies and bidders

Relevant providers are construction companies with experience in hall and sports-facility construction, specialist companies for swimming-pool technology and water treatment, sports-floor layers, manufacturers of gymnastics equipment and sports fit-out, and facility management companies. Typical evidence of suitability:

• References: Comparable sports-facility projects (indoor pools, sports halls) with details of contract value and year of construction
• Certifications: DIN standard compliance for sports floors (DIN 18032), TÜV evidence for sports equipment
• Specialist knowledge: Evidence of expertise in swimming-pool technology (DGUV), lifeguard qualification for operation contracts

Frequently asked questions on NACE 93.1 and public tenders

Which standards apply to public sports halls?
DIN 18032 (sports halls) governs the requirements for sports floors, impact walls and fit-out. For swimming pools, DIN 19643 (treatment of swimming and bathing pool water) and state-specific pool acts are decisive. These standards are incorporated into the specifications of public tenders.

Can sports clubs act as bidders?
Registered associations can in principle participate in tenders if they can provide the required evidence of suitability. In operating models for municipal sports facilities, clubs are frequently preferred partners — non-profit organisations can benefit from procurement-law facilitations.

How are PPP models (public-private partnership) handled for sports facilities?
For larger sports-facility projects, PPP models are increasingly used in which private partners take on construction and operation. These are subject to procurement law and are usually structured as concessions or as awards with operational transfer.

Are there funding programmes for municipal sports facilities?
Yes, federal, state and EU programmes (e.g. ERDF) fund investments in municipal sports facilities. Funding does not change the tender obligation but frequently imposes its own procurement rules (e.g. ANBest-K, AGSVO).

Related NACE groups

• NACE 93.2 – Other amusement and recreation activities: Leisure facilities and city festivals
• NACE 42.1 – Construction of roads and railways: Infrastructure construction in general
• NACE R – Arts, Entertainment and Recreation: Parent section

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