The new CPV codes describing the Calls for Tenders published by the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities will start working on September 17, 2008.

Public procurement and tenders, representing in Europe more than 16.3% of the European Union GDP, are an important part of the European economy. The  harmonisation of procedures for concluding contracts is, therefore, a major achievement of the Internal market.

The Office for Official Publications of the European Communities has established more that 9,000 sectoral codes which are part of a single and unique classification system for public procurement. The application of this system is ruled by the Directives related to the coordination of the public contracts awarding procedures.

CPV were extremely necessary, as as the use of different classifications was detrimental to the openness and transparency of public procurement in Europe.

The TED data base assures the publication of the invitations to tenders for public contracts which fall under EU Directives. Those tenders are published in the Supplement S to the Official Journal of the European Union, using the CPV codes for this publication process since December 20th, 2003.