CPV 166 – Agricultural Sorting and Cleaning Machinery

CPV 166 covers public procurement of sorting, cleaning, grading and processing machinery for agricultural produce including grain cleaners, seed sorters and root vegetable washers.

What does CPV Group 166 cover?

CPV Group 166 (16600000) classifies public contracts for agricultural sorting and cleaning machinery – the equipment used to process, grade and clean harvested agricultural produce before storage or sale. This includes grain cleaning and drying equipment, seed cleaning and treatment machines, vegetable and root crop washers and graders, fruit sorting lines and calibration equipment, as well as air-screen grain cleaners and specific-gravity separators.

Public sector procurement in this category is concentrated in institutions with post-harvest processing requirements. State grain storage facilities and public agricultural reserves procure grain cleaning and drying equipment for food security stockpiling operations. Agricultural colleges procure sorting and cleaning machinery for their produce-handling and post-harvest training programmes. Horticultural research stations need fruit and vegetable grading equipment for variety evaluation and quality assessment research.

Procurement under CPV 166 often involves relatively specialised equipment with specific technical parameters (throughput capacity, cleaning efficiency, energy consumption) that must be demonstrated against defined performance criteria in the tender specifications.

Further information on the CPV system is available from the European Commission (SIMAP) and Regulation (EC) No 213/2008 amending the CPV.

Typical Services in CPV 166

Grain cleaning and screening machines
Seed treatment and dressing equipment
Grain driers (batch and continuous-flow)
Vegetable and root crop washers and brushers
Fruit and vegetable optical sorting and grading lines
Gravity tables and specific-gravity separators

Examples of Tenders with CPV 166

Grain cleaning plant for a state grain reserve facility: A national grain authority procures a high-capacity grain cleaning and screening line for its strategic reserve storage facility, with throughput of 80 tonnes per hour and integrated moisture sensing.
Fruit grading line for a horticultural research station: A state horticultural research institute procures a small-scale fruit grading and sorting line for its apple and pear variety trial assessment programme.
Potato washer for an agricultural college: A state agricultural college installs a potato washing and brushing machine to support its root vegetable production and post-harvest teaching activities.

Current tenders with CPV 166 are published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on national procurement platforms such as the German Procurement Portal (DTVP).

Who is CPV 166 relevant for?

Public Contracting Authorities

State grain storage and reserve authorities, agricultural and horticultural research institutions, agricultural colleges and public procurement entities managing food reserve logistics are the main buyers under CPV 166. Throughput capacity, energy efficiency and food contact compliance are standard specification parameters.

Companies and Bidders

Agricultural processing machinery manufacturers, grain handling equipment specialists and post-harvest technology distributors are the typical bidders. Performance test capability, factory commissioning support and long-term service availability are important eligibility factors.

Information on eligibility criteria and procurement procedures is available from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

How does Bond help with CPV 166?

Tender Match – Automatically Find Tenders (CPV 166)

With tender.match, agricultural processing machinery manufacturers and post-harvest equipment distributors automatically receive all relevant tenders with CPV 166 directly in their dashboard. BOND indexes tenders from over 1,000 procurement portals in the EU – from TED to national platforms and regional contracting authorities. Instead of manually searching dozens of portals every day, matching sorting and cleaning machinery contracts are filtered and delivered by industry, competency, region, and company profile. An automated gap analysis immediately shows where the company meets the requirements and where gaps exist. This ensures companies never miss a deadline and can focus on preparing their bids.

Company Match – Find the Right Partners and Suppliers (CPV 166)

For companies looking for suppliers, subcontractors, or consortium partners for agricultural processing machinery projects, company.match provides direct access to qualified firms from an EU-wide database of over 28 million companies. Especially for larger processing line installation contracts, company.match automatically identifies suitable partners for bidding consortia and partial services – increasing the chances of winning the contract.

Frequently Asked Questions about CPV 166

What does the CPV code 16600000 mean?

The CPV code 16600000 covers the group "Agricultural Sorting and Cleaning Machinery" in the EU's Common Procurement Vocabulary. It classifies public contracts for the supply of grain cleaners, seed treatment machines, vegetable washers and produce grading equipment to public agricultural institutions.

How do I find tenders with CPV 166?

Tenders with CPV 166 are published at EU level on TED. Below-threshold contracts are commonly found on national platforms such as DTVP. Bond aggregates all sources and delivers targeted results.

What are the requirements for participating in tenders with CPV 166?

Requirements typically include CE conformity documentation, performance test data, food contact material compliance where applicable, commissioning and training provision and references for comparable machinery installations. Details are governed by the VgV or the UVgO depending on contract value.