If you sell supplies or services to the German public sector and the contract is large enough, the VgV is the rulebook that decides how it is awarded. Knowing where it applies saves you from reading the wrong set of rules.
Short answer: The VgV, the Vergabeverordnung, is the German ordinance that governs how public supply and service contracts above the EU thresholds are awarded. It sits beneath the GWB, which sets the principles, and it spells out the detailed procedure. Construction has its own rules, and smaller contracts use a different ordinance.
What the VgV covers
The VgV applies to public contracts for supplies and services, not construction, once the value reaches the EU thresholds. It implements the EU procurement rules in German law at the ordinance level and lays down the procedures, deadlines, evidence and award steps that buyers must follow.
Where it sits in German procurement law
Above the EU thresholds, German buyers follow the GWB, part four, for the principles, and then the relevant ordinance for the detail. For supplies and services that ordinance is the VgV. For construction it is the VOB, part A. For the utilities sectors it is the SektVO, and for concessions the KonzVgV.
VgV, UVgO and VOB: which applies
The dividing lines are simple once you see them. Above the EU threshold: supplies and services follow the VgV, construction follows the VOB/A. Below the EU threshold: supplies and services follow the UVgO, which is built on the same structure as the VgV but gives buyers more flexibility. So the two questions that decide your rulebook are what you are selling and whether the value is above or below the threshold.
What it means for you as a supplier
When you read a German tender for supplies or services above the threshold, expect VgV procedures. The procedure named in the notice, open or restricted for example, tells you how the competition runs, and the VgV is the source of those rules. Knowing this helps you find the right deadlines and evidence rules quickly.
FAQ
Does the VgV cover construction? No. Construction is awarded under the VOB, part A. The VgV is for supplies and services.
What applies below the EU threshold? For supplies and services, the UVgO, which mirrors the VgV with more flexibility.
Where does the VgV come from? It is a German ordinance under the GWB that implements the EU procurement rules.