Six more categories where the distributor, not the factory, wins the public contract

We have added six industry pages to the hub, and they share a pattern: the winner named in a contract award notice is often not the factory but a dealer, reseller, wholesaler or installer. A notice does not say which kind of company won, so check each name (what a contract award tells you about a distributor).

Putting it simply: public buyers in these categories want one local supplier that delivers, installs, services and answers for the product. That supplier wins the contract and picks the brands it carries. A manufacturer's route in is to become one of those brands; award notices on TED show who wins.

Laboratory equipment: dealers and instrument specialists

Two kinds of company win most public laboratory business. Broad laboratory supply dealers run catalogues from many manufacturers, deliver to the bench and hold framework lots for consumables and general equipment. Specialist distributors, often exclusive to one manufacturer in a territory, demonstrate, install and qualify analytical instruments, train users and employ the engineers who repair them. Large instrument makers often sell direct through local subsidiaries, so not every winner is a distributor.

Codes to search: 38434000 Analysers, 33696500 Laboratory reagents, 33793000 Laboratory glassware.

First question: is your product an in vitro diagnostic device? The IVDR, Regulation (EU) 2017/746, has applied since 26 May 2022 and does not cover general laboratory or research-use-only products unless the manufacturer specifically intends them for in vitro diagnostic examination. Then service: laboratories working to good laboratory practice (Directive 2004/10/EC, which covers tests on chemical products) must have apparatus periodically maintained and calibrated, so expect requests for service manuals and calibration documents.

IT hardware: the second tier wins the framework

IT hardware moves through two tiers. Distributors buy from manufacturers, hold stock, extend credit and run logistics. Resellers, system integrators and managed-service providers buy from them and sell to the end customer, adding configuration, deployment, support and take-back. Public frameworks are usually won by that second tier, because buyers want one supplier that can deliver, install and support many brands across many sites. A new manufacturer typically needs a distributor before resellers will list it.

Codes to search: 30213100 Portable computers, 30213000 Personal computers, 30231300 Display screens, 32420000 Network equipment.

Expect WEEE early: under Directive 2012/19/EU, a company established in a Member State that places equipment from a third country or from another Member State on that market counts as the producer there, so agree who registers and finances collection. Then the Cyber Resilience Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/2847: it applies from 11 December 2027, but the duty to report actively exploited vulnerabilities has applied since 11 September 2026.

Cleaning and hygiene: wholesalers and cleaning contractors

Janitorial and hygiene wholesalers stock chemicals, paper, dispensers and equipment from many manufacturers and deliver to buildings or to cleaning contractors. Where cleaning is outsourced, the contractor supplies the chemicals under a service contract (90910000 Cleaning services) and often decides which brands are used on site. Dispensers matter: many take a particular refill, so whoever installs them is well placed to supply it. Supply awards name the wholesalers; service awards name the contractors.

Codes to search: 39830000 Cleaning products, 39831200 Detergents, 24455000 Disinfectants, 39831700 Automatic soap dispensers.

For disinfectants, authorisation comes first: hand, surface and food-area disinfectants are biocidal products under Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 and may only be made available once authorised, though national systems may apply while their active substances are under review. Contractors holding the EU Ecolabel for indoor cleaning services must ensure at least half of their cleaning products, by volume, carry the EU Ecolabel or another ISO type I label.

Sports and playgrounds: the installer designs the site

Outdoor play and fitness is a design-and-install trade. The winner of a play-area contract usually designs the layout, supplies equipment from its own range or from manufacturers it represents, lays the surfacing, installs the site and often keeps the maintenance contract. Equipment also arrives inside works contracts, such as 45236210 Flatwork for children's play area, where the landscaping or sports-construction contractor picks the brands. Indoor equipment goes through sports dealers and school suppliers.

Codes to search: 37535200 Playground equipment, 43325000 Park and playground equipment, 37440000 Fitness equipments.

An installer takes on your safety risk, so expect questions on the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988, applied since 13 December 2024. Its definition of a product includes items made available in the context of providing a service, which brings public park equipment within its reach, and a product may only be placed on the EU market if an economic operator established in the Union is responsible for it. Then test evidence: EN 1176 and, for surfacing, EN 1177.

Electrical installation materials: wholesaler, then installer

This is a wholesaler-led trade. Electrical wholesalers stock cable, protection devices and accessories across many brands and serve the installers who do the work; panel builders assemble distribution boards from manufacturers' components. Most installation material is bought inside works contracts under 45310000 Electrical installation work, where the contractor chooses products within the designer's specification. Supply awards name the wholesalers; works awards name the contractors. Utilities buying under Directive 2014/25/EU publish award notices too.

Codes to search: 31300000 Insulated wire and cable, 31214510 Distribution switchboards, 31224100 Plugs and sockets.

Conformity comes before price: CE marking under the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU and, for cable installed permanently in buildings, a declaration of performance against EN 50575 under the Construction Products Regulation, with reaction-to-fire classes from Aca to Fca. The new Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 has applied since 8 January 2026, but EN 50575 remains the reference for cables until a new standard is made mandatory.

Fire safety and security: installers with long service tails

This is an installer-led trade. Fire and security companies design a system, buy detectors, panels, cameras and readers from specialist distributors or manufacturers, install and commission it, and often keep the maintenance contract. Because the installer services what it installs, spare parts and long-term support weigh heavily in its choice of brand. Installation awards, such as 45312100 Fire-alarm system installation work, name the installers in each region.

Codes to search: 31625100 Fire-detection systems, 35111300 Fire extinguishers, 35125300 Security cameras, 42961100 Access control system.

Detection components need a declaration of performance and CE marking against the harmonised parts of EN 54, with a certificate from an approved certification body. Portable extinguishers fall under the Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU, at least in category III. Voluntary schemes such as VdS (Germany), CNPP (France) and LPCB (UK) matter in some markets; as of October 2026 we could not confirm when a public buyer may require them.

The six at a glance

What this means for a manufacturer

In each category the buyer pays for a local promise: installation, service, calibration, refills, inspection. The company that keeps it wins the contract. Competing with that company is rarely realistic; joining its list of brands usually is.

• Search both layers: product codes show dealers and wholesalers; works and service codes show the installers and contractors they sell to.
• Look for the same name winning one category across several buyers in a region.
• Have the file from the table ready before the first conversation.
• Check which first contact is lawful in that country (cold B2B e-mail, country by country).

That is what Cresques is built for. Today you create a market from a country and the CPV categories you sell, and the materials reader proposes those categories from a brochure or website. The market shows the evidence from award notices, who already sells them there. Company profiles with an AI-researched role and first messages drafted in the local language are live; e-mail alerts on new awards come with paid plans. Cresques does not help anyone bid.