cosinex

What cosinex does

cosinex GmbH is a privately held German GovTech software company founded in 2002 (firmographics reference 2000) and headquartered in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. The company specializes in the digitalization of public procurement (E-Vergabe) for federal, state, and municipal government institutions across Germany, positioning itself as a pioneer in the field with over 20 years of accumulated domain expertise in German and EU procurement law.

Its product portfolio centers on a modular web-based procurement platform spanning the full lifecycle from demand identification through electronic invoicing. Core offerings include the Beschaffungsmanagementsystem (BMS) for end-to-end procurement management, the Vergabemarktplatz marketplace for tender publication and bid management, the Vergabekatalog for catalog management, the eDI module for direct order capture with an AI-assisted CPV code identifier, and the E-Rechnung electronic invoicing module. The 2026-launched cosinex SmartProcure reframes these modules as a unified 'operating system for procurement' addressing fragmented organizational and technical structures across decentralized public-sector stakeholders. xrechnung.io extends reach via a freemium web portal for XRechnung-format invoicing.

Revenue is generated primarily through modular software licensing and subscription contracts on an operator-model basis per module, supplemented by professional services revenue from the annual Vergabesymposium flagship conference and cosinex Akademie training programs, and freemium-to-premium conversion on xrechnung.io. Distribution is enterprise field sales targeted at public procurement entities, supported by demo and test center trials, an annual event circuit spanning more than a dozen German and Austrian procurement conferences, and a content-marketing engine anchored by the cosinex Blog and monthly Vergabe-Newsletter. The company operates without disclosed external investors under three managing directors (Carsten Klipstein as Chairman, Carsten Eschenröder, Thorsten Schneider).

Name

cosinex

Legal name

cosinex GmbH

Website

https://cosinex.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

cosinex GmbH is a privately held German GovTech software company providing modular e-procurement platforms for federal, state, and municipal governments across Germany, covering the full public-procurement lifecycle from demand identification through electronic invoicing with AI-assisted code classification.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government E-Procurement Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Catalog & eProcurement Enablement (Punchout, Item Master) (BPAAAJAI)

Keywords

• E-procurement software
• Public sector procurement
• GovTech solutions
• Electronic invoicing software
• Tender management platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Bochum

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing and Subscriptions: Modular software licensing with operator models per module for the Beschaffungsmanagementsystem, Vergabemarktplatz, and related procurement tools
2. Event Revenue: Revenue from hosting the annual Vergabesymposium and cosinex Akademie training courses
3. xrechnung.io Premium Services: Free basic functions with premium value-added services available for a fee after 30-day trial period

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

cosinex GmbH provides e-procurement software solutions for public sector organizations in Germany. The company offers a suite of products covering the entire public procurement lifecycle, including tendering platforms, supplier management, electronic invoicing, and catalog solutions for contracting authorities.

Product overview

cosinex is a pioneer in e-procurement (E-Vergabe) offering a modular software platform for complete digitalization of public procurement processes. The product portfolio includes the core Beschaffungsmanagementsystem (BMS, formerly VMS) for end-to-end procurement management, the Vergabemarktplatz marketplace for tendering, and the Vergabekatalog for catalog management. Supporting modules include Erfassung Direktauftrag (eDI) for direct order capture, E-Rechnung for electronic invoicing, Webforms, Elektronische Melderegisterauskunft for registry lookups, and Online-Sicherheitsprüfung for security verification. The company positions SmartProcure as a comprehensive 'operating system for procurement' that integrates fragmented organizational and technical structures. cosinex serves federal, state, and municipal government institutions across Germany, with over twenty years of experience in public procurement digitalization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• cosinex Akademie: Training academy offering courses on procurement law and cosinex solutions
• Vergabesymposium
• xrechnung.io
• cosinex SmartProcure
• cosinex BMS (Beschaffungsmanagementsystem)
• cosinex Safe Passage

Products and services

• SmartProcure Procurement software solution for public sector entities to manage tendering and procurement workflows.
• BMS Bidder management system used by public contracting authorities.
• Vergabemarktplatz Tender marketplace platform enabling contracting authorities to publish and manage public tenders.
• Vergabekatalog Product and service catalog for public procurement.
• xrechnung.io Electronic invoicing solution aligned with the XRechnung standard for German public administration.
• Webforms Online form and workflow tool for public sector procurement processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 participants at the sold-out Vergabesymposium 2026 demonstrate market leadership and thought leadership positioning

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Finanzministerium Nordrhein-WestfalencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the VergabeService NRW project, developing an integrated guide system for procurement modules with single sign-on, personal start page, and cross-module analytics. First expansion stage includes the eDI (Erfassung Direktauftrag) solution with AI-assisted CPV code identification.
• Luther RechtsanwaltsgesellschaftminorOthersSponsor of the annual Vergabesymposium conference organized by cosinex.
• DTVP Deutsches Vergabeportal GmbHminorOthersSponsor of the annual Vergabesymposium conference organized by cosinex.
• Aulinger Rechtsanwälte NotareminorOthersSponsor of the annual Vergabesymposium conference organized by cosinex.
• Bundesanzeiger Verlag GmbHminorOthersSponsor of the annual Vergabesymposium conference organized by cosinex.
• GATE Eventmanagement & Veranstaltungstechnik GmbHminorOthersSponsor of the annual Vergabesymposium conference organized by cosinex.
• GovMindminorOthersSponsor of the annual Vergabesymposium conference organized by cosinex.
• Kompetenzzentrum innovative Beschaffung (KOINNO)minorOthersSponsor of the annual Vergabesymposium conference organized by cosinex.
• KUBUS Kommunalberatung und Service GmbHminorOthersSponsor of the annual Vergabesymposium conference organized by cosinex.
• VISION Consulting GmbHminorOthersSponsor of the annual Vergabesymposium conference organized by cosinex.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DTVP Deutsches Vergabeportal GmbH: Germany's largest federal public-procurement portal, hosting Bund and Länder tender publications and running Fachforum and Regionalforum events across Germany — directly competitive with cosinex for the same public-sector buyers and tender workflows.
• simplesystem GmbH & Co. KG: Bochum-based vendor of e-procurement and supply chain software with strong public-sector presence in Germany — competes head-to-head with cosinex on modular e-Vergabe offerings to Kommunen and Länder.
• subreport ELKA GmbH: Provider of the subreport ELKA e-procurement solution used by German public administrations — directly overlaps with cosinex's Vergabemarktplatz and Beschaffungsmanagementsystem in the public sector.
• Healy Hudson AG: German IT services and software vendor offering easy:eVergabe for public-sector electronic procurement — competes with cosinex for federal, state, and municipal e-procurement mandates.
• PortalSchmiede GmbH: Specialist in building custom portals and e-procurement platforms for German public administrations — competes in the same niche as cosinex with adjacent Bund/Länder/Kommunen customer base.

Broad incumbents

• SAP Ariba (SAP SE): Global procurement and supplier-management platform inside SAP's portfolio — broad incumbent with indirect overlap to cosinex in larger enterprises that interact with German public tenders.
• Jaggaer: Global procurement-suite vendor covering sourcing, contract management, and supplier management — broad incumbent whose public-sector offerings overlap with cosinex modules at the larger end of the market.
• reguvis GmbH: Wolters Kluwer subsidiary providing guidance, training, and digital tools around German public procurement law — broader incumbent in the same regulatory space that cosinex products operationalize.

Others

• Kompetenzzentrum innovative Beschaffung (KOINNO): Federal competence center for innovative public procurement under the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft — ecosystem partner co-hosting Vergabesymposium and adjacent to cosinex's education and thought-leadership activity.
• Bundesanzeiger Verlag GmbH: Publisher of official federal tender notices and operator of related procurement platforms — adjacent ecosystem participant that publishes Vergabesymposium and intersects with cosinex's core tender workflow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cosinex
• Facebookfacebook.com/cosinex
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cosinex

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about cosinex