Version/Update Date: 12.04.2019

NIGP codes are a classification system that was developed by the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (aka NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement). We are using this categorization structure in our PeopleSoft system to categorize, track, and report on the specific goods and service offerings that are purchased by the City and to similarly classify the product/service offerings provided by our Suppliers. Examples of where these codes are being used in our PeopleSoft system include the following:
  • NIGP codes are being used as the Category Codes for Contract, Purchase Order, and Sourcing Event line items.
  • Bidders and Suppliers can self-identify the products/services that they provide. This categorization allows them to automatically receive notifications when public Sourcing Events are created that match the products/services that they provide. This should eventually allow City users to specifically identify Bidders/Suppliers that provide products/services that the City wishes to purchase.

It is useful to understand that these NIGP codes are organized along different levels of complexity, with 3-digit codes representing the broadest categorization levels, 5-digit codes capturing a more detailed level of detail, and with 7-digit codes providing an even more detailed level of product/service categories. Details on these different levels are as follows:


3-Digit Class Code


The 3-digit class code has a brief general description. This level contains 219 commodity/product classes (from 001 to 899) and 55 service classes (from 900-999). The 3-digit code is primarily used to generate periodic expenditure history by department for fiscal planning, budget execution, and accounting.


5-Digit Class-Item Code


The 5-digit class-item code is an expanded version of the 3-digit class code. Our system generally uses 5-digit codes, including 6969 commodity/product classes (from 001 to 89999) and 2427 service categories (from 90000 to 99999).


This 5-digit class-item code incorporates the higher-level, 3-digit class codes, which simply have “00” added to them to fit into a 5-digit class-item code structure. For example, the high-level, 3-digit class code for abrasives is “005”. The 5-digit class-item code for this high-level abrasives category is “00500”.


Subcategories for these high-level codes start with the same first 3 digits, but then have non-zero numbers for the last 2 digits. Using the example of Abrasives from above, the subcategories of abrasives that are part of this higher-level category include “00505” for “Abrasive Equipment and Tools”, “00570” for “Pumice Stone”, and “00584” for “Steel Wool, Aluminum Wool, Copper Wool, and Lead Wool”.


7-Digit Class-Item-Group Code


The 7-Digit Code provides an additional level of purchase description. It contains over 29,000 descriptions. It can be used to develop a specification file and is used with the 11-Digit Code to create a comprehensive purchase description.


Click below to view an excel file showing both 3-digit and 5-digit NIGP codes that are being used in our system. Also attached below is a PDF file showing the more-detailed 7-digit NIGP codes.