Choosing category systems
How to choose between NAICS, PSC, NIGP, UNSPSC, and Assistance Listings when interpreting GovTribe category fields.
Category systems classify different parts of government-market activity. Do not treat NAICS, PSC, NIGP, UNSPSC, and Assistance Listings as interchangeable.
Quick model
| Category system | Meaning | Use when asking |
|---|---|---|
| NAICS | Industry classification. | What industry is connected to this vendor or procurement? |
| PSC | Federal product or service classification. | What product or service did the federal buyer classify this as? |
| NIGP | State and local commodity or service classification. | What state and local procurement commodity or service category applies? |
| UNSPSC | Global product and service classification often used by state and local sources. | What product or service category did this source use or map to? |
| Assistance Listings / CFDA | Federal assistance program structure. | What grant or assistance program does this funding belong to? |
Which category should I use?
| Question | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I want to size a federal contracting industry. | NAICS and PSC together. | NAICS gives industry context; PSC gives product/service context. |
| I want to find vendors by business line. | NAICS. | Vendor profiles and federal procurements often carry NAICS industry context. |
| I want to compare what federal buyers purchased. | PSC. | PSC is the federal product/service code family for contract activity. |
| I want state and local commodity/service demand. | NIGP or UNSPSC. | State and local sources commonly use commodity taxonomies rather than federal PSC. |
| I want grant program context. | Federal grant program and CFDA/Assistance Listing context. | Grants are organized around assistance programs, not NAICS or PSC. |
GovTribe field mapping
| GovTribe field or data type | Category role | Related article |
|---|---|---|
naics_category and naics_categories | Industry classification for federal contracting, vendors, and some user workflows. | NAICS category |
psc_category and psc_categories | Federal product/service classification for contract activity. | PSC category |
nigp_category and nigp_categories | State and local commodity/service classification. | NIGP category |
unspsc_category and unspsc_categories | Product/service classification used by many state and local sources. | UNSPSC category |
federal_grant_program and cfda_number | Federal assistance program or Assistance Listing context. | Federal grant program |
funding_activity_categories | Grants.gov funding activity categories on grant opportunities. | Funding activity categories |
Common mistakes
- Do not use NAICS as a product code. NAICS describes industry, not the specific item or service purchased.
- Do not use PSC as a vendor industry profile. PSC is tied to federal contract product/service classification.
- Do not expect NIGP or UNSPSC on federal contract records. They are mainly useful for state and local procurement data in GovTribe.
- Do not use Assistance Listings as procurement categories. They describe federal assistance programs such as grants, loans, scholarships, insurance, and other assistance awards.
- When a record has multiple category systems, use the one that matches the question and keep the others as context.
Official source notes
- Census NAICS describes NAICS as the standard used by federal statistical agencies to classify business establishments by industry.
- Acquisition.gov PSC Manual is the official Product and Service Code manual source.
- NIGP Code describes NIGP as a commodity and service taxonomy used in procurement systems.
- UNDP UNSPSC describes UNSPSC as an open global product and service classification standard.
- SAM.gov Assistance Listings describes Assistance Listings as public descriptions of federal programs that provide grants, loans, scholarships, insurance, and other assistance awards.
- Grants.gov synopsis guidance describes funding instrument type, funding activity category, post date, and close date fields on grant opportunities.
Related articles
- Federal contract data model: Understand where category fields appear across federal contract records.
- Federal grant data model: Understand how assistance programs connect to opportunities and awards.
- State and local contract data model: Understand how NIGP and UNSPSC appear in state and local records.
- Source identifiers and record matching: Use GovTribe IDs, classification codes, source identifiers, and related fields when comparing records.
Source identifiers and record matching
How to use GovTribe IDs, search_results_id values, source identifiers, PIIDs, solicitation numbers, grant numbers, UEIs, source URLs, and originating-record links when matching GovTribe records.
Federal grant data model
How federal grant opportunities, transactions, awards, sub-awards, and assistance programs fit together in GovTribe.