Original publication date: July, 2009
I often get questions about whether NIGP codes can be included in search profiles. NIGP codes are the codes maintained by the National Institute of Government Purchasing, Inc. The good news is that our search engine is powerful enough to search for pretty much anything (assuming it’s in print). The bad news is that NIGP codes are not consistent; the same code can mean different things in different states. Thus, if the agency that you are interested in monitoring is using NIGP code 123-99 to designate fresh strawberries, another agency may use this same code to designate fresh oranges.
Another problem with the NIGP code is its strength. NIGP codes can be customized by any agency that has purchased a subscription. When a state, county or city government agency buys access to the codes, what they buy is the baseline coding system. But because the economy is different in every state, there may be a reason for local agencies to add additional codes that are unique to their specific geography, social needs, environmental requirements, and so on. And unfortunately, these added codes are not reconciled nationally. In other words, state A and state B could both be adding the same code, but for two different things.
Because there are literally hundreds of agencies that have customized the NIGP codes to suit their own needs and one single code could have 10, 20, even 50 different definitions across different agencies, we can’t make the codes available for selection in WebCATS.
With all that said, I am always happy to add search terms to your client search profiles and NIGP codes are an option, but I just wanted you to be aware of the complexities of these codes. If you add them without condition, they’re likely to generate mismatched articles. This means that, in general, you should consider agency or state restrictions to go along with the addition of NIGP codes to ensure your clients aren’t seeing invalid matches.
Last but not least, it is also important to realize that NIGP codes are only going to be found in our USABID database. The federal government doesn’t use this coding system at all.
As always, thanks for reading!
Karen