Listed below are Frequently Asked Questions regarding National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP).

What is the NIGP Code?

The National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP) commodity code offers an excellent coding structure for standardizing procurement, developed by the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing to bring efficiency to automated purchasing. Since 1983 the NIGP Code has been adopted by more than 1,400 government users including King County.

The NIGP commodity code is a codification system that identifies products and services by class and item. NIGP codes are a common method for Governments to identify the goods and services procured, with standardized titles and descriptions.

How will King County use the NIGP commodity codes?

With NIGP code incorporated into King County's OVR system, registered vendors can identify NIGP codes that best describe their product and service to receive specific bid notifications. By utilizing the NIGP codes, the County may also research vendors by NIGP codes in order to determine future bid lists.

King County Procurement uses the 5-Digit Class-Item Code to classify solicitations (ITBs, RFPs, etc.) and business entities (vendors, contractors, consultants, etc.)

What is the 5-Digit Class-Item Code?

The NIGP Commodity/Services Code provides an 11-Digit Code Structure. See table below.

Code Structure	Sample Code	Description
3-Digit (Class)	005	Abrasives
5-Digit (Class-Item)	005-14	Abrasives, Coated: Cloth, Fiber, Sandpaper, etc.
7-Digit (Class-Item-Group)	005-14-08	Belts, Abrasive, Aluminum Oxide
11-Digit (Class-Item-Group-Ddetail)	005-14-08-0225	1 IN. x 42 IN., 50 Grit

The 5-Digit Class-Item Code is an expanded version of the 3-Digit Class Code. Currently, it contains more than 8,400 descriptions. The 3-Digit class codes are also represented in the 5-Digit Class-Item Code. They can be identified by the two zeroes (“00”) that appear at the end of the number. See table below.

Code Structure	Sample Code	Description	Use in King County OVR
5-Digit (Class Item)	620-80	Pens (General Writing Types): Ball Point, Nylon Tip, etc.	Used to classify solicitations and business entities by specific commodities or services.
3-Digit (Class)	620-00	Office Supplies: Erasers, Inks, Leads, Pens, Pencils, etc.	Used to classify solicitations and business entities when all items within a commodity or service class are applicable

What do I do?

1. Register as a vendor with King County's Online Vendor Registration (OVR) system.
2. After completing your registration, go to the "Solicitations" menu tab and login with a valid username and password.
3. Left menu bar, go to "My Account".
4. On the "My Account" page, you can browse through NIGP Codes and make the selection.