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Classification

Plain-language definitions of every Classification term that shows up in government tender work.


Classification

Activity Code

A code used by development banks and procurement systems to classify the specific type of work or activity a contract covers, often complementing sector and theme classifications in project and contract records.

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Classification

Commodity Code

A numeric or alphanumeric identifier assigned to a specific product or service category within a classification system, used to route tender notices, register supplier capabilities, and analyse procurement spend.

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ClassificationCPV

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

The EU's eight-digit product and service classification system that determines which tenders appear in the Official Journal and are routed to suppliers on the TED portal.

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ClassificationCPC

CPC (Central Product Classification)

The United Nations system that classifies all goods and services into a single coherent hierarchy, linking product codes to the ISIC industry classification and serving as the international reference for trade-in-services statistics and procurement scope definitions.

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ClassificationCPC

CPC (Central Product Classification)

The United Nations system for classifying all goods and services by their physical characteristics and nature, used alongside ISIC in national statistics and referenced in international trade and procurement frameworks.

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ClassificationCPV

CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary)

The European Union's mandatory eight-digit coding system that classifies procurement objects on the TED platform, letting buyers and suppliers across member states describe and find contracts using a shared language.

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Classification

Cross-Cutting Theme

A development priority such as climate, gender, or governance that a development bank applies across projects in multiple sectors, shaping safeguard requirements, evaluation criteria, and reporting obligations for contractors.

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ClassificationFSC

FSC (Federal Supply Classification)

The US military and federal logistics classification system that groups supply items into four-digit classes, forming the goods portion of the broader Product and Service Codes system used across US government procurement.

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ClassificationFSC

FSC (Federal Supply Classification)

The US Department of Defense coding system that groups military and federal supply items into classes, forming the product-side foundation of the PSC code structure for goods procurement.

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ClassificationGSIN

GSIN (Goods and Services Identification Number)

Canada's national procurement classification code that groups similar goods and services into commodity categories, used by the Government of Canada to standardise purchasing and help suppliers register their capabilities on the Buyandsell.gc.ca portal.

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ClassificationGSIN

GSIN (Goods and Services Identification Number)

Canada's national procurement classification code, used on the Buyandsell.gc.ca portal to categorise goods and services on federal government tender notices and standing offers.

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ClassificationHS

HS Codes (Harmonised System)

The six-digit international commodity coding system maintained by the World Customs Organization that classifies traded goods for customs, trade statistics, and procurement across more than 200 countries.

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ClassificationHS

HS Codes (Harmonised System)

The World Customs Organization's six-digit product classification system used in international trade and customs declarations, often referenced in procurement for imported goods.

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ClassificationISIC

ISIC (International Standard Industrial Classification)

The United Nations framework for classifying economic activities into sections, divisions, groups, and classes, used as the global reference for industry statistics and as a backbone for national procurement classification systems.

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ClassificationISIC

ISIC (International Standard Industrial Classification)

The United Nations statistical classification of economic activities, used to categorise industries in national accounts and referenced by development banks when defining sector eligibility for projects.

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Classification

ISO Country Codes

The two-letter and three-letter country identifiers defined in ISO 3166-1, used across procurement portals, eligibility rules, and trade systems to identify countries consistently worldwide.

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ClassificationNAICS

NAICS (North American Industry Classification System)

The six-digit industry classification system used across the United States, Canada, and Mexico that determines which contracts a supplier is eligible to bid on in North American public procurement.

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ClassificationNAICS

NAICS (North American Industry Classification System)

The six-digit industry classification system used by the United States, Canada, and Mexico to categorise businesses and tenders on federal procurement portals such as SAM.gov.

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ClassificationNIGP

NIGP Codes (National Institute of Governmental Purchasing)

The commodity and service classification system used by state, county, and municipal governments across the United States and Canada to categorise procurement and match supplier registrations to open solicitations.

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ClassificationNIGP

NIGP Codes (National Institute of Governmental Purchasing)

A commodity and services coding system used extensively by US state and local government buyers to classify purchases and route solicitations to registered suppliers.

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ClassificationNUTS

NUTS Codes (Nomenclature of Territorial Units)

The European Union's hierarchical geographic classification that divides member states into regions at three levels, used on the TED procurement portal to identify where a contract will be performed and to filter opportunities by region.

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ClassificationNUTS

NUTS Codes (Nomenclature of Territorial Units)

The EU's hierarchical geographic classification system that divides member-state territories into regions, used on TED to specify where a contract will be performed and to filter opportunities by location.

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Classification

Procurement Category

The high-level grouping of goods, works, or services used by a buying organisation to structure its spending, manage supplier relationships, and apply consistent rules and strategies across similar purchases.

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Classification

Project Sector Code

The specific numeric or alphanumeric code an MDB or aid agency assigns to a project to record its primary industry sector, used in project databases, disbursement reporting, and procurement plan filtering.

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ClassificationPSC

PSC (Product and Service Codes), US Federal

The four-character US federal classification codes that describe what the government is buying on each contract or solicitation, used on SAM.gov and USASpending.gov to categorise every federal procurement action.

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ClassificationPSC

PSC (Product and Service Codes), US Federal

The four-character codes used by the US federal government to classify the specific products and services acquired under each contract, appearing on every SAM.gov solicitation alongside the NAICS code.

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Classification

Sector Classification (MDB)

The industry-based coding labels that multilateral development banks apply to projects and loans, indicating which economic sector a project targets and which firms are likely to receive procurement contracts from it.

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Classification

Theme Classification (MDB)

The cross-cutting development theme labels that multilateral development banks attach to projects, indicating policy priorities such as climate, gender, or governance that shape procurement requirements and evaluation criteria.

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Classification

UN M49 Country Codes

The United Nations numeric coding scheme for countries and geographic regions used in statistical reporting, development aid classification, and procurement data systems run by UN agencies.

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ClassificationUNSPSC

United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC)

The global, hierarchical coding system that classifies products and services so buyers and suppliers can categorise spend and match tenders consistently worldwide.

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ClassificationUNSPSC

UNSPSC (UN Standard Products and Services Code)

The global, hierarchical coding system that classifies products and services into an eight-digit code so buyers and suppliers can categorise spend, register capabilities, and match tenders consistently across UN agencies and development institutions worldwide.

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