Codes, numbers and registration
What is a NAICS code in government contracting?
North American Industry Classification System code
A NAICS code is the six-digit classification the U.S. Census Bureau publishes for an industry, and on a federal solicitation the single code the buyer assigns decides which SBA size standard applies and therefore whether your business counts as small for that contract.
Also written as: NAICS, what is my NAICS code, NAICS code meaning.
The classification is Census reference data, revised on a five-year cycle. Federal solicitations carry exactly one NAICS code, chosen by the contracting officer to describe the principal purpose of the requirement, and that choice has consequences a bidder cannot change afterwards except by challenging it.
Two different things get called "my NAICS code" and confusing them is expensive. The codes on your SAM.gov registration are the ones you assert you can perform under, and they are what buyers filter on during market research — list every code you can genuinely deliver. The code on the solicitation is the buyer's classification of that requirement, and it is the one that sets the size standard your offer is measured against.
Adding codes to your registration that you cannot actually perform under buys nothing. It does not make you eligible for anything, and it puts you in front of buyers for work you will have to decline.
What this means when you bid
Register every code you can genuinely perform, then read the code on each solicitation before you read the price. It tells you whether you are small for that job.
NAICS code compared with the terms it gets confused with
NAICS code vs PSC
NAICS classifies the industry that performs the work; a PSC classifies the product or service being bought. Federal solicitations commonly carry both.
What PSCmeans →NAICS code vs Size standard
The NAICS code is the classification; the size standard is the dollar or headcount threshold SBA attaches to it.
What Size standardmeans →Where this definition comes from
Federal contracting is one of the few fields where the authoritative answer is free, public and one click away. These are the sources this page is built from — go and read them.
This page explains a term in plain English and cites the authority it comes from. It is not legal advice, and the regulation governs where this page and the regulation differ.
Free tools for government contractors
Knowing the term is one thing. These free tools do something with a NAICS code. No login, no credit card.
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NAICS code— common questions
- What is a NAICS code in government contracting?
- A NAICS code is the six-digit classification the U.S. Census Bureau publishes for an industry, and on a federal solicitation the single code the buyer assigns decides which SBA size standard applies and therefore whether your business counts as small for that contract.
- What is the difference between NAICS code and PSC?
- NAICS classifies the industry that performs the work; a PSC classifies the product or service being bought. Federal solicitations commonly carry both.
- What is the difference between NAICS code and Size standard?
- The NAICS code is the classification; the size standard is the dollar or headcount threshold SBA attaches to it.
- Why does a NAICS code matter when you are bidding?
- Register every code you can genuinely perform, then read the code on each solicitation before you read the price. It tells you whether you are small for that job.
Related terms
- Size standard
- PSC — Product and Service Code
- SAM.gov registration
- Set-aside
NAICS industries where this comes up most
An editorial pointer, not a measurement. These are the codes whose work most often involves a NAICS code. Each page carries the official Census title, the SBA size standard where one is published for those exact digits, and whatever federal award history the record here holds for the code — which may be none, and says so when it is.