UNSPSC
United Nations Standard Products and Services Code, a global classification system used by governments and organizations to categorize products and services.
Overview
The United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC) is a hierarchical classification system that provides a standardized way to categorize products and services across industries and borders. Used by governments, international organizations, and commercial enterprises worldwide, it facilitates procurement analysis, spend management, and market research through a common taxonomy.
Why It Matters in GovCon
While U.S. federal procurement primarily uses NAICS and PSC codes, UNSPSC appears in state and local government procurement systems and international contracting. Contractors pursuing SLED or international development opportunities must understand how their offerings map to UNSPSC codes for proper visibility in procurement databases.
Key Details
- Structure: An eight-digit hierarchical code organized into Segment, Family, Class, and Commodity levels.
- Coverage: Over 55,000 codes covering virtually all products and services globally.
- Managed by: Maintained by GS1 US under license from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
- SLED Usage: Many state and local procurement systems use UNSPSC to classify solicitations and vendor registrations.
- Version Updates: Updated regularly to reflect new products, services, and technologies.
Related Terms
- NAICS Code
- Product and Service Code (PSC)
- Federal Supply Class (FSC)
- SAM.gov Registration
More Classification Terms
The standard numerical system used to classify business establishments by industry type, determining size standards and contract eligibility.
An international body that develops voluntary standards for quality, safety, and processes across industries.
A 13-digit numeric code used by the federal government to identify and catalog supplies and materials in a standardized way.
A four-character alphanumeric code used to classify products and services in federal contracting, enabling reporting and opportunity categorization.
A legacy U.S. government system for classifying industries by type of economic activity, largely superseded by NAICS but still used in some contexts.
The computer-to-computer exchange of business documents and data in a standardized electronic format between trading partners.
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