Finding tenders

CPV, NAICS and UNSPSC codes in Tender Navigator

Tender Navigator supports three procurement classification systems: CPV (used across the EU and the UK), NAICS (United States and Canada) and UNSPSC (international). Codes are entered from a built-in dictionary with autocomplete, and a search or a filter finds a tender if it carries any selected code in any system.

Last updated Published 3 min read

The three systems

SystemUsed byCode formatExample
CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary)EU portals such as TED and national portals in Europe, and UK portals8 digits72000000 - IT services
NAICS (North American Industry Classification System)United States and Canada, for example SAM.gov6 digits541512 - Computer systems design services
UNSPSC (United Nations Standard Products and Services Code)International bodies and portals outside Europe and North America8 digits43232400 - Development software

Tender Navigator shows all three fields on every search surface and in the filter editor, whatever countries you selected. A code from another system never breaks a search; because codes are combined with OR, it can only add results. Use the system that the portals in your target market actually use, and add a second system when you also bid outside it.

Entering a code

  1. Click the code field (CPV, NAICS or UNSPSC).
  2. Type digits to search by code prefix, or type a word to search the code labels. For example "72" lists CPV codes starting with 72, and "software" lists codes whose label mentions software.
  3. Pick a code from the list. It appears as a removable chip. Hovering a chip shows its full label.
  4. Repeat for as many codes as you need. Duplicates are refused.

Only codes present in Tender Navigator's dictionary can be added. Free-typed digits that are not in the dictionary are rejected with a message, so a partial or invalid code can never be saved on a filter. The dictionary loads the first time a field is used; while it loads, the field says so and does not accept input.

How codes find tenders

  • A code finds a tender if the notice carries that code (or, for CPV families, a code within the category you chose). A CPV family such as 72000000 covers the IT services category as a whole.
  • Codes in one system are ORed with each other and with the other systems.
  • In a filter, at least one code in any system is required before the filter can be activated, because codes are the most reliable way to keep a daily filter from reading everything.
  • A code finds only the notices a buyer classified under it, and buyers often choose a broader or a neighbouring code for the same work. Add the family code and its neighbours alongside your exact code. See Why keyword and CPV searches miss relevant tenders.

Limits

A filter holds up to 10 codes per system (10 CPV, 10 NAICS and 10 UNSPSC). The Pre-search tool has no practical cap.

Where else codes appear

  • On a tender notice, the panel and the notice page list the codes the tender carries as chips.
  • On the Results page, the CPV, NAICS and UNSPSC fields narrow the list of evaluated tenders to those carrying a code.
  • In the Business Profile, the Procurement codes section stores the codes for the work you want to see; Generate filter carries them into a draft filter.
  • The platform tour adds CPV code 72000000 to its own search, to show how a code and a keyword work together.

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