Keywords, countries and codes: how search criteria work
In the Tender Navigator Pre-search tool every criterion is a list, and each list widens the search: a tender matches if it contains any of the keywords, is published in any of the countries, or carries any of the classification codes. At least one keyword, country or code is required.
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Every list widens the search
The Pre-search tool sends five lists to the search: keywords, countries, CPV codes, NAICS codes and UNSPSC codes. Within a list the entries are combined with OR. Adding a second keyword returns tenders that contain either keyword; adding a second country returns tenders from either country; adding a code from a second classification system returns tenders that carry any of the codes in any of the systems.
This was verified against the live search: a search for "cloud" and a search for "construction" each return their own set, and a search for both returns roughly the sum of the two.
So the way to narrow a search is not to add more keywords, but to choose more specific ones, to limit the countries, or to use a budget range. The way to widen it is to add synonyms and neighbouring codes.
Keywords
- A keyword is a word or a phrase. Press Enter or type a comma to turn what you typed into a chip; Backspace on an empty box removes the last chip.
- Multi-word phrases stay intact. "cloud migration" is one keyword, not two.
- Up to 16 chips, each up to 80 characters, in the Pre-search tool. A saved filter holds up to 10 keywords, each 2 to 100 characters.
- Keywords are matched against the tender text. Choose the words your buyers use in notices, not your marketing vocabulary.
Countries
Countries narrow the search to tenders published for those buyer countries. Leave the field empty for any country. Tender Navigator identifies countries by their ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code (for example DEU, FRA, GBR, USA) and shows the country name. A saved filter allows up to 20 countries.
Classification codes
CPV, NAICS and UNSPSC are three ways procurement portals label what they are buying. A tender that carries any code you selected, in any of the three systems, matches. Because they are ORed, selecting codes from the "wrong" system for a country never breaks a search; it can only add results. Codes must come from the built-in dictionary: free-typed digits that match nothing are refused. See CPV, NAICS and UNSPSC codes.
Budget
The budget fields are the one criterion that works as a restriction rather than a widening: a stated minimum or maximum drops tenders whose published budget falls outside the range, and the "Published budgets" switch decides what happens to the majority of tenders that publish no figure at all. See Filtering tenders by budget.
At least one constraint
A search with no keyword, no country and no code is refused with the message "Add at least one keyword, country or classification code to search". A budget alone is not enough.
The same rules apply to filters
A filter uses the same keywords, countries and codes to decide which tenders it picks up each day, so a search that returns the right kind of notices is the best starting point for a filter. The difference is what happens next: a filter also has an AI prompt, and every tender it picks up is evaluated against that prompt. Keywords decide what gets read; the prompt decides what is a fit.
Related articles
- Using the Pre-search tool in Tender NavigatorThe Pre-search tool runs a live search across the Tender Navigator tender database by keywords, countries, classification codes and budget. Where it lives, what it returns, and how it becomes a filter.
- CPV, NAICS and UNSPSC codes in Tender NavigatorThe three classification systems Tender Navigator supports: CPV for Europe, NAICS for the US and Canada, UNSPSC internationally. How the code fields work, how codes match, and how many you can use.
- Creating and editing a filterEvery field of the Tender Navigator filter editor explained: Basics, Search criteria, AI evaluation, Notifications & schedule, Usage, Tender budget, the setup checklist, and the three ways to start a filter.
- Too many irrelevant tendersHow to reduce irrelevant results in Tender Navigator: tighten keywords and codes so the filter reads fewer notices, sharpen the AI prompt so the verdicts are stricter, use budget and deadline rules, and read the Unmatched reasoning.