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NAICS code

Also called: NAICS, North American Industry Classification System, industry code

A NAICS code is the six-digit industry classification assigned to a type of business activity. In federal contracting the contracting officer assigns one NAICS code to each solicitation, and that code carries the size standard that decides who is small.

The rule is FAR 19.102 and 13 CFR 121.402: the contracting officer picks the NAICS that best describes the principal purpose of the buy, and SBA's size standard for that code applies. You list the NAICS codes you work in on your SAM.gov registration, but the solicitation's NAICS governs eligibility, not yours. The code list and definitions are published by the Census Bureau and revised every five years.

What to check: for each solicitation, the NAICS and its size standard, and whether your firm is small under it (13 CFR 121.201). Search SAM.gov saved searches by the handful of codes your buyers actually use, not by the twenty you could claim. If a NAICS looks wrong for the work, a NAICS appeal to SBA under 13 CFR 121.1103 is possible but has a short window.

What it is not: the PSC code (what is bought), a license, or a limit on what you may bid. You can bid outside your listed NAICS codes.

See also: Size standard, Product Service Code (PSC), Set-aside, SAM.gov

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