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Organize and Optimize Public Procurement

Periscope Holdings is proud to manage and license the National Institute for Government Purchasing’s NIGP Commodity/Services Code and NIGP Consulting program. These offerings are designed specifically for public procurement organizations. Whether you simply need the Code to organize your suppliers and spend, or require greater assistance such as establishing processes and procedures, we can assist.


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NIGP Solutions

The NIGP Consulting program offers an unparalleled level of expertise in the procurement industry. All of our professionals possess an abundance of knowledge and leadership experience through direct roles in public procurement. Our consultants will work diligently to understand each organization's needs to determine the most relevant solutions.

Our Consultants:

  • Are certified public procurement professionals
  • Have served as Manager, Director or Purchasing Agent of at least one public purchasing agency
  • Have an average of 18 years of experience
  • Have "In the Trenches" experience
  • Federal, state, city and county government
  • School districts, universities, utilities and special authorities

Through uniform coding and other management mechanisms, the NIGP Code provides organizations full control over procurement processes, making them at once more organized and more efficient.

MCC-NIGP Code Crosswalk

The Merchant Classification Code (MCC) is utilized by many banks and credit/debit card companies to classify merchants with whom the cardholder has conducted purchase transactions. The MCC has now been cross-referenced to the NIGP 5-Digit Code. This MCC-NIGP crosswalk serves as an important tool in aggregating Purchasing Card (P-card) data with other (PO/contract-based) spend data.

NAICS Code Cross-Reference

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) has now been cross-referenced to the NIGP 5-Digit Code. The NAICS replaced the SIC (Standard Industrial Code).

The UNSPSC Code Cross-Reference

The United Nations Standard Products and Services Code system (UNSPSC) has been cross-referenced to the NIGP Code by Periscope Holdings, Inc. This cross-reference was made from the UNSPSC 8-Digit Code to the NIGP 3- or 5-Digit Code, whichever was most appropriate. This cross-reference is available for a fee.


To obtain the cross-reference, you must be a licensed user of the NIGP Code and agree to use it internally only. Please contact us toll-free at 800-757-6064 for additional information.

The NIGP Code offers an unparalleled coding structure for standardizing public purchasing. When coupled with a procurement software package, NIGP Code will bring the highest levels of order and efficiency to an overall procurement program.

Benefits of using the NIGP Code for supplier management:

  • Access unparalleled depth and breadth for the identification of suppliers’ products and services
  • Track spending to measure against diversity goals, when used in conjunction with MBE/WBE certification
  • Reduce overall procurement risk by identifying spend areas where competition is weak and supplier recruitment is needed

The NIGP Code can help you organize and manage:

  • The suppliers you do business with
  • The process of finding available suppliers for various products and services
  • The evaluation of suppliers in each product or service area to ensure adequate competition
  • MBE/WBE outreach efforts in terms of drawing a diverse supplier pool across the spend areas of your agency

Webinars

Are you new to the Code or do you have new buyers and department users that need to be brought up to speed on using the NIGP Code? This one-hour live webinar will introduce the NIGP Code, how it is used and how to utilize the NIGP Code Search Engine, along with a live question-and-answer discussion with our staff. The price is $135 per entity per session; discounts available for multiple sessions. Email info@nigp.com for more information and to sign up.

Spanish-language version of the Code:

The NIGP Code is now available in a Spanish Language Edition. Eliminate the language barrier in accurately coding commodities and services in cross-border transactions with this timely offering.


Resources

Want to use the NIGP Code to help manage vendors /suppliers? Download the Vendor Management Help Guide.

Other services available to you on a service contract basis include code conversion and code maintenance. For example, our coding specialists can take your inventory and contract files and code them to the NIGP 5-, 7- or 11-Digit levels, then return them to you for input into your files. Call us at 800-757-6064 to see how we’ve helped organizations like Baltimore County Schools and the City of Houston bring order to their data…and how we can do the same for you.

NIGP Professional Services

The NIGP Commodity Code serves as an enabling foundation to unlock key information about purchasing, materials management, and vendor management.

Services include:

  • Existing classification/coding review
  • Coding services
  • Code usage reviews
  • Inventory rationalization
  • "Crosswalk" implementation
  • Spend analysis
NIGP

The NIGP Commodity/Services Code is the solution that, when coupled with your procurement software package, will bring the highest levels of order and efficiency to your overall procurement program. The Code offers you an unparalleled coding structure for standardizing purchasing.

Why the Code

The NIGP Code can help you organize and manage:

  • The suppliers you do business with
  • The process of finding available suppliers for various products and services
  • The evaluation of suppliers in each product or service area to ensure adequate competition
  • MBE/WBE outreach efforts in terms of drawing a diverse supplier pool across the spend areas of your agency

Benefits of using the NIGP Code for supplier management:

  • Access unparalleled depth and breadth for the identification of suppliers’ products and services
  • Track spending to measure against diversity goals, when used in conjunction with MBE/WBE certification
  • Reduce overall procurement risk by identifying spend areas where competition is weak and supplier recruitment is needed

The NIGP Code provides:

  • A mechanism to group similar requisitions together for buyer action
  • A product/service grouping function for ordering from blankets and contracts
  • A process for facilitating workflow based on commodity
  • A standardization tool for product/service descriptions on the requisition

Benefits of using the NIGP Code for requisition:

  • Group and consolidate requisitions
  • Facilitate workflow based on commodity
  • Assign buyers based on commodity grouping
  • Validate account codes against commodity (depending on system in use)

The NIGP Code works to:

  • Identify suppliers for your bidder list
  • Standardize commodity/service descriptions
  • Facilitate spend rollup at the item level, leading to more competitive bidding
  • Cross-reference suppliers/commodities to identify areas for supplier recruitment

Benefits of using the NIGP Code for sourcing:

  • Reference standardized descriptions for a consistent sourcing event
  • Get a better picture of actual demand and drive better pricing from suppliers using demand aggregation via spend analysis

The NIGP Code can be used to:

  • Consolidate purchase orders by commodity group
  • Provide a standard description at the item detail level
  • Access contracts via commodity code
  • Group commodity codes for improved workflow

Benefits of using the NIGP Code for PO/Contract Management:

  • Consolidate POs for volume discounts
  • Eliminate unnecessary spending through a commodity-based workflow
  • Control purchasing through accessing contracts by commodity code

The NIGP Code allows you to:

  • Automatically track spending by commodity code grouping
  • Cross-index spend data against vendor categories or MBE/WBE classifications
  • Employ risk-based procurement strategies to organize spend areas for evaluation
  • Track green spending through NIGP “Green” Commodity Codes

Benefits of using the NIGP Code for spend analysis:

  • Realize savings up to 20% through the combination of effective spend analysis and strategic sourcing
  • Drive savings by analyzing suppliers to increase competition and identify areas for vendor recruitment

The NIGP Code serves to:

  • Eliminate duplicate items throughout inventory locations with uniform product numbering across suppliers
  • Standardize descriptions for stock items
  • Separate the commodity from the supplier part number by using supplier-independent item numbers

Benefits of using the NIGP Code for inventory:

  • Eliminate wasteful product duplication in inventory
  • Standardize item identification through consistent descriptions
  • Facilitate spend analysis by commodity

The NIGP Code is able to:

  • Group products and services in online catalogs for easier searching
  • Standardize product/service descriptions for use within catalogs
  • With crosswalk tables, standardize catalog content created with UNSPSC and NAICS taxonomies

Benefits of using the NIGP Code for content management:

  • Make searches easier and more effective
  • Simplify product/service comparisons across catalogs

3-Digit Class Code

The 3-Digit Class Code has a brief general description. This level contains 209 Commodity (Product) Classes and 55 Service Classes, totalling 264 Classes. The 3-Digit Code is primarily used to generate periodic expenditure history by department for fiscal planning, budget execution and accounting.

5-Digit Class-Item Code

The 5-Digit Class-Item Code is an expanded version of the 3-Digit Class Code. Currently, it contains more than 8,400 descriptions. This level categorizes vendors by class-item to allow your procurement software to automate bidder selection and to produce no-bid response reports, vendor performance reports, and minority business and HUB reports by Code. Purchase history can be captured at this level as well.

7-Digit Class-Item-Group Code

The 7-Digit Class-Item-Group Code provides an additional level of purchase description. It contains more than 25,000 descriptions. It can be used to develop a specification file and is used with the 11-Digit Code to create a comprehensive purchase description.

11-Digit Class-Item-Group-Detail Code

The 11-Digit Class-Item-Group-Detail Code is generally used to create, manage and maintain line-item term contracts. It is also used to identify stock items in your inventory. This level of the Code currently contains more than 450,000 descriptions, giving you a great amount of flexibility when creating your contracts and stock items. The 11-Digit Code is also used with your procurement software to capture purchase history from your term contracts. This history can then be used to create periodic management reports stating how much was spent during the period, for what, for whom and from whom. The NIGP Code is the tool to make this possible. It is only limited by the capability of the procurement software utilized.

The NIGP Code has been implemented by 33 states and utilized by thousands of local users, including:

  • State of Texas
  • State of Washington
  • State of Tennessee
  • Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • Alexandria, Virginia
  • Rockland County, New York

Case Study: City of Houston

  • In order to improve its overall inventory management system, the City of Houston chose to implement the NIGP 11-Digit Code. One issue the City wanted to address was the lack of visibility to duplicate and inactive inventory items across the City’s various inventory locations.
  • By assigning an 11-digit NIGP Code to the inventory items, the City was provided a standardized commodity structure for the items for spend analysis as well as a useful reference of standard descriptions for the products.
  • As a result of the project, the City was able to reduce its material master codes inventory from 88,000 to roughly 20,000. This reduction in duplicated items and the added visibility of consistent product numbers and descriptions has helped reduced carrying costs andincreased productivity city-wide.
  • "The NIGP Coding system allows us to improve our inventory process,” said Calvin Wells, Purchasing Agent for the City of Houston, “and that is a critical compone nt to materials management."

Ready to improve your procurement process by implementing the NIGP Code?

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Need assistance in locating codes, or would you like to discuss how the NIGP Code can best be used in your purchasing program?

Contact us today.

800-757-6064 info@periscopeholdings.com
NIGP

The NIGP Consulting program provides solutions to the most pressing public procurement challenges. Our qualified, skilled consultants take the time to learn about your organization, your procurement team and your processes before intelligently detailing the steps to achieve your goals.

NIGP CONSULTING SERVICES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING

Scope of Services

An NIGP Consultant will work with your staff to conduct the two-day, onsite NIGP Code Strategic Assessment. This review will assess the current utilization of the NIGP Commodity/Services Code (NIGP Code) within your agency’s existing procurement processes and serve as the foundation for recommendations that will maximize the effectiveness and value of your NIGP Code implementation.

The NIGP Code Strategic Assessment includes:

  • Overview of the NIGP Code and its uses in “best-of-class” procurement organizations
  • Review of existing procurement technology and software applications
  • Procurement technology use and maximization
  • Evaluation of how the NIGP Code is used in your agency’s current procurement processes
  • Interviews (maximum of five) or focus group sessions with key stakeholders to gain insight into their unique practices and challenges

Scope of Services

The Contract Administration Review will include an evaluation of the entire contract administration process that includes analysis of:

  • Existing contract administration policies and procedures
  • Contract administration training programs
  • Roles and responsibilities of procurement, accounts payable and departmental contract administration staff
  • Various position descriptions
  • Special processes for revenue generating contracts
  • Special processes for revenue generating contracts
  • Requisition and contract development processes 
  • Requisition and contract development processes Contract administrator delegation process and documentation
  • Contract administrator delegation process and documentation
  • Payment processes
  • Contract violation notice & dispute resolution process
  • Blanket, term, and time & materials contracts
  • Agency’s primary goods and services contracts and
  • Applicable audits

Scope of Services

NIGP will conduct a review of documents that includes the following:

  • Ordinances, statutes, procurement policies and procedures to ensure consistency with current practices and industry best practices in the profession
  • State legislation that impacts the entity
  • Regulatory constraints that may impede efficiency
  • Other policy and procedures manuals related to purchasing practices and procedures, such as P-card programs and vendor guides

Policies and procedures will be reviewed and compared to the American Bar Association Model Procurement Code and Regulations, appropriate State requirements and two (2) comparable entities, to be determined by the Consultant and the Client.

Scope of Services

The Contract Administration Review will include an evaluation of the entire contract administration process that includes analysis of:

  • Evaluate current policies and procedures for adequate internal controls
  • Review contract with the entity’s financial institution provider
  • Select purchase card purchases (a maximum of 25 transactions), using the entity’s technology software, to ascertain whether purchases are/were authorized and relate to appropriate business
  • Assess interface between P-card software and other applicable financial (GL) and procurement systems
  • Review 1 year usage history
  • Conduct telephone interviews with 2 personnel involved in management of the program and 3 customers utilizing the program; and
  • Review 15 cardholder’s Procurement Card documentation files and transaction registers (a maximum of 25) to test compliance with current policies, procedures and adequate documentation controls.

Scope of Services

The Strategic Procurement Assessment is a high-level review and analysis of a public procurement organization’s operational foundation and organizational structure. The analysis is based upon a 2-3 day onsite visit to conduct a Procurement Policy and Process Review and an Organizational Roles and Responsibilities Assessment. The delivered report will identify opportunities for process efficiencies and procurement maximization, and a plan for successful implementation of proposed modifications.

Procurement Policy and Process Review includes an analysis of:

  • Relevant procurement statutes, ordinances, policies and procedures to better understand the environment and identify potential modifications
  • Business processes, methods and strategies employed through the procurement lifecycle
  • Procurement technology use and maximization

Organizational Roles and Responsibilities Assessment includes review of:

  • Service delivery strategies and the level of customer service
  • Organizational structure and alignment of policies, procedures, and delegation of procurement authority

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General Inquires and Coding Support


512-472-9504


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5000 Plaza on the Lake
Suite 100
Austin TX 78746

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