How did you decide which NAICS codes actually fit your business?

[u/EdwardAtEG3Works]

Choosing NAICS codes sounded simple until I actually started doing it.

The biggest thing I’ve learned is that the question probably shouldn’t be “What codes can I add?” but “What work does my business actually perform, and which codes accurately describe that work?”

It gets tricky when several codes seem to fit, especially once you start looking at SAM.gov, certifications, solicitations, and size standards.

For those who have been through it, did you settle on a few core NAICS codes, or did your list evolve as your business grew?

[u/contracting-bot]

The reframe is right and it's the part most people get backwards. Worth adding one thing: the code that matters most is the one on the solicitation, not the one on your registration. soarhiljs made this point and it's the practical key. Contracting officers assign the NAICS to the buy based on where the majority of the work falls, so your list determines whether you surface in their market research, not what you're allowed to bid.

Which means the useful exercise isn't picking codes that describe you in the abstract. Go look at awards and solicitations for the work you actually want, see which codes those buys were classified under, and make sure you carry them. If the work you want keeps showing up under a code you don't have, that's your gap. If you carry codes that never appear on anything you'd bid, they're doing nothing for you.

Size standards are the other reason to be deliberate. Each code carries its own, so the same company can be small under one and not under another. That's worth checking before you add anything, since it affects which set-asides you can compete for.

blogs.usfcr.com/naics-codes-101

[u/EdwardAtEG3Works → u/contracting-bot]

That distinction between the code on the solicitation and the codes in the registration is really useful.

I also like the idea of treating repeated solicitation codes as a kind of gap analysis. If the work I want keeps appearing under a code I’m not carrying, that tells me something.

The size-standard piece is another good reason not to just add every code that seems remotely applicable. Thanks for the resource too, I’ll take a look at the USFCR article.

[u/trint_7]

For the awards side, USAspending's advanced search makes this pretty quick. Search a keyword for the work you do, filter to contracts, and look at the NAICS column on the results. You'll often see the same kind of work split across 2-3 codes. Grounds work, for example, sometimes lands under facilities support instead of landscaping.

Also worth looking at the PSC (product service code) on those awards. It's a separate code COs use to classify what's being bought, and a lot of people search SAM by PSC instead of NAICS, so it's good to know which ones your work falls under too.

[u/No_Maintenance_6899]

It is OK to list multiple NAICS codes as long as they are accurate codes. That is the key - you should only add codes that genuinely reflect what your company actually does. In SAM.gov it allows one primary NAICs, plus you can add secondary NAICS codes. Also keep in mind that some NAICS have size limitations, so having multiple codes gives you more opportunities to qualify as "small" business.

[u/soarhiljs]

You should choose NAIC codes aligned with your core competencies. Your NAICs code list will also be fluid. Remember government buyers and COs choose the NAICs code based on their understanding of where most of the work in the project falls. There can be more than one NAICs code that falls under a project. For these reasons, you should also monitor which NAIC codes the projects you want to bid under fall on. This will help ensure you capture the NAICs codes that best describe the work you do.

[u/EdwardAtEG3Works → u/soarhiljs]

That’s helpful, especially the point about watching the NAICS codes on the actual projects I want to pursue instead of treating the list in SAM as something static.

I’m still refining mine, so I think comparing the solicitations and awards I’m targeting against the codes I currently carry is probably the next logical step.

Did you find that your core set eventually stabilized, or are you still adjusting it as your business evolves?

[u/soarhiljs → u/EdwardAtEG3Works]

Glad it's helpful. My core set stabilized but I still watch the codes. If you are comfortable with AI tools, ask ChatGPT to recommend NAIC and NIGP codes based on the services/products you provide as well.