The accuracy of commodity codes, also known as NIGP codes, is critical in the purchasing process.

Remember that 900 series codes are for services. If you get such a code and you are not purchasing a service, you probably don’t have the right code.

A commodity code can be obtained by searching in three different methods.

In ADPICS, start at the Main Menu which is Screen 0000.

To Look Up by Noun Name

Press F11 to get Commodity Table Inquiry, Screen 1100.

Type in the name of the commodity or a portion of the name and press ENTER. After typing the name or portion of the name, clear to the end of the line using the END key or PAUSE key to ensure the program doesn’t read other letters from a previous search.

Scroll through the Commodity Table by pressing the F8 key, NEXT, which will scroll from A to Z.

To Look Up by Commodity Code

If you have the first three digits of the code (i.e. 918), you can go to Screen 5100 and enter that three digit code. From that screen, press F8 and it will show you all the five digit codes starting with 918. Then you can choose from the selections shown.

To Look Up by Vendor ID

Link to Screen 5410 and enter the vendor’s federal ID number along with their mail code. The screen will show commodity codes for which the vendor is registered. You may have to enter more than one mail code to get this information.