GSIN (Goods and Services Identification Number)

GSIN means Goods and Services Identification Number. It is a Government of Canada coding system that identifies generic descriptions of the goods and services procured by the federal government. Each code places a purchase in a category, so that very different requirements can be sorted and found in the same way.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and other federal procurement organizations use GSIN as a classification. The Open Government Portal records that the Government of Canada used GSIN codes for procurement activities before 2021, and it publishes a mapping between GSIN and selected United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC) classifications. You can read the dataset on the Open Government Portal.

What GSIN codes connect across federal procurement records

According to the Government of Canada, GSIN codes were used to connect procurement information. That information includes tender notices, award notices, standing offers, supply arrangements and contract history. A single code therefore lets a reader follow a category of goods or services from an open solicitation to the awards and arrangements that came before it.

Because the code describes a generic product or service, it does not name a specific item, brand or contract. Two solicitations with the same GSIN can ask for quite different things. The code tells you the category, and the solicitation documents tell you the requirement.

GSIN examples on PSPC standing offers and supply arrangements

Current PSPC pages still display GSIN codes for specific standing offers, supply arrangements and award records. These pages sit in the PSPC list of commodities open to collaborative procurement. Three examples show how the codes look in practice:

• N6350 is listed on the standing offer for security hardware products.
• N2805 is listed on the standing offer for outboard and inboard motors.
• N7110 is listed on the supply arrangement for workspaces ancillary and lighting products.

GSIN codes can also identify categories such as flashlights and related equipment (N6230), including procurements that use RCMP technical specifications. These tools may be available to federal departments, agencies, Crown corporations and participating organizations in the Canadian Collaborative Procurement Initiative (CCPI). The outboard and inboard motors page, for example, identifies those eligible users.

GSIN also appears on CanadaBuys. An award notice there shows a GSIN description for gasoline reciprocating engines, so the code and its description are visible in the award record itself.

Finding the responsible buyer through the GSIN contact service

CanadaBuys offers a GSIN contact-information service. It connects active GSIN codes to the PSPC division responsible for procuring the relevant goods. The exception is certain IT infrastructure services, for which Shared Services Canada is responsible. The service is described on the Procurement Assistance Canada resource page.

For a supplier, this turns a code into a contact path. If a category of goods matches your product line, the GSIN points to the division that buys it.

What GSIN means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Use the GSIN shown in a tender, standing offer, supply arrangement or award notice to identify the procurement category. You can then locate related opportunities and past awards in the same category. Checking the GSIN on a past award notice is a practical way to see how the government classified work like yours.

Treat the code as a classification only. The statement of work, specifications, eligibility conditions and bid instructions in the solicitation determine what you must submit. A matching GSIN does not make a supplier eligible, and it does not replace reading the bid documents in full.