Search Nigp Categories

Search_Nigp_Categories retrieves GovTribe NIGP category records used to classify goods and services in state and local procurement workflows.

When To Use

• Which GovTribe NIGP category matches a user-provided code or known identifier?

• Which NIGP categories should be included or excluded before state/local market analysis?

• Which category IDs should be passed into downstream nigp_category_ids filters?

• Which NIGP categories are semantically related to a service area when exact wording is unknown?

• How many NIGP categories match a filter set when you only need metadata and a result-set identifier?

Required Reading

1. Search_Query_Guide: Required before setting free-text query strings when search_mode is used.

2. Search_Mode_Guide: Required before choosing keyword vs semantic retrieval.

Input Contract

• query: Free-text query string. See Required Reading: Search_Query_Guide.

  • type: string

  • required: no

  • default: n/a

• page: 1-based page index.

  • type: null|number

  • required: no

  • default: 1

• per_page: Rows per page.

  • type: null|number

  • required: no

  • default: 10

• search_mode: Query interpretation mode. See Required Reading: Search_Mode_Guide.

  • type: string

  • required: no

  • default: keyword

  • options: keyword, semantic

• nigp_category_ids: Include or exclude results by NIGP categories. Use GovTribe IDs or NIGP codes.

  • type: array<string>

  • required: no

  • default: n/a

• nigp_category_ids_operator: Choose whether to include or exclude values for NIGP Category IDs (GovTribe or NIGP code).

  • type: null|string

  • required: no

  • default: in

  • options: in, not_in

• fields_to_return: Optional field list for row payloads. If omitted and per_page > 0, rows default to govtribe_id. For per_page: 0 aggregation/meta calls, this field may be omitted. Specify fields_to_return whenever the user asks for fields beyond govtribe_id, and prefer omitting it in pure aggregation workflows.

  • type: array<string>

  • required: no

  • default: n/a

  • options: govtribe_id, govtribe_type, govtribe_url, name, code, updated_at, state_local_contract_opportunities

Output Contract

• Top-level keys:

  • current_page: Current page number when per_page > 0.

  • data: Array of result rows when per_page > 0.

  • from: First row position in the current page.

  • last_page: Last page number for current filters.

  • path: GovTribe search URL for this result set.

  • per_page: Applied page size.

  • to: Last row position in the current page.

  • total: Total matched row count for current query filters.

  • contains: Dataset label for the returned result set.

  • search_results_id_can_generate_saved_search: Saved-search eligibility flag.

  • search_results_id: Server-side search result identifier.

  • view_search_results_url: URL to open this exact result set.

  • Metadata-only calls with per_page: 0 return summary/search-result keys and omit pagination row fields.

• Row keys:

  • govtribe_id

  • govtribe_type

  • govtribe_url

  • name

  • code

  • updated_at

  • state_local_contract_opportunities

• Relationship retrieval map:

  • state_local_contract_opportunities

    • resource_type: state_local_contract_opportunity

    • tool: Search_State_And_Local_Contract_Opportunities

    • filter: state_and_local_contract_opportunity_ids

    • nested_keys: govtribe_id, govtribe_type, govtribe_url, name

Usage Patterns

Pattern A: Resolve a known NIGP code directly for downstream filter reuse. Tool: Search_Nigp_Categories

{
  "query": "",
  "search_mode": "keyword",
  "fields_to_return": [
    "govtribe_id"
  ],
  "page": 1,
  "per_page": 1,
  "nigp_category_ids": [
    "920"
  ],
  "nigp_category_ids_operator": "in"
}

Pattern B: Keyword lookup by category title keywords with no direct ID list. Tool: Search_Nigp_Categories

{
  "query": "\"data processing\" | \"database software\"",
  "search_mode": "keyword",
  "fields_to_return": [
    "govtribe_id"
  ],
  "page": 1,
  "per_page": 10
}

Pattern C: Semantic discovery when users describe needs conceptually. Tool: Search_Nigp_Categories

{
  "query": "software services for data integration and analytics",
  "search_mode": "semantic",
  "fields_to_return": [
    "govtribe_id"
  ],
  "page": 1,
  "per_page": 10
}

Pattern D: Exclude a known category set while exploring alternatives. Tool: Search_Nigp_Categories

{
  "query": "",
  "search_mode": "keyword",
  "fields_to_return": [
    "govtribe_id"
  ],
  "page": 1,
  "per_page": 25,
  "nigp_category_ids": [
    "920",
    "20837"
  ],
  "nigp_category_ids_operator": "not_in"
}

Pattern E: Metadata-only response for workflow orchestration. Tool: Search_Nigp_Categories

{
  "query": "",
  "search_mode": "keyword",
  "page": 1,
  "per_page": 0
}