ProClass

An effective, easy to use procurement classification is essential for any organisation seeking to understand its third party expenditure. Few organisations can access information in their IT systems that can give a procurement as well as a financial / accounting perspective. Even where a coding system is used, such as UNSPSC, the challenges are dealing with multiple versions and the sheer volume of codes being used - nearly 60,000 for UNSPSC.
To overcome these problems, English local government devised a classification which is easy to use, meaningful and free at the point of delivery. It also maps to the different procurement coding systems used such as UNSPSC, CPV and NHS-eClass.
ProClass is owned by local government and from October 2007 its management and maintenance has been carried out by Coding International Ltd. ProClass is recognised by the Local e-Government Standards Body (LeGSB). More information about ProClass can be found on its dedicated website.