North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
A standardized industry classification system used across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. NAICS 561720 covers janitorial services and is the dominant code for Canadian government cleaning contracts.
Definition
The North American Industry Classification System, abbreviated NAICS, is a hierarchical industry classification jointly maintained by Statistics Canada, the United States Census Bureau, and Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography. NAICS codes are six digits long, with each digit narrowing the industry definition. NAICS 561 is the broader Administrative and Support Services subsector; 5617 is Services to Buildings and Dwellings; and 561720 is Janitorial Services, the code under which most Canadian government cleaning contracts are classified.
How it works in Canadian procurement
Procurement notices on CanadaBuys, MERX, Biddingo, and most municipal portals identify the relevant NAICS code. Vendors filter searches by NAICS, save profiles by NAICS, and report annual revenue by NAICS for purposes of supplier diversity reporting and small business set-asides. For cleaning vendors, the primary code is 561720 (Janitorial Services). Related codes include 561740 (Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services), 561790 (Other Services to Buildings and Dwellings), and 562998 (All Other Miscellaneous Waste Management Services). Some general facilities maintenance contracts may be classified under 561210 (Facilities Support Services) or 238990 (All Other Specialty Trade Contractors); reading the statement of work, not just the NAICS code, is the safer signal for whether a tender is a true cleaning contract.
Common confusions
NAICS is revised every five years, most recently in NAICS 2022. Older procurement records may use NAICS 2017 or NAICS 2012 codes, and a few codes have been split or merged across versions. Always check whether a buyer's portal is using the current revision. NAICS is also distinct from UNSPSC, the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code, which uses an eight-digit hierarchy. Some Canadian procurement systems carry both codes; UNSPSC values often appear with an asterisk prefix in legacy exports. Finally, NAICS classifies an industry, not a procurement category, so a school district buying janitorial services and a hospital buying janitorial services will both classify the contract under 561720 even though the procurement context, security requirements, and service expectations differ substantially.
Frequently asked questions
NAICS 561720, Janitorial Services, covers most Canadian government cleaning contracts. Specialized cleaning may fall under 561740 (Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning) or 561790 (Other Services to Buildings and Dwellings).
Statistics Canada, the U.S. Census Bureau, and Mexico's INEGI jointly revise NAICS every five years. The current version is NAICS 2022.
No. NAICS is a six-digit industry classification. UNSPSC is an eight-digit product and service code used in some procurement systems. Codes do not map one-to-one between systems.
Related terms
- Goods and Services Identification Number (GSIN) — A federal Canadian procurement classification code that identifies the category of goods or services being procured, used alongside NAICS to route tender notifications.
- Request for Proposal (RFP) — A formal procurement notice used by Canadian government buyers to solicit competitive bids for goods or services, including cleaning and janitorial contracts.
- Incumbent Vendor — The vendor currently holding the contract being re-tendered.
- WHMIS Compliance in Janitorial Cleaning — Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System obligations as they apply to janitorial cleaning operations: chemical inventories, GHS-aligned Safety Data Sheets, container labelling, and documented worker training.
See North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) terms in real Canadian cleaning contracts
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