Product service code (PSC)

The government publishes the PSC Manual on acquisition.gov. Product codes are numeric (for example, groups for IT equipment or vehicles), while service and research codes start with a letter (for example, D for IT and telecommunications services, R for professional support services). The first one or two characters name a broad category; the full code narrows it down.

A NAICS code describes the industry and sets the size standard; a PSC describes the thing bought. A single NAICS code can match several PSCs, so filtering on both catches notices that one alone misses.

Look up the PSCs on past awards in your field to learn which codes your customers use, then add them to your saved searches. PSCs are also useful for market research on spending trends.

Common mistakes are relying on keywords alone, which misses notices with odd titles, and filtering on a PSC so narrow that related work is hidden.

PSCs are also a quick way to read the federal market. Award data broken down by PSC shows which agencies buy what you sell, how much they spend, and which contractors win, which is useful when you choose target agencies or plan teaming. The PSC Manual is updated from time to time, with codes added, retired or split, so a saved search built on old codes can quietly miss notices. Review the codes in your saved searches at least once a year.