PSC AF13

Overview

The Product and Service Code (PSC) system is a governmentwide taxonomy that classifies what the U.S. federal government buys. PSCs support consistent reporting and analytics by identifying the predominant product, service, or research and development (R&D) being procured in systems such as the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). The General Services Administration maintains the PSC Manual governing these codes. ¹

PSC AF13 is an R&D services code within the “AF” major area (Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services). Specifically, it covers Education Services R&D at the Experimental Development stage—creative and systematic work to produce new or improved education-related products, processes, or methods, including prototype design, construction, and testing. ²

See also on G2X:

• G2X — PSC AF13 overview
• G2X — PSC AF12
• G2X — PSC AF23

What this PSC covers

• Experimental development for education services: systematic work to create or improve education products, processes, or delivery methods. ²
• Prototype activities: design, construction, and testing of experimental prototypes tied to education services R&D. ²
• Technology demonstrations at scale when first-of-a-kind systems are shown and iterative refinements are expected. ²
• Classification under “AF” major area; use AF13 when education services are the R&D sub-area and the stage is Experimental Development. ²
• Excludes user demonstrations that validate costs/benefits for a specific use case (these are not R&D). ²
• Excludes pre-production development (e.g., tooling or production facility development before full production). ²
• Distinct from administrative or facilities stages; those belong under AF14 (R&D administrative expenses) or AF15 (R&D facilities and major equipment). ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Codes shown are in the same AF R&D family and are verified in the PSC Manual. ²

Stage definitions at a glance (for AF family)

• Basic research (Stage “1” codes such as AF11): experimental or theoretical work to gain new knowledge without a specific application in mind. ²
• Applied research (Stage “2” codes such as AF12): original investigation to acquire knowledge directed to a specific practical aim or objective. ²
• Experimental development (Stage “3” codes such as AF13): creative and systematic work to produce new or improved products/processes, including prototypes and qualifying technology demonstrations. ²

Inclusions and exclusions for AF13

• Include: production of materials, devices, systems, or methods for education services R&D, including prototype design, construction, and testing. ²
• Include: first-of-a-kind technology demonstrations with realistic expectations of further design refinements (feedback R&D). ²
• Exclude: user demonstrations that validate costs/benefits for a specific use case (including low-rate initial production). ²
• Exclude: pre-production development such as tooling or setting up production facilities (not R&D). ²

Frequently asked questions

• What does PSC AF13 cover?

  • It designates Experimental Development within Education Services R&D. Activities include creating or improving education-related products or processes and building/testing experimental prototypes to validate functionality before operationalization. See also on G2X — PSC AF13 overview. ²

• How is AF13 different from AF12?

  • AF12 is Applied Research focused on investigations with a specific practical objective, while AF13 advances to building and testing prototypes or methods to produce new or improved outcomes in education services. ²

• Are pilot prototypes or technology demonstrations appropriate under AF13?

  • Yes, when they are first-of-a-kind demonstrations with iterative refinement expected. However, user demonstrations meant only to validate costs/benefits for a specific use case are excluded from R&D. ²

• Can facility build-outs or general overhead be coded to AF13?

  • No. Administrative expenses align to AF14, and facilities/major equipment align to AF15; these are separate R&D stages from Experimental Development. ²

• Is there an official NAICS crosswalk published for AF13?

  • Not specified by official sources ¹

Useful resources

• G2X — PSC AF13 overview
• PSC Manual (current): April 2025 edition (PDF). ²
• PSC Manual landing page and files (Acquisition.gov). ¹
• SAM.gov Help — includes “Search opportunities by NAICS or PSC” training resources. ³

References

1. Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Code Manual page: https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
2. Acquisition.gov — PSC Manual April 2025 (PDF): https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf
3. SAM.gov — Help portal (includes training to search opportunities by NAICS or PSC): https://sam.gov/help