PSC AH53

Overview

The U.S. government uses Product and Service Codes (PSCs) to consistently classify the goods, services, and research and development it buys, enabling spend tracking, analysis, and reporting. PSCs are recorded on contract actions in the Federal Procurement Data System and maintained through the PSC Manual on Acquisition.gov. ¹

AH53 identifies “Natural Resources and Environment R&D Services; Other natural resources; Experimental Development.” The third character “5” denotes the “Other natural resources” sub-area, and the fourth character “3” denotes the R&D stage “Experimental Development,” as defined in the PSC Manual. Agencies should select this code when the work’s predominant purpose is experimental development within the broader Natural Resources and Environment R&D family. ¹

See also on G2X:

• G2X — PSC AH53
• Related comparator: AH33 — Recreational resources; Experimental Development
• Related comparator: AH43 — Pollution control & abatement; Experimental Development

What this PSC covers

• Experimental development work in the “other natural resources” sub-area under Natural Resources and Environment R&D. ¹
• Creative and systematic efforts to produce new or improved products, processes, or methods pertinent to natural resources topics not captured by water resources, conservation/land management, recreational resources, or pollution control/abatement. ¹
• Design, construction, and testing of experimental prototypes and systems relevant to natural resources applications. ¹
• Technology demonstrations at scale, where initial integration of components is shown and further refinements are expected based on results. ¹
• R&D services only; products bought in support of R&D (e.g., commercial equipment) are coded under the appropriate product PSC, not an R&D PSC. ¹
• Use when the predominant purpose of the action is experimental development, consistent with PSC Manual stage definitions. ¹

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Source: PSC Manual (April 2025). ¹

Boundaries and exclusions

• Excludes user demonstrations aimed at validating costs/benefits for a specific use case (e.g., low‑rate initial production); these are not R&D for PSC purposes. ¹
• Excludes pre‑production development (non‑experimental work before full production, such as tooling or development of production facilities). ¹
• Do not assign an R&D PSC to procurement of equipment or supplies purchased in support of R&D; use the appropriate product PSC. ¹

How to interpret AH53

• Code structure: position 1 = “A” (R&D); position 2 = “H” (Natural Resources and Environment); position 3 = “5” (Other natural resources sub‑area); position 4 = “3” (Experimental Development stage). ¹
• R&D stages for the 4th position are defined as: 1 = Basic Research, 2 = Applied Research, 3 = Experimental Development, 4 = R&D Administrative Expenses, 5 = Expenses for R&D Facilities and Major Equipment. ¹

Frequently asked questions

• What does AH53 represent?
  AH53 is the PSC for Natural Resources and Environment R&D Services in the “Other natural resources” sub‑area at the Experimental Development stage. Use it when the principal purpose is developing or improving concepts into prototype or pilot-scale capabilities relevant to natural resources. ¹

• How does the PSC Manual define “experimental development”?
  Experimental development is creative and systematic work, drawing on research and practical experience, directed at producing new products or processes or improving existing ones. It includes prototype design and testing and certain technology demonstrations, but excludes user demonstrations and pre‑production development. ¹

• Does the PSC Manual specify NAICS pairings for AH53?
  Not specified by official sources. ²

• Where are PSCs captured for reporting?
  PSCs are recorded on contract actions in the Federal Procurement Data System to indicate “what” was purchased. The PSC Manual provides the authoritative definitions and structure used to classify R&D services for reporting and analysis. ¹

Useful resources

• G2X — PSC AH53
• Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual — April 2025 edition (PDF). ¹
• Acquisition.gov PSC Manual landing page (current and archived editions). ²

References

1. Acquisition.gov — PSC Manual April 2025 (PDF), Section A: Research and Development Codes (definitions, code structure, AH53 listing). https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf
2. Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Code Manual (current index and files). https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual