PSC AM13

Overview

The Product Service Code (PSC) is a uniform taxonomy the U.S. government uses to tag what is being bought—products, services, and R&D—so contract actions can be consistently recorded in FPDS and analyzed across agencies. PSCs are governed through the PSC Manual maintained on Acquisition.gov and are entered on each award to support reporting, oversight, and category management.¹

PSC AM13 denotes “International Affairs R&D Services; International Affairs; Experimental Development.” In the R&D schema, the fourth character “3” identifies the Experimental Development stage. The PSC Manual defines experimental development as creative and systematic work that produces new or improved products or processes and includes activities such as designing, constructing, and testing experimental prototypes and certain technology demonstrations; it excludes user validations and pre-production activities like tooling or production facility development. Agencies use AM13 in FPDS when the predominant effort is experimental development within the International Affairs domain.¹

See also on G2X:

• G2X — PSC AM13 overview
• G2X — PSC AM11
• G2X — PSC AM12

What this PSC covers

• Experimental development work in the International Affairs domain that draws on prior research to produce new or improved products, processes, or systems.¹
• Design, construction, and testing of experimental prototypes related to international affairs programs or capabilities.¹
• Technology demonstrations conducted at scale where further design refinements are realistically expected based on demonstration results.¹
• Contract actions reported in FPDS where experimental development is the predominant effort within International Affairs, as opposed to basic or applied research stages.¹
• Activities aligned to R&D services (not product purchases) and coded under the “A” R&D family per PSC Manual guidance.¹
• Excludes user demonstrations done solely to validate costs/benefits for a specific use case and excludes pre-production development (e.g., tooling, development of production facilities).¹

Related NAICS and PSC codes

R&D stage context for AM13

• Structure: R&D PSCs use “A” + a two-character subject area + a one-digit stage code. Stage codes are 1=Basic Research, 2=Applied Research, 3=Experimental Development, 4=R&D Administrative Expenses, 5=R&D Facilities & Major Equipment.¹
• Experimental development includes producing materials, devices, systems, or methods; designing, constructing, and testing experimental prototypes; and technology demonstrations expected to feed further R&D improvements.¹
• Exclusions: user validations and pre-production development (e.g., tooling and production facility build-out) are not R&D experimental development for PSC purposes.¹

Coding guidance highlights

• Report an R&D PSC when the contract action is for R&D services; purchases of products in support of R&D should use the appropriate product PSC instead.¹
• Select the PSC that reflects the predominant work on the action; use the “A” R&D family only for R&D services.¹
• Ensure the specific AMxx code matches both the subject area (International Affairs) and the stage (e.g., AM13 for Experimental Development).¹

Frequently asked questions

• What does PSC AM13 specifically mean?
  It identifies International Affairs R&D services at the Experimental Development stage. The PSC Manual states this stage produces new or improved products or processes and may include prototype design, construction, and testing, as well as certain technology demonstrations.¹

• When should AM13 be used instead of AM11 or AM12?
  Use AM13 when the predominant effort is experimental development aimed at producing or improving a capability. Use AM11 for basic research (new knowledge) and AM12 for applied research (feasibility and proof of concept), per stage definitions.¹

• Does AM13 cover administrative overhead or facility purchases?
  No. Administrative expenses belong under AM14, and R&D facilities or major equipment are coded under AM15. These cover management/overhead and capital infrastructure respectively, not R&D services performed to create or improve capabilities.¹

• Are official NAICS mappings published for AM13?
  Not specified by official sources.² Agencies typically select the most appropriate NAICS based on the principal purpose of the work described in the solicitation and market research. Follow agency-specific guidance when applicable.

• What kinds of activities are excluded from AM13?
  Exclusions include user demonstrations conducted solely to validate costs/benefits for a specific use case and pre-production development such as tooling and production facility development. Such efforts should not be reported as experimental development R&D services under AM13.¹

Useful resources

• PSC Manual April 2025 (PDF).¹
• Product and Service Code Manual library index.²
• DFARS PGI 216.104-70 Research and development (context on R&D contract categories).³

References

1. PSC Manual April 2025 (Federal Procurement Data System Product and Service Codes Manual), Acquisition.gov, April 2025. https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf
2. Product and Service Code Manual library index, Acquisition.gov. https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
3. DFARS PGI 216.104-70 Research and development, Acquisition.gov. https://www.acquisition.gov/dfarspgi/pgi-216.104-70-research-and-development