PSC AS15

Overview

The Product Service Code (PSC) system is a standardized taxonomy the U.S. government uses to classify what is being purchased so agencies can track, analyze, and report spending consistently in federal procurement systems. PSCs are entered on contract actions in the Federal Procurement Data System and maintained through the official PSC Manual issued by GSA. ¹

AS15 identifies Transportation Research and Development Services for surface transportation, public transit, and rail where the obligations are for R&D facilities and major equipment supporting that research domain. It sits within the “A–” R&D family and distinguishes facility and major equipment expenditures from basic, applied, and experimental R&D stages for the same subject area. ¹

See also on G2X:

• G2X — PSC AS15 overview
• G2X — AS11 related code page
• G2X — AS14 related code page

What this PSC covers

• Expenses for R&D facilities tied to surface transportation, public transit, and rail research efforts. ¹
• Expenses for major R&D equipment used in surface transportation, transit, and rail research programs. ¹
• R&D infrastructure costs directly attributable to the surface transportation, public transit, and rail mission area. ¹
• Facility and equipment expenditures reported under the R&D code family (not end-item product buys coded under non-R&D product PSCs). ¹
• Use when the predominant purpose of the action is R&D facilities/major equipment for this subject area; otherwise select the appropriate stage code (AS11 basic, AS12 applied, AS13 experimental) or applicable product/service PSC per the Manual’s “predominant purpose” rule. ¹

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Coding notes and boundaries

• R&D family construction: R&D codes are two letters plus two digits. “A” identifies R&D; the second letter denotes the subject area (here, “S” for Transportation); the trailing digits indicate research stage or cost type (e.g., 11 basic, 12 applied, 13 experimental, 14 administrative, 15 facilities/major equipment). ¹
• Predominant purpose rule: Select the PSC based on the predominant item/service purchased on the action; do not split among multiple PSCs for minor elements. ¹
• R&D vs. product buys: Do not assign an R&D PSC to non-R&D products purchased in support of R&D; code such items under the appropriate product PSC instead. ¹
• FPDS data elements: Enter the PSC in FPDS element 8A; environmental attributes (if applicable) are entered in element 8L using the predefined picklist. ¹
• FPDS help: System-level guidance for FPDS search and help materials is available on fpds.gov. ³

Frequently asked questions

• What does AS15 specifically denote?

  It denotes Transportation R&D Services for surface transportation, public transit, and rail where the costs are for R&D facilities and major equipment, not for research performance itself. It is the “15” cost type within the transportation R&D subject area. ¹

• When should AS15 be used instead of AS11, AS12, or AS13?

  Use AS15 when the predominant purpose is expenses for R&D facilities and major equipment in the surface transportation, transit, and rail domain. Use AS11, AS12, or AS13 for basic, applied, or experimental research, respectively, for the same subject area. See also on G2X: AS11, AS12, AS13. ¹

• Does AS15 cover aerospace transportation facilities?

  No. Aerospace transportation R&D (including facilities/major equipment) is coded under the aerospace series, such as AS25 for “Expenses for R&D Facilities and Major Equipment” in aerospace research. ¹

• Is there an official NAICS mapping for AS15?

  Not specified by official sources. ²

• How is AS15 recorded in FPDS?

  Enter AS15 in FPDS data element 8A (PSC). If environmental attributes apply, report them in element 8L using the available options (e.g., energy efficient, biobased, environmentally preferable), per the PSC Manual. ¹

Useful resources

• G2X — PSC AS15 overview
• PSC Manual (FY 2025 edition, current). ¹
• PSC Manual landing page and document library. ²
• FPDS Help index (system guidance and help materials). ³

References

1. Acquisition.gov — PSC Manual April 2025 (PDF). https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf
2. Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Code Manual (landing page). https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
3. FPDS — Help and User Information. https://www.fpds.gov/help/index.jsp