PSC AS23

Overview

The Product Service Code (PSC) system classifies the supplies, services, and research and development the U.S. government buys, enabling consistent reporting in FPDS/SAM.gov and analysis across agencies. The PSC Manual governs the structure and use of these codes and identifies where PSC is captured in award data. ¹

PSC AS23 is defined as “Transportation R&D Services; Aerospace Research; Experimental Development.” It covers stage “3” R&D for aerospace transportation topics, including creative, systematic work to produce new or improved aerospace products, processes, or systems. The PSC Manual notes that some topics (for example, pollution control) are coded under other R&D families rather than Aerospace Research. ¹

What this PSC covers

• Experimental development to create or improve aerospace transportation systems, subsystems, or processes under the Transportation R&D family. ¹
• Design, construction, and testing of experimental aerospace prototypes for research purposes. ¹
• Integrated technology demonstrations where component systems are first shown at scale and further R&D-driven refinements are expected. ¹
• Developmental test and evaluation activities conducted as part of experimental R&D (not operational fielding). ¹
• System integration, methods development, and process innovation aimed at advancing aerospace transportation capabilities. ¹
• Experimental development efforts that apply knowledge from prior basic or applied aerospace research to produce usable outcomes. ¹

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Verified per the official PSC Manual. ¹

Classification guidance and boundaries

• Use AS23 when the work is experimental development (stage “3”) within Aerospace Research under Transportation R&D; this stage focuses on creating new or improved products or processes from prior research. ¹
• Exclude pre‑production development and low‑rate initial production activities; these are non‑experimental and not R&D per the PSC Manual. ¹
• Exclude user demonstrations intended to validate costs or benefits for a specific use case; these are not R&D activities. ¹
• Aircraft air‑pollution research is directed to the Natural Resources & Environment R&D family (pollution control and abatement) rather than Aerospace Research. ¹

Reporting and analytics context

• The PSC is recorded in FPDS as data element 8A (“Product or Service Code”); environmental attributes are captured separately in data element 8L. ¹
• Contract award reporting and analytics by PSC are available through SAM.gov’s Contract Data (DataBank) environment. ³

Frequently asked questions

• What does PSC AS23 mean?
  AS23 denotes “Transportation R&D Services; Aerospace Research; Experimental Development.” It covers stage “3” R&D focused on turning prior research into new or improved aerospace transportation products, processes, or systems, including prototype development, integration, and developmental test and evaluation. ¹

• How is AS23 different from AS21 and AS22?
  AS21 is basic research (fundamental knowledge creation), AS22 is applied research (problem‑oriented investigation), and AS23 is experimental development that applies prior research to produce or improve tangible outcomes for aerospace transportation. ¹

• Does AS23 include space‑flight experimental development?
  No. Space‑flight R&D is coded under the Space R&D family, such as AR13 for experimental development. AS23 applies to aerospace transportation research within the Transportation R&D family, not space programs. ¹

• Are pre‑production buildouts or low‑rate initial production included in AS23?
  No. The PSC Manual excludes pre‑production development and low‑rate initial production from R&D; such activities are not coded as experimental development and should not use AS23. ¹

• Which agencies most commonly use AS23?
  Not specified by official sources ².

Useful resources

• G2X — PSC AS23 overview
• PSC Manual (April 2025 edition), official definitions and code listings. ¹
• PSC Manual landing page (current/archives, SOP, spreadsheets). ²
• SAM.gov — Contract Data (DataBank) guidance for searching and reporting. ³

References

1. Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Codes (PSC) Manual, April 2025 (PDF), Section A definitions and AS codes: https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf
2. Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Code Manual (index/landing): https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
3. SAM.gov — Contract Data (DataBank) overview: https://sam.gov/content/contract-data