PSC AS32

Overview

The Product Service Code system is the U.S. government’s standard taxonomy for classifying the products, services, and research and development activities reported in federal procurement systems such as FPDS and referenced in SAM.gov notices. GSA maintains the PSC structure and definitions through the PSC Manual to enable consistent reporting, analysis, and transparency in federal spending. ¹

Within the R&D family, AS32 is defined as “Transportation R&D Services; Water Transportation; Applied Research.” It classifies contract actions for applied research focused on water transportation (e.g., maritime and inland waterways) and is distinct from basic research and experimental development phases in the same subject area. ¹

See also on G2X:

• G2X — PSC AS32 overview
• G2X — PSC AS31 overview
• G2X — PSC AS33 overview

What this PSC covers

• Applied research efforts in the water transportation domain directed toward specific practical aims or objectives, as defined for R&D applied research. ¹
• Work that is novel, creative, uncertain, systematic, and transferable/reproducible, consistent with federal R&D characteristics. ¹
• Research activities supporting waterborne transport systems and operations where the predominant purpose is applied research rather than product procurement. ¹
• R&D actions within water transportation that are not products; products purchased in support of R&D must be coded under the appropriate product PSC instead of an R&D PSC. ¹
• Efforts that do not primarily consist of administrative costs or facilities/major equipment purchases, which are separately coded under AS34 or AS35. ¹
• Use in cases where applied research is the predominant R&D phase; basic research should use AS31 and experimental development should use AS33. ¹

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Source: PSC Manual April 2025, Section A (Transportation R&D Services table). ¹

Scope notes and boundary conditions

• Do not assign an R&D PSC to products purchased in support of research; code those items using the appropriate product PSC. ¹
• Applied research is systematic study to gain knowledge to meet a specific practical objective; it is distinct from basic research and experimental development phases. ¹
• Exclude user demonstrations validating costs/benefits for a specific use case and pre‑production development (e.g., tooling); these are not R&D for PSC purposes. ¹
• R&D PSCs are recorded in FPDS as data element 8A; environmental attributes, when applicable, are recorded in FPDS data element 8L. ¹

Frequently asked questions

• What does “Applied Research” mean under AS32? Applied research is systematic study to gain knowledge directed to a specific, practical aim or objective, and it must exhibit the federal R&D characteristics of novelty, creativity, uncertainty, systematic approach, and transferability/reproducibility. ¹

• When should AS32 be used instead of AS33 or AS31? Use AS32 when the predominant phase is applied research. Use AS31 for basic research and AS33 for experimental development, per the PSC Manual’s R&D phase definitions. ¹

• Can facility or major equipment purchases be coded under AS32? No. Expenses for R&D facilities and major equipment should be coded under AS35; administrative expenses use AS34. ¹

• Are official NAICS pairings published for AS32? Not specified by official sources ².

• How is an R&D PSC captured in federal reporting? Agencies report the PSC in FPDS data element 8A. Environmental attributes, when required, are captured in FPDS data element 8L alongside the PSC selection. ¹

Useful resources

• G2X — PSC AS32 overview: https://app.g2xchange.com/psc/AS32
• PSC Manual April 2025 (PDF), Section A — Research and Development Codes. ¹
• Product and Service Code Manual — main page and downloads. ²
• PSC Manual Archives (prior editions). ³

References

1. U.S. General Services Administration, Product and Service Codes (PSC) Manual, April 2025 edition (PDF), Section A — Research and Development Codes (including Transportation R&D Services AS31–AS35). https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf
2. Acquisition.gov, Product and Service Code Manual — main page (current official repository). https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
3. Acquisition.gov, Product and Service Code Manual — Archives. https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual/archives