PSC B553

Overview

The Product Service Code (PSC) is a standardized taxonomy the U.S. government uses to classify the goods and services it buys. PSCs are applied on federal contract actions to enable consistent identification, tracking, analysis, and reporting across procurement systems and datasets, and the taxonomy is maintained through the PSC Manual on Acquisition.gov ¹.

PSC B553 is defined in the PSC Manual as “Special Studies/Analysis – Communications.” It sits under Section C (Services), Category B (“Special Studies/Analysis, Not R&D”), and is used to tag non-R&D analytical work whose primary subject area is communications ⁴.

See also on G2X:

• G2X — PSC B552 (Special Studies/Analysis – Manpower)
• G2X — PSC B554 (Special Studies/Analysis – Acquisition Policy/Procedures)

What this PSC covers

• Non-R&D special studies or analytical services where the principal subject is communications ⁴
• Work categorized within Section C (Services), Category B (“Special Studies/Analysis, Not R&D”) of the PSC Manual ⁴
• Contract actions recorded in FPDS where the PSC field identifies the product or service bought; used here to indicate a communications-focused special study or analysis ³
• Appearances on SAM.gov opportunity notices via the “classificationCode” field, which represents the PSC for the notice ²
• Specific inclusions or exclusions tailored to B553: Not specified by official sources ⁴
• Distinct from R&D PSCs (Section A) because Category B is explicitly designated “Not R&D” in the PSC Manual ⁴

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
PSC	B552	Special Studies/Analysis – Manpower 4
PSC	B554	Special Studies/Analysis – Acquisition Policy/Procedures 4
PSC	B544	Special Studies/Analysis – Technology 4
PSC	B599	Special Studies/Analysis – Other 4

Placement and reporting context

• Location in taxonomy: Section C (Services) → Category B (“Special Studies/Analysis, Not R&D”) → B553 (“Communications”) ⁴
• FPDS data element: PSC is captured as the “Product or Service Code” field and must be a valid PSC Manual entry ³
• SAM.gov opportunities: the PSC appears as “classificationCode” in the Contract Opportunities API specification ²

Frequently asked questions

• What does PSC B553 mean in practice?
  It identifies non-R&D special studies or analytical efforts where communications is the primary subject area, within Section C services under Category B (“Special Studies/Analysis, Not R&D”) ⁴

• Is there an official “includes/excludes” list for B553?
  Not specified by official sources ⁴

• How is B553 represented on SAM.gov notices?
  Contract Opportunities uses the “classificationCode” field to hold the PSC associated with a notice; this is where B553 would appear when applicable ²

• What changed for B553 in the April 2025 PSC Manual?
  Not specified by official sources. The manual lists B553 under Category B but does not provide code-specific change notes ⁴

• Where is PSC data captured for awards and what definition applies?
  In FPDS, PSC is recorded as the “Product or Service Code,” defined as the code that best identifies the product or service procured and constrained to valid PSC Manual entries ³

Useful resources

• G2X — PSC B553 overview
• Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual landing page on Acquisition.gov ¹
• PSC Manual (April 2025 edition) — authoritative code list and taxonomy ⁴
• FPDS help: PSC definition and usage ³
• SAM.gov Opportunity Management API — “classificationCode” (PSC) field ²

References

1. Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Code Manual: https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
2. GSA Open — SAM.gov Opportunity Management API (classificationCode = PSC): https://open.gsa.gov/api/opportunities-api/
3. FPDS — Glossary and Data Dictionary for PSC: https://www.fpds.gov/help/Glossary.htm
4. Acquisition.gov — PSC Manual April 2025 (Section C, Category B listing including B553): https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf