PSC N038

Overview

The Product Service Code (PSC) system standardizes how the U.S. federal government classifies products and services for procurements, enabling consistent tracking, reporting, and analysis across systems such as FPDS and SAM. PSCs and their management rules are published and maintained in the PSC Manual on Acquisition.gov. PSC N038 — Installation of Equipment: Construction, Mining, Excavating, and Highway Maintenance Equipment — is used to indicate award actions whose primary purpose is on‑site installation, assembly, anchoring, leveling, commissioning, and functional testing of heavy construction, mining, excavating, or highway‑maintenance machinery. Agencies apply N038 when reporting award actions that match the descriptive scope and reporting guidance in FPDS/SAM records. ¹

What this PSC covers

• Heavy‑equipment installation for construction projects, including on‑site assembly and anchoring of machinery. ¹
• Installation and setup of mining and quarrying machinery and systems. ¹
• Setup, leveling, and commissioning of excavating equipment and attachments. ¹
• Installation of highway‑maintenance machinery (for example, sweepers, pavers) and their functional testing. ¹
• On‑site testing, adjustment, and demonstration to confirm operational readiness of installed equipment. ¹

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Entries above align with the Installation‑of‑Equipment category as listed in the PSC Manual. ¹

How agencies report and use N038

Federal agencies report PSC values at the award level in FPDS; PSC entries (including N038) populate contract records to support spend analysis, category management, and reporting to OMB and agency stakeholders. The obligation to submit award data to FPDS and the mechanics of FPDS reporting are governed by FPDS reporting guidance and agency procedures. ²

Frequently asked questions

• Q: When should an award be coded N038 rather than a construction PSC?
  A: Use N038 when the primary contract deliverable is equipment installation or on‑site placement (assembly, anchoring, leveling, commissioning, testing). If the primary deliverable is building construction or civil works, use the construction PSC/NAICS that reflects that primary purpose. ¹

• Q: Does N038 cover equipment repair or modification?
  A: No. Maintenance, repair, rebuild, and modification are normally reported under PSCs intended for maintenance/repair or modification services rather than the installation category; agencies should follow PSC Manual rules and internal reporting policies. ¹

• Q: Are there standard NAICS that map to N038 for solicitation drafting?
  A: The PSC Manual does not assign a single mandatory NAICS to N038; agencies select NAICS that best reflect the procurement’s primary industrial or trade scope. Not specified by official sources. ¹

• Q: How can FPDS/SAM records be used to find opportunities tagged N038?
  A: Search FPDS and agency procurement forecast/market‑research tools for PSC = N038 to find historical awards and agencies/vehicles that frequently procure installation services; consult FPDS search guidance and agency forecast pages for query methods. ²

Useful resources

• G2X — PSC N038 overview (internal link).
• Product and Service Code Manual (PSC Manual) — Acquisition.gov. ¹
• Report contract actions in the Federal Procurement Data System — GSA (FPDS reporting guidance). ²

References

1. Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Code Manual (PSC Manual, April 2025). https://www.acquisition.gov/content/psc-manual-april-2025.pdf.
2. GSA — Report contract actions in the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS reporting guidance). https://www.gsa.gov/node/80900.