PSC Q521

Overview

The Product Service Code (PSC) system standardizes how the U.S. federal government classifies procured products and services to improve identification, reporting, and analysis of contract actions in systems such as FPDS and SAM. The PSC Manual on acquisition.gov is the primary authoritative source for PSC definitions, categories, and application guidance.¹

PSC Q521 sits in the Medical category as Medical—Pulmonary. It is used to label procurements for pulmonary-related clinical services, respiratory therapy and management, diagnostic pulmonary testing, and related home-based respiratory monitoring services captured in federal award reporting. Scope details, inclusions, and formal usage guidance are maintained in the PSC Manual and discussed in FPDS implementation notes.¹

• See also on G2X:
  • G2X — PSC Q521 overview
  • G2X — PSC Q522 overview
  • G2X — PSC Q524 overview

What this PSC covers

• Pulmonary clinical services and consultations (specialist physician or clinical team services supporting pulmonary care).
• Respiratory therapy and management services, including inpatient and outpatient therapy program support.
• Diagnostic pulmonary testing, interpretation, and reporting such as spirometry, bronchodilator studies, and related clinical interpretation.
• Home-based sleep and respiratory monitoring services when provided as a clinical service with reporting and interpretation.
• Pulmonary function testing and clinical reporting as a service package rather than simple equipment sale.
• Respiratory equipment clinical support delivered as services (installation, clinical calibration, training) rather than procurement of medical devices.

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Not specified by official sources for a single, authoritative NAICS crosswalk to PSC [Q521]; the PSC Manual and FPDS provide PSC names and categories but do not publish a single definitive NAICS mapping for every PSC. Agencies select NAICS based on the contract’s primary purpose and perform case-by-case NAICS assignment in FPDS when required.¹

Typical contract uses and contexts

Federal health delivery organizations commonly apply PSC Q521 to task orders and other awards for clinical staffing, pulmonary specialty consult services, respiratory therapy programs, and outpatient or home-based sleep-respiratory monitoring programs. Examples include work ordered by Veterans Health Administration and Indian Health Service health facilities where pulmonary clinical services are the primary deliverable. Selection of NAICS for such actions is agency-determined and based on the principal purpose of the contract rather than the PSC alone; the PSC primarily supports service-type reporting and analysis.¹

Frequently asked questions

• What does PSC Q521 label in federal procurement?

  • PSC Q521 is labeled Medical—Pulmonary in the PSC Manual and is applied to federal procurements for pulmonary-related clinical services and support captured in FPDS and SAM reporting. The PSC entry helps analysts and program offices track pulmonary-service obligations and actions across agencies.¹

• How does an award record use Q521 versus NAICS?

  • The PSC identifies the type of service (pulmonary medical services) for reporting and analytic purposes; NAICS identifies the industry classification for the principal purpose of the contract. Both fields can appear on an FPDS record, and agencies choose the NAICS that best matches the contract’s primary objective while using PSC Q521 for service categorization.¹

• Is there an official PSC-to-NAICS crosswalk for Q521?

  • The PSC Manual does not provide a single authoritative PSC-to-NAICS crosswalk for every PSC; NAICS selection is agency-determined based on the contract’s primary purpose. Not specified by official sources.¹

• Can Q521 be used for equipment purchases (e.g., ventilators)?

  • PSC Q521 is a services classification for pulmonary healthcare delivery. Procurement of equipment is generally classified using the appropriate medical-equipment PSC. Not specified by official sources for every scenario; agencies should confirm correct PSC selection per the PSC Manual and FPDS guidance.¹

Useful resources

• G2X — PSC Q521 overview (internal reference).
• PSC Manual (primary authoritative guidance on PSCs and appendix entries).¹
• FPDS release notes and Medical-category PSC implementation and revisions (FPDS wiki entry for the V1.5 SP 21.0 Medical-category PSC changes).²

References

1. PSC Manual, Product Service Code (PSC) Manual, acquisition.gov. https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
2. V1.5 SP 21.0 — FPDS Medical Category Product Service Code (PSC) Revisions, fpds.gov. https://fpds.gov/wiki/index.php/V1.5_SP_21.0