PSC R605

Overview

The Product Service Code (PSC) is the government-wide taxonomy used to classify products and services procured by the U.S. federal government. PSC values populate FPDS/SAM reporting fields and support spend analysis, category management, and contract reporting; the PSC Manual on Acquisition.gov documents maintenance processes and PSC governance. ¹

PSC R605 (Support- Administrative: Library) is the PSC Manual label assigned to library-related administrative support within Category R6. Agencies commonly apply R605 in FPDS for licensed content and access services such as electronic subscriptions, e-book and journal licensing, and library-platform access where the primary deliverable is library services rather than hardware or general IT. The PSC Manual lists R605 under Category R6 but provides limited narrative “Includes/Excludes” text for this specific code. ²

• See also on G2X:
  • G2X — PSC R605
  • G2X — PSC R616 (Physical Records Management)
  • G2X — PSC R617 (Electronic Records Management)
  • G2X — PSC R6 (Category R6)

What this PSC covers

• Electronic subscriptions and database access (library platforms and content-management access). ³
• Purchase or licensing of e-books, journals, and periodical content (single- or multi-user licensing). ³
• Library access platforms used for clinical or technical point-of-care information and similar licensed knowledge resources. ³
• Acquisition of bibliographic or cataloging services — Not specified by official sources ².
• Archival, digitization, or preservation services for library holdings — Not specified by official sources ².

Related NAICS and PSC codes

The PSC Manual does not provide an official one-to-one NAICS crosswalk for R605; agencies select NAICS that best describe the principal purpose of the procurement. Not specified by official sources ².

Common procurement examples

• Federal awards for e-resource subscriptions, database licenses, and library-content access are routinely reported in FPDS under PSC R605 (records include subscription and e-book suppliers). ³
• Agencies commonly pair R605 with NAICS that reflect the procurement’s dominant activity (examples in practice include NAICS 511120, 519290, and 518210), but the PSC Manual does not mandate specific NAICS pairings. ²

Frequently asked questions

• What does the label “Support- Administrative: Library (R605)” mean in FPDS?
  It denotes that the reported product or service in FPDS is library-related administrative support; the code signals to spending analysts and category managers that licensed content or library services are the primary contract deliverable. ²

• Are there standard NAICS codes that must accompany R605?
  The PSC Manual does not mandate a specific NAICS pairing for R605; agencies choose NAICS that best describe the procurement’s principal purpose based on FPDS guidance and individual contract scope. ²

• Can R605 be used for digital-library platform development or only for content subscriptions?
  The PSC Manual does not prescribe rigid boundaries between software development and service reporting for R-category PSCs; FPDS coding should reflect the contract’s predominant purpose and applicable FPDS rules. Not specified by official sources ²

• How do contracting officers choose R605 versus another R-category PSC?
  FPDS guidance directs selecting the PSC that best represents the predominant product or service purchased; contracting officers use the PSC Manual and FPDS coding guidance to choose R605 when library services or licensed content access are the primary deliverable. ²

Useful resources

• G2X — PSC R605 (internal overview)
• PSC Manual — Acquisition.gov (PSC Manual landing page) ¹
• PSC Manual (PDF, April 2025) — Acquisition.gov ²
• Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) — FPDS official site and search/help resources ³

References

1. Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Code Manual landing page (PSC Manual overview). https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
2. Acquisition.gov — PSC Manual (PSC Manual April 2025 PDF). https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf
3. FPDS.gov — Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) home and help resources. https://www.fpds.gov