| By :
Myra Cisse
Product and Service Codes are a necessary part of government contracting. If you've been researching the federal marketplace, you've likely run into the "PSC" acronym before. I know I was very frustrated trying to find the one place to find out what my PSC code is or what it even meant. If you've had the same struggles, then you're gonna love this. On October 1, 2011, a new Product and Service Codes (PSC) Manual was introduced. The updates were made to reflect changes in three areas: Environmental attributes Updates in technology and terminology The addition of codes and end dating, i.e. eliminating duplicates. The manual also does an excellent job of explaining the more complex codes, detailing why the changes were made and, most importantly, helping you identify your codes. So let's cover the basics. PSC codes descried products, services and R&D purchased by the Federal Government. These codes indicate "what" was bought for each contract reported in the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). PSC's have a standard code structure of 4 characters. Product codes have a digit in the 1st position and Services and R&D have a letter in the 1st position. All R&D codes begin with the letter A. Service codes begin with letters B - Z, depending on your industry. And Product codes all begin with a 2 digit number from 10 - 99, based on industry. The manual does a surprisingly easy job of sorting the codes. I was able to find my PSC code from the services section in a matter of minutes; and it's a 327 page manual. The product codes are managed by Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Logistics Information Service. They've been incorporated into this manual based on the Federal Supply Class (FSC) list from DLA Logistics Information Service. Service and R&D codes are managed by General Services Administration (GSA). Knowing your code is important for several reasons, but here are a few key reasons. When you are researching which government agencies are buying what you are selling, narrowing the search by code will make your search much faster and easier. Also, when you are having bids sent to you, specifying the PSC code can yield you highly targeted opportunities on which you can bid. Finally, when you are ready to bid on a government contract, it's important to be able to identify the PSC's in the contract to ensure you have the resources to perform. So now you have the tool to use to identify every PSC code you have in your business. If you are a service company like mine, then you will probably only have a few. However, if you buy, sell or make tangible goods, the process will be a little more arduous for you. Once you identify these codes, do yourself a favor and record and file them somewhere (like an excel spreadsheet). Believe me, you'll thank me later when you reference that list when you're bidding on your next contract or applying for a GSA schedule.
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