What is the difference between NAICS and PSC? Why does FPDS-NG have both?
The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) classifies commercial activity into broad categories, e.g., farming, manufacturer, wholesaler, retail, services. Contracts, on the other hand, generally purchase specific goods or services. We don’t buy “PHOTOGRAPHIC AND PHOTOCOPYING EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING” or “PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES WHOLESALERS” or “CAMERA AND PHOTOGRAPHIC SUPPLIES STORES” — we buy cameras. Therefore, FPDS has a second set of Products and Services Codes (PSCs). While still rather general, the PSCs are more specific — “PHOTOGRAPHIC EQPT”, for example. In FPDS-NG, the new Description of Requirement field collects detailed information about the purpose of the contract. It is the combination of the two codes plus the description, that enables greater visibility into what is procured. Back to Top 17. What do I do if my computer “times out” before the report I ran comes back? If you are using a home computer or one in an office that is not part of a
The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) classifies commercial activity into broad categories, e.g., farming, manufacturer, wholesaler, retail, services. Contracts, on the other hand, generally purchase specific goods or services. We don’t buy “PHOTOGRAPHIC AND PHOTOCOPYING EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING” or “PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES WHOLESALERS” or “CAMERA AND PHOTOGRAPHIC SUPPLIES STORES” — we buy cameras. Therefore, FPDS has a second set of Products and Services Codes (PSCs). While still rather general, the PSCs are more specific — “PHOTOGRAPHIC EQPT”, for example. In FPDS-NG, the new Description of Requirement field collects detailed information about the purpose of the contract. It is the combination of the two codes plus the description, that enables greater visibility into what is procured.
