Federal Contracting
Federal Procurement — PSC Codes & SAM.gov Walkthrough
Step 1 — Build your SAM.gov profile
Federal contracting starts and ends at SAM.gov. Every federal agency uses it for vendor verification, opportunity posting, contract reporting, and exclusion checks.
- Create a Login.gov account with MFA. This is your gateway to SAM, FPDS, beta.sam, and most agency portals.
- Request your UEI (Unique Entity Identifier). Replaced DUNS in April 2022. You request it through SAM.gov itself — no third-party fee.
- Start Entity Registration. Have ready: EIN, legal business name (must match IRS exactly), physical address (no PO boxes), bank routing + account number for EFT, NAICS codes, and an Authorized Entity Administrator.
- Add NAICS codes. Use the construction NAICS reference. Choose ONE primary and as many secondary as apply.
- Complete the FAR/DFARS Reps and Certs. ~30 yes/no questions on size, ownership, debarment, lobbying, etc.
- Submit. IRS and CAGE validation takes 7–10 business days. Active status appears on your public profile when complete.
- Renew annually. Registration expires 365 days after last update. An expired SAM blocks every payment and disqualifies you from award.
⚠️ SAM.gov is free. Companies charging $500–$1,500 to "register you" are third-party paperwork mills — not government services.
Step 2 — Pick the right PSC code
Product Service Codes are the federal answer to "what are you buying?" Construction lives in two families: Y (Construction of Structures and Facilities) and Z (Maintenance, Repair, and Alteration of Real Property). Z codes are often the better fit for trades-focused contractors — there's more work, smaller contract sizes, and more set-aside opportunity than the big Y1 mega-construction line.
PSC Group Y1 — Construction of Structures and Facilities
Y1xx codes cover NEW construction, additions, and major alterations to government buildings and infrastructure. Used by USACE, NAVFAC, GSA PBS, VA, and most agency CIP procurements.
| PSC | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Y1AA | Construction of Office Buildings | New federal office buildings, courthouses, headquarters. |
| Y1AB | Construction of Conference Space and Facilities | Conference centers, training centers. |
| Y1AC | Construction of Other Administrative Facilities and Service Buildings | Visitor centers, post offices, customs houses. |
| Y1BA | Construction of Air Traffic Control Towers | FAA/DoD ATC towers. |
| Y1BZ | Construction of Other Airfield Structures | Hangars, maintenance facilities, fuel storage. |
| Y1CA | Construction of Schools | DoDEA, BIE, and federal school facilities. |
| Y1DA | Construction of Hospitals and Infirmaries | VA medical centers, DoD hospitals, IHS facilities. |
| Y1DB | Construction of Laboratories and Clinics | Research labs, outpatient clinics. |
| Y1EA | Construction of Family Housing Facilities | Military family housing, BIA housing. |
| Y1FA | Construction of Restoration of Real Property (Public or Private) | Historic preservation, restoration. |
| Y1GA | Construction of Warehouse Buildings | DLA warehouses, supply depots. |
| Y1HA | Construction of Production Buildings | Manufacturing, fabrication facilities. |
| Y1JA | Construction of Industrial Buildings | Maintenance shops, industrial process buildings. |
| Y1KA | Construction of Electric Power Generation Facilities | Power plants, generation sites. |
| Y1KB | Construction of Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Lines | Transmission, substations. |
| Y1LA | Construction of Highways, Roads, Streets, Bridges, and Railways | Highway/bridge/rail construction. |
| Y1MA | Construction of Airport Runways and Taxiways | Runway paving, taxiway construction. |
| Y1NA | Construction of EPA Sewage and Waste Facilities | Wastewater treatment, lagoons. |
| Y1PA | Construction of Water Supply Facilities | Water treatment plants, mains, storage. |
| Y1QA | Construction of Recreational Facilities (Non-Building) | Parks, trails, athletic fields, marinas. |
| Y1RA | Construction of Exhibit Design | Museum exhibits, visitor displays. |
| Y1SA | Construction of Utilities Distribution Lines | Gas, steam, chilled water distribution. |
PSC Group Z1 — Maintenance, Repair, and Alteration of Real Property
Z1xx codes cover MAINTENANCE, REPAIR, and minor alteration of existing federal real property. The most common PSC family for small-business construction set-asides — and often a better fit than Y1 for trades-focused contractors.
| PSC | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Z1AA | Maintenance of Office Buildings | Routine and preventive maintenance, repairs. |
| Z1AZ | Maintenance of Other Administrative Facilities | Service buildings, miscellaneous admin. |
| Z1BA | Maintenance of Air Traffic Control Towers | ATC tower maintenance and repair. |
| Z1DA | Maintenance of Hospitals and Infirmaries | VA, DoD, IHS hospital M&R. |
| Z1EA | Maintenance of Family Housing Facilities | Military family housing repair. |
| Z1GA | Maintenance of Warehouse Buildings | Warehouse roofs, HVAC, doors, dock equipment. |
| Z1LA | Maintenance of Highways, Roads, Streets, Bridges, and Railways | Crack sealing, pothole repair, striping, bridge deck repair. |
| Z1MA | Maintenance of Airport Runways and Taxiways | Pavement repair, sealing, marking. |
| Z1PA | Maintenance of Water Supply Facilities | Water plant M&R, distribution repair. |
| Z2AA | Repair or Alteration of Office Buildings | Tenant improvements, renovations. |
| Z2DA | Repair or Alteration of Hospitals and Infirmaries | Hospital renovations, infection-control upgrades. |
| Z2EA | Repair or Alteration of Family Housing Facilities | Housing renovations, kitchen/bath updates. |
| Z2LA | Repair or Alteration of Highways, Roads, Streets, Bridges, and Railways | Bridge rehab, road reconstruction. |
Step 3 — Search opportunities the right way
On SAM.gov's Contract Opportunities search, filter by PSC (not keyword) to surface every relevant solicitation. A keyword search for "roof" misses solicitations titled "Bldg 412 RFP" with PSC Z2AA. Save searches by PSC + state — SAM will email you new matching opportunities daily.
Use FPDS.gov to research past awards. Filter by PSC + NAICS + state to see which agencies actually buy your work, who's winning, at what dollar amounts, and which incumbents you'd be displacing.
Set-asides and socioeconomic categories
- Small Business (SB) — must qualify under SBA size standard for the NAICS code (~$19M–$45M for construction).
- SDVOSB / VOSB — Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned / Veteran-Owned. Apply through VA Vetbiz / SBA.
- 8(a) Business Development — for socially and economically disadvantaged businesses. 9-year program, sole-source up to $4.5M (services) / $7M (manufacturing).
- WOSB / EDWOSB — Women-Owned / Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned. Self-cert or third-party certified through SBA.
- HUBZone — must have principal office in a HUBZone, 35% of employees living in a HUBZone. Very competitive; high price-evaluation preference.
FAR & Davis-Bacon: what to expect on a federal job
Federal construction contracts above $2,000 trigger the Davis-Bacon Act — you must pay prevailing wages and submit certified payrolls weekly (WH-347). Contracts above $150,000 require performance and payment bonds under the Miller Act. Most construction contracts are awarded under FAR Part 36, which governs sealed bidding, design-build, and SCA/Davis-Bacon coordination.
Plan for ~15% above commercial overhead to cover compliance: certified payroll, EEO reports, subcontracting plan, small-business reporting, and the slower payment cycle (NET 30 in theory, often 45–60 in practice).