What the AMC and AMSC codes on a DLA item actually tell you

Two codes describe how DLA may buy an item: the Acquisition Method Code, a single digit, and the Acquisition Method Suffix Code, a single letter. Together they say whether an item is open to competition, restricted to named sources, or somewhere in between, and if restricted, whether that restriction can be overcome. Both are defined in DFARS PGI 217.7506, the Spare Parts Breakout Program.

This is the reference version: every code, grouped by what it means for your competition rather than by alphabet. For what a posture change does to an incumbent's revenue, see losing DLA revenue to new approved sources.

The Acquisition Method Code: how the item may be bought

AMC	Official meaning
0	Assigned during initial screening. Never used to recode a part already coded 1 through 5
1	Suitable for competitive acquisition for the second or subsequent time
2	Suitable for competitive acquisition for the first time
3	Acquire, for the second or subsequent time, directly from the actual manufacturer
4	Acquire, for the first time, directly from the actual manufacturer
5	Acquire directly from a sole source contractor which is not the actual manufacturer

The first cut: 1 and 2 are the competitive lane, 3 through 5 are the restricted lane, 0 or blank means unscreened.

The pairs matter. AMC 2 and AMC 4 are first-time codes that recode to 1 and 3 after the first acquisition (PGI 2-201.1(e)). So AMC 2 is a narrow window: it marks the one cycle in which an item first opened to competition, then vanishes into the population of AMC 1 items.

The Acquisition Method Suffix Code: why

The letter is the useful half, because it tells you whether a restriction is a gate someone can walk through or a wall nobody can. Unless noted, the pairing rule is the same: one source implies AMC 3, 4, or 5, and two or more implies AMC 1 or 2.

Open

• G: government holds data rights, the package is complete, no technical, tooling, or manufacturing restrictions. The only suffix implying full and open competition. Pairs with AMC 1 or 2 only.
• Z: commercial product, nondevelopmental item, or COTS.

A defined approval path exists

• T: QPL procedures. Competition limited to sources listed on, or qualified for listing on, the QPL at time of award (FAR Part 9, DFARS Part 209). AMC 1 or 2 only.
• B: source control or selected item drawing names the manufacturing source or sources. Data, rights, or manufacturing knowledge are unavailable to permit another source.
• C: engineering source approval required by the design control activity to maintain part quality. Alternate sources qualify under that activity's procedures.
• S: restricted to government approved sources because production involves unclassified but militarily sensitive technology (FAR Subpart 6.3).

A physical condition decides

• K: class 1 castings and similar forgings under MIL-STD-2175. Competitive if the castings can be provided to other sources.
• M: master or coordinated tooling required. Competitive if tooling is available to two or more sources.
• N: special test or inspection facilities needed for ultra-precision quality. Competitive if those can be made available.

Effectively closed

• D: data not physically available, not economically obtainable, and no adequate specification can be drafted. AMC 3, 4, or 5 only.
• P: government holds the data but not the rights, and rights cannot be purchased, developed, or obtained. Reverse engineering uneconomical.
• R: government holds neither data nor rights, and buying either is uneconomical, as is reverse engineering.
• V: high reliability part under a formal reliability program, where failure is unacceptable for personnel or equipment safety and reliability limits cannot be specified.

Provisional, expected to change

• A: the government's right to use data in its possession is questionable. Immediate-buy requirements only while rights are under review.
• H: the government does not physically hold sufficient, accurate, or legible data. Immediate-buy only while the deficiency is under review.
• O: never assigned a suffix on entering inventory, screening never completed. AMC 0 only, and the regulation discourages its use.
• Q: inadequate data or rights, in full screening twelve months or longer, breakout to competition expected. A reverse-engineering candidate subject to mandatory periodic review under PGI 2-203(b).
• Y: design unstable, with major changes contemplated that will obsolete the present configuration. Limited acquisition from the present source pending those changes.

Threshold and economics

• L: annual buy value below the DoD screening threshold. Screened for additional known sources only. Replaces AMSC O below threshold.
• U: breakout cost determined to exceed projected life-span savings.

Not in use

• E, F, J, W: reserved. I and X: not authorized. If one of these appears on a record, treat the record as suspect.

How do I use this without over-reading it?

Three rules keep the codes useful.

Absence is common. An RFQ frequently does not print either code. Where they are missing, posture has to be inferred from the approved CAGE and part list, technical-data availability, and qualification flags on the solicitation.

Blank is not the same as unscreened. In a dataset export, a blank AMC usually means the export carries no code for that record, not that the item was never screened. Treat blank as unknown rather than folding it into a share.

Posture is not a prediction. These codes describe how an item may be acquired. They do not indicate who will win, and no mix of them should be read as a win probability. An open item with two indifferent competitors can be more winnable than a restricted item with three motivated approved sources.

Where DIBBSFlow fits

DIBBSFlow is a capture-intelligence platform built for DLA suppliers. It supports opportunity review and capture workflow. It does not guarantee fit or award, confer approved-source status, or submit bids.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between AMC and AMSC? The AMC is a single digit saying how an item may be acquired, from open competition through sole source. The AMSC is a single letter saying why. The letter is more informative, because it distinguishes a restriction with a published approval path from one that is effectively permanent.

Which AMSC code means full and open competition? G. It is the only suffix that implies it: the government holds the data rights, the technical package is complete, and no tooling or manufacturing restriction applies.

What does AMSC Q mean? Inadequate data or rights, in full screening for twelve months or longer, with breakout to competition expected. These items are reverse-engineering candidates subject to mandatory periodic review.

Why did an item's AMC change from 2 to 1? That is routine. AMC 2 marks the first competitive acquisition of an item and recodes to 1 after that first buy, per PGI 2-201.1(e). AMC 4 recodes to 3 the same way.

Can I find these codes on the solicitation? Sometimes. Many RFQs do not print them. Where they are absent, the approved CAGE and part list, technical-data availability, and qualification flags are the practical substitutes.

Sources

1. DFARS PGI 217.7506, Spare Parts Breakout Program. acquisition.gov/dfarspgi/pgi-217.7506-spare-parts-breakout-program. AMC at PGI 2-201.1, AMSC in the same part. Retrieved 2026-07-28, AMSC set re-verified 2026-08-01.
2. DFARS PGI 2-201.1(e), recoding after first acquisition.
3. DFARS PGI 2-203(b), mandatory periodic review for AMSC Q.
4. FAR Part 9 and DFARS Part 209 (qualification requirements, AMSC T). FAR Subpart 6.3 (AMSC S). MIL-STD-2175 (AMSC K).