Getting a UEI and registering in SAM.gov

Before a federal agency can award you a prime contract, your business has to exist in the System for Award Management, SAM.gov. SAM.gov is the government's official, free system for registering entities that want to do business with the federal government. It is also where your business receives its Unique Entity ID. This guide walks through what those things are, what to prepare, and the mistakes that most often slow a registration down.

The Unique Entity ID

The Unique Entity ID (UEI) is a 12-character alphanumeric identifier that SAM.gov assigns to your business. Since April 2022 it has replaced the DUNS number as the government's primary identifier for entities. You do not buy a UEI and you do not get it from a third party: SAM.gov issues it at no cost when you request one.

There are two ways to get a UEI:

• UEI only. You request an identifier without completing a full registration. This suits organizations that need to be identifiable, for example to report as a subrecipient or subcontractor, but do not intend to receive prime awards directly.
• Full registration. You complete the entire entity registration, including financial information, points of contact and representations and certifications. This is what you need to bid on and receive federal prime contracts, and it is the path most readers of this guide will take.

You can start with a UEI and complete a full registration later. Both happen in the same place.

Before you open SAM.gov

Most registration delays come from information that does not match other government records. Gather the following first and check that each item matches the source it will be validated against.

A Login.gov account. SAM.gov uses Login.gov for sign-in. Create the account with an email address your business will keep, not a personal address that might leave with an employee.

Your legal business name and physical address. These must match exactly what your state and the IRS hold. SAM.gov validates your entity's name and address, and a registered name of "Rivera Fabrication LLC" will not match an entry of "Rivera Fabrication". If your records disagree, fix the source record first.

Your Taxpayer Identification Number. This is usually your Employer Identification Number (EIN). The name you enter must match the name the IRS associates with that number. SAM.gov checks this with the IRS, and a mismatch stops the registration until it is corrected. If you recently obtained or changed your EIN, allow time for IRS records to update before you submit.

Banking information for electronic funds transfer. Federal payments are made electronically, so you will provide a routing number and account number for the account that should receive payment.

Your NAICS codes. Identify the North American Industry Classification System codes that describe what you do, and choose a primary one. Our guide to NAICS and PSC codes explains how to pick them. You can add more codes later.

Points of contact. You will name people for roles such as the electronic business point of contact and the government business point of contact. Use people who will actually answer, and keep the list current.

Size information. You will report figures such as annual receipts and number of employees. SAM.gov uses these, together with your NAICS codes, to indicate whether you are small under the SBA size standard for each code.

Walking through the registration

The registration is a long form, and SAM.gov saves your progress. The main parts are:

1. Core data. Business information, entity validation, financial information and your taxpayer details.
2. Assertions. Your goods and services (NAICS and optionally PSC codes), size metrics and other characteristics.
3. Representations and certifications. Your answers to the standard Federal Acquisition Regulation provisions. Contracting officers rely on these instead of asking you to re-certify for every offer, so read them carefully rather than clicking through. Answer only what is true of your business today.
4. Points of contact. The people the government will contact about your registration and awards.

Once you submit, SAM.gov performs its checks, including validation with the IRS. For U.S. entities, the Defense Logistics Agency's CAGE program assigns a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code as part of the process. SAM.gov's status page shows where your registration is and whether anything is waiting on you. Registration time varies, especially if entity validation needs supporting documents, so do not leave it until the week a response is due.

Registration is free

SAM.gov does not charge for registration or renewal. Some companies send official-looking messages offering to register or renew your entity for a fee. You may choose to pay someone for help, but you never have to, and free help is available: APEX Accelerators, funded through the Department of Defense, provide no-cost counseling on registration and government contracting across the country. The Federal Service Desk (FSD.gov) is the official help desk for SAM.gov technical issues.

Keep it active

A SAM.gov registration must be renewed at least every 365 days. If it lapses, you cannot receive new awards until it is active again, and an expired registration can also affect payment on existing work. Set a reminder well before the expiration date that SAM.gov shows for your entity, and review the whole record when you renew, not only the date.

Update your registration whenever something material changes: your address, bank account, points of contact, ownership or size. Your representations and certifications should always describe your business as it is now.

Common mistakes

• Name or address mismatch. The single most common cause of delay. Match your state and IRS records exactly, including punctuation and suffixes like LLC or Inc.
• Using a personal email for Login.gov. When that person leaves, the business can lose access. Use a role address the business controls.
• Too many NAICS codes. Listing codes for work you cannot perform does not create opportunities; it creates noise. Choose codes you can support with capability and evidence.
• Clicking through representations and certifications. These are statements to the government. Read each one.
• Letting the registration expire. Put the renewal date on the calendar the day you are activated.

What to keep as evidence

Keep a record of the work so you can prove it later and so the next renewal is quicker:

• Your UEI, CAGE code and registration expiration date.
• A copy or screenshot of your active registration status.
• Your IRS EIN confirmation letter and state formation documents.
• The list of NAICS codes you registered and why you chose each one.

In ONE VIEW Launchpad these live in your company profile and document vault, and the registration items in your roadmap point to each official page. Your readiness score shows these items as complete only when the information or evidence is actually recorded. That score describes your readiness; it is not an official government qualification.

Official sources

• SAM.gov (opens in a new tab): register, renew and check your entity status.
• Login.gov (opens in a new tab): the sign-in service SAM.gov uses.
• Federal Service Desk (opens in a new tab): official help for SAM.gov.
• IRS: Employer ID Numbers (opens in a new tab): how to get or confirm an EIN.
• DLA CAGE program (opens in a new tab): search and understand CAGE codes.
• APEX Accelerators (opens in a new tab): free, local help with registration and government contracting.