How to Register an Entity in SAM.gov for Federal Government Contracts

Who needs to register in SAM.gov?

If your company or organization wants to bid directly on U.S. federal government contracts as a prime contractor, SAM.gov entity registration is a central federal requirement for most procurements.

SAM.gov is the official U.S. government System for Award Management. A full entity registration allows an organization to bid on federal contracts and other procurements and, depending on the registration purpose, apply for federal financial assistance.

The Federal Acquisition Regulation generally requires offerors and quoters to have an active SAM registration when an offer or quotation is submitted and at the time of award, although FAR 4.1102 contains limited exceptions.

Do you need only a Unique Entity ID or a full registration?

These are not the same thing. SAM.gov lets an organization either request a Unique Entity ID only or complete a full entity registration.

If you only request a Unique Entity ID, SAM.gov assigns an identifier to your organization, but you cannot use that UEI-only record to apply directly for federal awards as a prime awardee.

If your goal is federal contracting, select Register Entity and complete the applicable registration. SAM.gov assigns the Unique Entity ID during that process.

The federal government no longer requires a DUNS number for SAM.gov entity identification. The government-issued Unique Entity ID is now the authoritative identifier.

Choose the correct registration purpose

SAM.gov distinguishes between registration for All Awards and registration limited to financial assistance.

An All Awards registration covers federal contracts and other procurements as well as federal financial assistance. The official SAM.gov registration checklist shows that an All Awards registration includes:

• Unique Entity ID and entity validation;
• Core Data;
• Assertions;
• Representations and Certifications;
• Architect-Engineer responses when applicable;
• Defense FAR Supplement questions when applicable;
• Points of Contact; and
• an SBA supplemental section when applicable to a small business.

For an entity whose purpose is to compete for federal government contracts, All Awards is the relevant registration route.

What information should you gather before starting?

SAM.gov's official Entity Registration Checklist is extensive. Preparing your records before starting reduces the chance of validation failures and repeated corrections.

Legal name, address and incorporation information

For a U.S. All Awards registration, prepare:

• the entity's exact legal business name;
• its physical street address;
• date of incorporation;
• state of incorporation; and
• other identifying information requested for the entity type.

A post office box cannot be used as the physical address.

SAM.gov validates the entity name and address before completing the registration. If the system cannot validate the entity, you can open a Federal Service Desk help request from the validation process.

Tax and banking information

U.S. entities should also prepare their:

• Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
• taxpayer name and address;
• authorization for IRS validation;
• bank account type;
• routing number;
• bank account number; and
• remittance address.

This information supports federal validation and, where applicable, electronic payment under a federal award.

NAICS codes and size information

The Assertions section asks the entity to identify the goods and services it provides using NAICS codes. You may also provide Product Service Codes where applicable.

SAM.gov also asks for size metrics, including annual receipts and number of employees. These answers affect the business information associated with the entity and can be relevant to federal small-business classifications.

Step 1: Create your Login.gov and SAM.gov profile

Start by creating or using an individual Login.gov account. SAM.gov sends users to Login.gov for sign-in and then returns them to SAM.gov.

SAM.gov accounts are for individual people, not shared organization accounts. Its terms prohibit sharing sign-in credentials.

If you will administer an entity, your role must comply with SAM.gov's role rules. For a non-federal entity, administrator roles are intended for people directly connected with the entity, such as an officer, board member or employee.

Step 2: Validate your entity and get its Unique Entity ID

After signing in, select Get Started and then Register Entity.

Enter the legal business name and physical address exactly as they exist for your organization, along with the required incorporation information. Entity validation is the first stage of getting a Unique Entity ID or completing registration.

Once the entity is successfully validated, SAM.gov assigns the Unique Entity ID and you can continue the full registration.

If SAM.gov cannot match the entity, the validation process may require documentation or further review through the Federal Service Desk. The review time depends on whether the government can confirm the entity from the documentation originally submitted or needs additional evidence.

Step 3: Complete the Core Data section

Core Data establishes the entity's fundamental federal registration information. Depending on the organization, SAM.gov requests items including:

• organization start date;
• fiscal year-end date;
• physical and mailing addresses;
• TIN and IRS consent information for U.S. entities;
• CAGE information;
• ownership and predecessor information;
• entity structure and profit structure;
• business classifications;
• financial and EFT information;
• remittance address; and
• certain federal reporting and proceedings information when applicable.

Answer according to the entity's actual legal and financial records rather than selecting classifications merely because they appear advantageous for government contracting.

Do you need to obtain a CAGE code separately?

For a U.S.-based entity, the SAM.gov checklist states that if the entity does not already have a Commercial and Government Entity, or CAGE, code, you can answer that you do not have one and a code will be assigned after submission.

This differs from the process for entities outside the United States, which generally must obtain an NCAGE code before beginning their SAM.gov registration. This procedure is focused on U.S. entities.

Step 4: Complete Assertions and choose your NAICS codes

The Assertions section describes what your entity does. SAM.gov asks for one or more NAICS codes, annual receipts and employee counts and may request additional information about goods, services, Electronic Data Interchange or disaster response.

Select NAICS codes that accurately correspond to the products or services your organization actually provides. For businesses competing for federal contracts, these classifications can affect how contracting offices identify vendors and determine applicable small-business size standards.

Step 5: Complete representations and certifications

Federal contractors complete electronic representations and certifications within SAM.gov rather than repeatedly submitting the same core certifications to every contracting office.

The questions vary according to the entity and its registration responses. They can address matters such as business status, ownership, tax matters, prior contracting activity, eligibility, covered telecommunications equipment, places of manufacture and other Federal Acquisition Regulation requirements.

Do not guess. The Federal Acquisition Regulation requires registrants to review and update their representations and certifications when necessary and at least annually so they remain current, accurate and complete.

Step 6: Add the required points of contact

The current All Awards checklist requires identifying information for several mandatory points of contact, including:

• Accounts Receivable POC;
• Electronic Business POC; and
• Government Business POC.

SAM.gov requests the first and last name, email address, phone number and address where applicable. Optional contacts can also be entered for functions such as past performance.

Use monitored business contact information. Important registration and validation notices may be sent to these contacts.

How much does SAM.gov registration cost?

SAM.gov registration is free. The U.S. General Services Administration expressly states that there is no charge to:

• get a Unique Entity ID;
• register your entity; or
• maintain the entity's SAM.gov registration.

Private consultants may separately sell registration assistance, but paying a third party is not a federal SAM.gov registration requirement.

How long does SAM.gov registration take?

Do not wait until the day a federal solicitation closes. The official SAM.gov registration checklist tells applicants to allow at least 10 business days after submission for a registration to become active.

Activation may take longer when the information fails a validation check. SAM.gov specifically identifies entity validation, IRS TIN validation and CAGE validation as stages that can require correction or additional work.

If a validation fails, follow the instructions sent by SAM.gov, correct the underlying information and resubmit where required. Check the Government Business point-of-contact email, including spam or junk folders, while registration is pending.

Your registration must reach Active status

Submitting the form is not the same as becoming registered for federal contracting. FAR 52.204-7 defines a registered offeror as one that has entered the mandatory information, completed the required SAM sections, passed required government validation and has been marked Active.

For most federal solicitations, an offeror must be registered when submitting its offer or quotation and at the time of award, subject to the specific exceptions in the FAR.

For this reason, confirm the entity's status before relying on the registration for a procurement deadline.

How do you check your registration status?

Sign in to SAM.gov and use the Check Registration Status function. The official checklist instructs authorized users to search using the entity's Unique Entity ID or CAGE code.

The registration status then shows whether the record has become active or remains in another stage of processing.

SAM.gov also provides an Entity Workspace where users with the appropriate entity role can manage, update and renew registrations.

Renew the registration every 365 days

An active SAM.gov entity registration does not remain active indefinitely. SAM.gov requires the entity to renew its registration every 365 days.

You can update registration information at any time and can also make updates during renewal. The Unique Entity ID itself does not need annual renewal; the renewal requirement applies to the entity registration.

Begin the renewal before the expiration date so there is enough time for any validation or correction required before the record would otherwise become inactive.

When must federal contractors be active in SAM?

Under the current Federal Acquisition Regulation, offerors and quoters generally must be registered in SAM when submitting an offer or quotation and at the time of award, except for the specific circumstances listed in FAR 4.1102.

FAR 52.204-13 also provides for maintaining the SAM registration during contract performance and through final payment when that clause applies.

Individual solicitations can contain additional instructions, so always read the solicitation rather than assuming that completing SAM.gov registration satisfies every requirement to compete for a particular contract.

Common mistakes that delay or undermine registration

• Requesting only a UEI when you need to bid as a prime contractor: a Unique Entity ID alone is not a full active registration.
• Using a business nickname instead of the legal name: entity information must pass validation.
• Using a P.O. box as the physical address: SAM.gov does not permit this for the physical-address field.
• Entering tax information that does not match IRS records: U.S. registrations undergo TIN validation.
• Waiting until a solicitation deadline: allow at least 10 business days and additional time for validation problems.
• Selecting inaccurate NAICS or business classifications: use information that accurately represents the entity.
• Guessing on federal representations and certifications: these are official certifications and must be accurate.
• Ignoring SAM.gov email: validation failures can require action before the record becomes active.
• Paying someone because you believe registration has a federal fee: SAM.gov registration itself is free.
• Letting the record expire: renew every 365 days to maintain active status.

What happens after SAM.gov marks the registration Active?

Once the entity is Active, its Unique Entity ID and federal registration can be used in applicable federal procurement processes. For solicitations subject to the standard SAM requirement, contracting officers can verify the offeror's registration through SAM.gov.

An active SAM registration does not guarantee a contract and is not a substitute for reviewing a solicitation, meeting its technical and business requirements, submitting an offer correctly or obtaining any separate certification a procurement requires.

Keep the entity's legal, tax, banking, ownership, contact, size and certification information accurate after registration. Update the SAM.gov record when relevant information changes and complete the required renewal before the 365-day registration period expires.