The System for Award Management (SAM) has a relatively new government website that consolidates the government procurement systems listed below and serves as a central registration site for government vendors.
- Central Contractor Registration (CCR)
- Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA)
- Excluded Parties List System (EPLS)
While federal contract opportunities have varying standards and requirements, there is a core set of data that is required. Instead of repeatedly submitting the same company information with each bid, the government created procurement systems for companies to submit this information on SAM.gov.
Do You Need to Register on SAM.gov?
Any company that would like to do business with the federal government or needs to report subcontract information must register in the System for Award Management (SAM Database). SAM.gov registration is also a requirement for companies that want to obtain a GSA Schedule Contract.
SAM Registration Process
There is no fee for you to register on SAM yourself. You can go to https://www.sam.gov, create a user account, and then click “Register/Updated Entity” to begin the registration process. If you have all the information below readily available, you can expect to spend approximately 1-3 hours entering all the required data. Once submitted, a SAM Registration is typically approved or “activated” in 3 weeks or less.
Having the following information will expedite the SAM Registration process.
Dun & Bradstreet DUNS Number: A DUNS Number is a nine-digit identification number for each physical location of your business. As with SAM Registration, obtaining a DUNS Number is free; it is provided by Dun & Bradstreet and can be requested if you visit https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.
Employer Identification Number (EIN): North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code(s). NAICS codes are used to classify products and/or services offered by companies. You can search for the appropriate NAICS code by keyword on the Census website: https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/.
Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code: If you do not already have a CAGE Code one will be assigned to you by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).
The SAM Registration process can be broken down into the four categories listed below.
Core Data: Company Name, DUNS, CAGE code, TIN, General & Financial Information
Assertions: Type of Goods/Services, Company Size
Representations and Certifications (Reps & Certs): Small Business Size Status, Acceptance of Common Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clauses and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) clauses
Points of Contact
GP&M will take on your SAM Registration promptly and professionally; typically within 48 business hours. In addition we update your Capabilities Statement and submit your information to all the appropriate procurement contacts. We will submit your new details to Fedbizopps.gov, FEMA.gov, FBO.gov, as well as Grants.gov if you are a non-profit.
GP&M can also help you with other SBA Certifications.