Frequently Asked Questions

• SAM.gov Registration

  System for Award Management (SAM)

  General

  Sam.gov is an official website for U.S government.  All entities must register with SAM in order to conduct business with the federal government. On April 4, 2022, the unique entity identifier used across the federal government changed from the DUNS Number to the Unique Entity ID (UEI). Once you go to this website for the first time, you will see a window pops up below:

  

   

  Additionally, you will see all announcements and alerts posted on its homepage.  It is important to review them. For example, the latest alert below addresses the delay of validation applicants’ information. Therefore, it is recommended that you register very early on to avoid delays. This link provides FAQ to validating your entity.

  

   

  Registration and Validation

  • Register/Renew your registration early. You will need to register SAM to do business with the U.S federal government. Every year you will need to update and renew your registration. If your SAM registration expires, there will be a delay in receiving funding or adding new funding through a modification.

   

  • Gather Up Your Basic Information. Before you get started with SAM registration, you will need to know some important information. For instance, you will need your company tax ID number, which should be listed on tax forms. You also will need the routing number and account number for your business bank account, as payments to you will be made through SAM so this info is stored in your SAM account. You also might need to know your North American Industry Classification System Codes if you will be applying for Contracting. These codes identify the specific goods or services (or both) that your company provides.

   

  • Tax ID and Physical Address. Make sure to use the Tax ID number that you have with the federal government.  Use the same name as you register with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  Once you registered, you can add another name as “doing business as” inside of SAM.  Use the physical addresses to register for your UEI and have address proof ready to show (i.e., lease) if being requested by SAM.gov for validation.

   

  • Entity Registration Checklist: See checklist link to help you prepare your registration. If you are applying for Financial Assistance award only, click on the 2^nd link which will get you straight to the checklist.

   

  

   

  • Socio-Economic Entity: Under General information, make sure that you click all that applies to your organization, especially if you qualify under socio-economic categories, Native-American entity, or Disadvantaged business category. This is important as some grants have set asides if you qualify under this category. Visit https://www.sba.gov/ to learn more about these programs.

   

  

   

  • Two or more administrators for your organization. It is recommended to have multiple people who can renew and update your SAM registration. If you lose access to the email that has the access to SAM, you will have to create a new account and submit a notarized letter to SAM granting you access again. If you leave the organization, the new person will have to go through the same process of submitting a notarized letter and gaining access to the organization’s SAM. This can lead to delays in receiving your funding related to a grant or agreement. A backup person from your organization can go into SAM and give that access immediately removing the delay.

   

  • Review twice!  Double check everything and make sure it matches your documentation exactly when setting your SAM account up for the first time or for SAM recertification process. Any information entered incorrectly will create a delay in the process. During times of high volume, it may add several weeks to the time it takes to register your entity.