How To Register In SAM.gov

Why You Need It

• "An Offeror is required to be registered in SAM when submitting an offer or quotation and at time of award" (FAR 52.204-7(b)(1)). FAR 4.1102 lists a few exceptions, such as some small purchase card buys.
• Registering gives you a Unique Entity ID (UEI), a 12-character letter and number ID (SBA).
• It is free. "SAM.gov is FREE to use. There is no charge to get a Unique Entity ID, register your entity, and maintain your entity registration at SAM.gov" (SAM.gov Entity Registration Checklist). If someone asks you to pay to register, you do not have to.

Full Registration Or Just A UEI?

• A full registration lets you bid on government contracts and apply for federal assistance (SAM.gov).
• A UEI alone is for things like reporting as a subawardee. With only a UEI, "you cannot apply directly for federal awards" (SAM.gov).

Gather This First

From SAM.gov's Entity Registration Checklist:

• Your legal business name and physical address (a post office box cannot be your physical address), and your date and state of incorporation
• Your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and your consent for the IRS to check it
• Your bank details for electronic funds transfer: account type, routing number, and account number
• Your business start date and the date your fiscal year ends
• Your NAICS codes (look them up at census.gov/naics), and product service codes if you want them
• Your size: annual receipts and number of employees
• Your points of contact
• Your answers to the representations and certifications questions

The Steps

1. Make a Login.gov account and sign in to SAM.gov. SAM.gov says your "username and password are managed by Login.gov."
2. Choose Get Started, then Register Entity.
3. Enter your legal business name and physical address. SAM.gov checks them and gives you your UEI. If it cannot check them, you can open a help ticket with the Federal Service Desk from that page.
4. Fill in Core Data, Assertions, Representations and Certifications, and Points of Contact. A small business also fills in the SBA supplemental page.
5. No CAGE code yet? Answer No, and one is assigned after you submit.
6. Submit. You count as registered only after the government checks your data, including your TIN with the IRS, and marks your record "Active" (FAR 52.204-7(a)).

This takes time, so start early. FAR 52.204-7(d) tells offerors who are not registered to "consider applying for registration immediately upon receipt of this solicitation."

Keep It Active

• "You must renew your registration every 365 days to keep it active" (SAM.gov).
• You must keep it up during the contract and through final payment (FAR 52.204-13, as FAR 52.204-7(b)(1) points out).

Make Your Profile Easy To Find

What you put in SAM.gov fills in SBA's Small Business Search, which agencies use to find small businesses. SBA says to "create a comprehensive business profile," so describe what you do in clear, plain words.

How GradeTheBid Helps

Put your UEI and CAGE code in your Company Profile once. GradeTheBid uses them in every draft and in your capability statement.