Author: fcr

If you want a piece of the government contracting pie, completing your registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) is one of your first and most important steps. Before you get started, consider perusing our list of helpful facts about SAM.

1. The Basics About SAM
The System for Award Management (SAM) is a huge database that contains information about all approved government contractors. If you want to bid on government contracting jobs, your business must appear in this database. In the past, there were other databases, but everything now has been consolidated into SAM. Once you register with SAM, you will receive what is known as a CAGE code, which stands for Commercial and Government Entity Code. This code is the identifier that represents your business in the System for Award Management (SAM) database.

2. Three Steps To Take Before Registration
Before you actually begin the System for Award Management & SAM registration process, there are a few tasks you need to complete. First, you will need to attain a DUNS number. DUNS stands for Data Universal Numbering System, and you can receive a DUNS number at no charge by going to the Dun & Bradstreet website at https://www.dnb.com/duns-number/get-a-duns.html.

Unlike most of the tasks associated with SAM registration, acquiring a DUNS number is fairly straightforward and simple. In addition to the DUNS numbers, you will need to know your company’s taxpayer identification number and be able to provide bank account and routing numbers. Third, you will need to obtain an Entity Administrator notarized letter to send in with your SAM registration. This can be very confusing and there is more information about this letter and how to handle this procedure at https://www.fsd.gov/fsd-gov/answer.do?sysparm_number=KB0013183.

3. Understanding The Notarized Letter Debacle
Requiring a notarized letter is a new requirement for those registering for the System for Award Management (SAM). The General Services Administration, or GSA, which is responsible for the SAM database, noticed a small amount of fraudulent activity and came up with a strategy to prevent this problem. Therefore, they now require the letter in order as an extra layer of protection and fraud prevention.

Unfortunately, when this announcement first was made, they required businesses to have this letter on file with the GSA before their System for Award Management (SAM) registration was activated. What ended up happening is that thousands of businesses sent in their letter, but the GSA did not have the resources to process and file these letters, so SAM registrations and renewals were not being processed as the letters had not been filed.

This was particularly troublesome for those with SAM renewals as their SAM registration would expire even though they had attempted to renew in a timely fashion. This left some companies in very dire straits, as they might have been in the middle of a government contracting job and suddenly, they no longer had valid SAM registration and therefore, could not be paid. The good news is that the process has changed slightly, and while the letter is still required, it doesn’t have to be processed prior to registration or renewal. So, you can send in the letter and complete your SAM registration without worrying whether or not this letter’s status will affect your registration.

4. International Companies May Apply For SAM
While the requirements are slightly different, international companies also are welcome to complete System for Award Management (SAM) registration and bid on government contracts. Foreign entities that apply for SAM must have an NCAGE code, which stands for NATO Commercial Entity Code. Additionally, the notarized letter template for foreign companies differs from the letter for domestic companies.

5. Take Advantage Of The SBA
If your business qualifies as a small business, there are many programs and incentives to help you attain government contracts. The Small Business Administration can be a helpful resource, so be sure to check out their website at https://www.sba.gov/. The government is supposed to set aside a specific portion of government contracting just for small businesses, so if you qualify (and qualifications vary widely depending on your industry), there are job opportunities aplenty for your consideration.

6. Hiring A Third-Party Registration Service
If you browse the GSA website searching for information about System for Award Management (SAM), you will see that this website states emphatically that SAM registration is free, and you can do it yourself. This is absolutely true. SAM registration is free, and you can do it yourself. So why hire a third-party registration service?

Spend a few minutes reading about the notarized letter issue on the website listed above. If that seems even the slightest bit confusing, then you will have a taste of just how complex and confusing SAM registration can be. While there are tips and tutorials available, it’s still not easy or quick. In fact, it can take more than 15 hours to complete the registration process. It’s frustrating, it’s confusing and it takes up a ton of time that you could instead spend running your business. If you hire someone to do your taxes, why not hire an expert to handle your SAM registration? We’ve completed hundreds of SAM registrations and renewals each year and understand all of the intricacies of the process. Rather than deal with this frustration, simply click on the New Registration tab on our homepage, fill out our quick form and a representative will contact you as soon as possible.

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Before you start bidding on government contracts, you must complete System for Award Management registration, better known as SAM registration. While you can complete SAM registration on your own, it can be wise to use a third party, such as Federal Contractor Registry and here’s why.

1. SAM Registration Isn’t Easy
If you head to the government website for SAM registration, they state again and again that SAM registration is free and there is plenty of help available for those having trouble with the process. The government truly does need government contractors, and while it’s fantastic that the government wants to encourage private businesses to contract with the government, the process of SAM registration is anything but easy. There are written and video tutorials available, of course, but they can be confusing and full of government-speak that’s difficult to understand. Rather than wading through all of these tutorials, simply hiring a third party can relieve the headache of trying to figure out each section of the SAM registration process.

2. SAM Registration Takes Time
Completing your SAM Registration can take 15 hours or more, and that’s a conservative estimate. This means it can take as long as two working days (or more) to complete this process. Hire us instead, and you can spend these days running your business and completing important tasks rather than dealing with the hassle of SAM registration. A huge portion of our clients are people who started SAM registration on their own, only to become frustrated and give up. Don’t give up, just give us a call and let us handle it. We’ve been completing SAM registration for our clients for years, and understand all of the complexities, codes and government-speak. So, while the government doesn’t charge you for SAM registration, you can save your valuable time by hiring a third-party registration service, such as Federal Contractor Registry.

3. SAM Registration Mistakes Are Costly
If you make a mistake during the SAM registration process, you typically won’t find out about until after the government rejects your application. So, that means you’ve spent roughly two days filling out an application, waited two weeks for the application to be approved and now you literally have to start over from scratch. Sound frustrating? It happens all of the time and it’s one of the best reasons to hire us and let us complete your SAM registration. We’ve being doing this for a long time, and we don’t make mistakes. We will, however, have your SAM registration completed as quickly as possible, so that you can start bidding on government contracts.

4. We Handle SAM Registrations & SAM Renewals
Every year, you must renew your SAM registration, and this can take time, which is why we offer renewal services, as well as first-time registrations. We highly recommend completing SAM renewals many months in advance of your expiration dates. Often, if a government agency sees that your SAM registration will expire in just two or three months, they will opt for another contractor. Early renewal is essential, so contact us about four months before your SAM registration expires and we can complete the renewal process for you.

Hiring a third-party to complete your SAM registration is a bit like hiring an accountant to complete your income taxes. Of course, you could fill out your tax forms by yourself and for free, but the income tax system is complex and difficult to understand, and handing over those tax forms to a professional accountant can make your life a lot easier. It’s the same with SAM registration. Sure, it’s free and you can do it yourself, but it’s extremely complex and time-consuming, so why not hire a professional to do it for you?

Ready to get started? Give us a call today or simply click on the green New Registration tab on our homepage. We’ve handled SAM registration for a wide range of clients, from small businesses with just a few employees to large Fortune 500 companies and we look forward to helping you take the first step into the world of government contracting.

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Did you know that your SAM registration must be renewed each year? In fact, you need to handle any SAM.gov renewal steps well before your registration expires. Before you begin the renewal process, take a look at our helpful tips.

1. Don’t Wait, Renew Now
If you still have several months until you need to deal with your SAM.gov renewal steps, you might think you can simply put it off until a couple of weeks prior to the expiration date. However, it is highly recommended that you begin the renewal process several months before the expiration date.

Not only does the renewal process take quite a bit of time to complete, it takes time for the GSA to process the renewal and if your registration is about to expire, you are far less likely to attract government agencies for contracting jobs. After all, if they select you and then you neglect to renew your SAM registration, they will be left high and dry without an authorized contractor and all work will cease until your registration is renewed (or until they hire a different contractor). Therefore, government representatives are very hesitant to contact businesses nearing their renewal date.

2. A Notarized Letter Now Is Required
The General Services Administration, the government entity responsible for maintaining the System for Award Management (SAM) database, currently is investigating fraudulent activity in SAM. While the investigation so far seems to show that very few entities (businesses, organizations and individuals) registered with SAM were affected, they have added a new level of security for all new registrations as well as for renewals.

You now must submit a notarized letter as one of your Sam.gov renewal steps. This letter must indicate the authorized Entity Administrator for the entity that is associated with your DUNS number. The entity is simply the business or organization name associated with your DUNS number and the administrator typically is the contact person listed in your SAM registration. You can find out more about the possible fraudulent activity as well as further instructions regarding the letter at GSA.gov. There also are links to this information at SAM.gov.

3. Updates Also Might Be Necessary
While completing SAM.gov renewal steps will be required every year, you may need to make updates to your entry if your information changes. This is particularly important if the primary contact changes or your address changes. This information also needs to be updated at Dun & Bradstreet. You should complete these updates any time they occur, don’t wait for renewal to make any crucial changes.

4. We Can Help
While you can complete SAM.gov renewal steps on your home at no charge, this can be a time-consuming and complicated process. As a third-party SAM registration and renewal service, we help hundreds of clients each year with their initial registration as well as renewal services. We can save you many frustrating hours dealing the intricacies of SAM renewal, so if you need to renew, don’t wait another day. The team at Federal Contractor Registry can help you get fast renewal and avoid the hassle of dealing with SAM.gov.

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Bidding on government contracts can be lucrative, but before you can get started working for any government entity; you must complete your System for Award Management registration. Better known as SAM registration, you can complete this process either by using our service or heading to SAM.gov. Here are a few facts about the website and the registration process.

1. SAM Has Replaced ORCA & CCR
We still sometimes have people inquire about ORCA or CRR registration. ORCA stood the Online Representations and Certifications, while CCR stood for Central Contractor Registration. Several years ago, in order to streamline the entire process of government contracting, CCR and ORCA were enveloped by the System for Award Management (SAM) database. Now all contractors are located on SAM.gov, making it essentially a one-stop shop for government entities that need contractors or for contractors searching for sub-contractors. So while you might still hear about ORCA and CCR, these are obsolete and SAM is all you need to worry about, registration-wise.

2. SAM.gov Is Part Of The GSA
Once you register with SAM.gov, you quickly will learn that the government is a sea of acronyms, from FEMA to SAM to DUNS and on and on. SAM.gov is a website that is maintained by the General Services Administration, or GSA, which is an independent agency of the U.S. Government. It was founded in 1949, and while headquartered in Washington, D.C., there are 10 additional offices around the country serving various GSA regions.

In addition to handling SAM.gov, the GSA has many other responsibilities. For instance, the GSA procures low-cost vehicles for most federal agencies. The GSA also maintains the Historic Preservation Program, which seeks to preserve federally-owned sites, structures and objects with significant historical value. This includes hundreds of works of art that are displayed in federal buildings across the United States as well as pieces on loan to museums.

3. Both U.S.-Based & International Registrants Are Accepted
The GSA allows companies abroad as well as in the United States to register as U.S. Government contractors. For U.S. Registrants, you will need a DUNS number, as well as your Taxpayer Identification Number, your bank routing number and bank account number. International Registrants also need a DUNS number, and also must register for a NATO Commercial and Government Entity Code.

As of April 26, 2018, you also must submit an original, signed and notarized letter that identifies the authorized Entity Administrator for the entity associated with your DUNS number. An entity is a company, organization or businesses seeking to become a government contractor via SAM.gov. The Entity Administrator is whoever has been chosen to represent that entity; it might be a business owner, an assistant or another person who will be handling the details regarding SAM registration. The GSA provides additional information about this letter on its website. The letter is a new requirement that came about after the GSA discovered possible fraudulent activity in SAM, both those new to SAM and those renewing their SAM registration will need to provide this letter.

4. SAM.gov Provides Plenty Of “Help”
If you spend just a few minutes on the SAM.gov website, you will notice a handy Help tab. Click on that and you will see FAQs and user guides, as well as videos and other information designed to help you with SAM registration. While this all seems well and good, this fount of information can be more overwhelming than helpful. In fact, the Non-Federal User Guide is 201 pages in length and few of us have the time to peruse a document of that size in addition to our daily work schedule and any other time commitments. The complexity of SAM registration turns away many people, and that’s a shame, because there are thousands of government contracts available each year and they can be very lucrative.

5. You Don’t Have To Use SAM.gov To Register For SAM
While it is free to register as a government contractor, completing the SAM registration process is anything but simple. It can take more than 15 hours to complete the registration process if you do it yourself via SAM.gov. If you wish to avoid the hassle of SAM registration, you can hire a third-party registration service, such as Federal Contractor Registry. We complete hundreds of SAM registrations each year, and understand all of the complexities of SAM registration. While we do charge for our services, this cost can alleviate the many headaches associated with SAM registration, not to mention the many hours of time it takes to register. If you wish to bid on government contracts, contact us today and we will get started on your SAM registration.

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At Federal Contractor Registry, our job is to help businesses of all sizes complete their System for Award Management (SAM) registration and attain their SAM number. Some of our clients are simply renewing their SAM registration, but many are new to the world of government contracting and have many important questions. Here are a few facts that everyone should know if they wish to become a government contractor.

1. Your SAM Number & CAGE Code
As you delve into the world of government contracting, you soon will notice that everything is an acronym and this alphabet soup can become quite confusing. For instance, you might hear someone say that you need a SAM number or a CAGE code. When you complete SAM registration, you will be assigned two codes, one of which is the CAGE code (Commercial and Government Entity). This code is five characters and unique to your business. It’s basically your ID code, and government agencies will identify your business using this code. It’s a bit like a social security number for your business.

2. You May Need Multiple CAGE Codes
If your business includes more than one facility, then you will need multiple CAGE codes. Each location must have its own unique code, and each location must be registered separately with SAM. The CAGE code not only identifies a business, but also its location, so if you have one office in Baltimore and another in Annapolis, both of these businesses will have unique CAGE codes.

3. Your SAM Number & MPIN
While people may talk about their SAM number, there truly isn’t an identifier known as a SAM number. Upon completion of your SAM registration, you will receive your CAGE code as well as what is known as a Marketing Partner ID Number (MPIN). This will be nine characters and this is basically your password to access a variety of government applications and websites, such as FedBizOpps.gov. This website is an excellent resource for companies searching for federal contacting opportunities.

4. Gather Up Some Crucial Information
Before you can attain that SAM number, or rather your CAGE code and MPIN, you need to gather up some information. First, you need to jot down your tax ID number, which will be on any of your business tax forms and will be on record with your bank. You also need to head to the Dun & Bradstreet website and procure a DUNS number, which is yet another number that identifies your business. Registration with Dun & Bradstreet is free and can be completed fairly quickly. You also with need Electronic Funds Transfer information, which includes your bank’s ABA routing number and your account number. Be sure to jot down the phone or fax number of the bank, as well, as you will need to provide that as well.

5. Make Changes When Needed
If your business address changes or your phone number or email address, you need to update this information immediately with SAM as well as updating this contact information with Dun & Bradstreet. If the name of the contact person has changed, be sure to update this information as well. If your contact information is incorrect, you can miss out on many opportunities.

6. Renew Your SAM Registration Early
Every year, you have to complete SAM renewal, and many people wait until the last minute to complete this registration, but this can be a huge mistake. When government agencies or other contractors see that your SAM registration is about to expire, they may skip over your businesses. If your SAM registration expires, you no longer will be able to bid on contracts or work with the government or as a subcontractor. We recommend that you renew several months in advance so that your SAM registration stays current at all times.

7. We Can Make SAM Registration Easy
While the government does not charge companies a fee for attaining their “SAM number” or for SAM registration, they also don’t make it particularly easy to complete this registration process. In fact, it can take more than 15 hours to complete the entire application, and it’s quite complicated. That’s where we come in. At Federal Contractor Registry, we will complete the SAM registration process for you, freeing you from the frustration and the many hours it takes to complete this process. The government offers hundreds of contracting opportunities every year, and once you’ve completed SAM registration, you will be ready to bid as a contractor or subcontractor. Don’t wait another day, call us now and let’s get you started on the road to government contracting.

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At Federal Contractor Registry, we serve a myriad of clients, from large Fortune 500 clients to small businesses with just a few employees. If you are a small business, we can help simplify the federal contractor registration process, and we also wanted to share some information about the Small Business Administration, a government entity designed specifically to help small businesses succeed.

The Small Business Administration, or SBA, was created by President Eisenhower in the early 1950s, and during the Clinton Administration, the person who heads the SBA was elevated to the rank of a cabinet position. The goals or mission of the SBA is, according to its website, “to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.”

The SBA website if filled with helpful information for small businesses at any stage, from long-established firms to those just forming their businesses. For those that have completed their federal contractor registration, the SBA has an entire section of its website dedicated to government contracting for small businesses.

In past articles, we’ve outlined that in order to become eligible for government contracting; you must attain a DUNS number and complete your federal contractor registration, or SAM registration. There are many government contracts that are designated or reserved specifically for small businesses, but you have to fit the qualifications of a small business as defined by the SBA. In general, a manufacturing firm with fewer than 500 employees or a non-manufacturing business with average annual receipts of less than $7.5 million will qualify, although there are some exceptions to these rules and some businesses will qualify with more than 500 employees or a higher level of revenue.

For instance, if you qualify as an Electronic Computer Manufacturing firm, your company can employ as many as 1,250 persons and still qualify as a small business while a business identified as a Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesaler qualifies only if the firm employs 100 or fewer persons. To find out if your business qualifies as a small business, you can go to SBA.gov and click on the Federal Contracting section of the website. This provides you with access to the Contracting Guide, which includes all of the basic requirements for government contracting as well as many links to other helpful websites.

The government’s goal is to award at least 23% of all contracting dollars to small businesses. While there are government contracts available for all types of small businesses, you may also qualify for one of SBA’s special designations. For instance, if you qualify as a disadvantaged business, it can be easier to earn a government contract, as the government makes it a point to award a portion of its annual contracting dollars specifically to small disadvantaged businesses.

There also is contracting money set aside specifically for those who qualify as a women-owned small business as well as service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses .The government also sets aside contracting money specifically for small businesses that qualify for the HUBZone program. This program is meant for businesses operating in what are known as Historically Underutilized Business Zones. For instance, if your business is located on an Indian reservation or perhaps in a rural area, it may qualify, but there are plenty of locations in suburban and urban areas that qualify. The SBA website has a link to a map where you can simply enter your business address to see if your area qualifies as a HUBZone.

Once you’ve completed your federal contractor registration, we strongly suggest that you take a look at the SBA’s website. You can find information about whether or not you qualify for special programs, helpful tips regarding how to find and also acquire federal contracts and much more.

If you aren’t quite sure how to complete your federal contractor registration, we can help. We are a third-party registration process and we have completed SAM registration for thousands of satisfied clients. Completing the application process can take 15 or more hours, as it is quite lengthy and complicated. Many people become frustrated with the process and end up missing out on lucrative government contracts. Rather than deal with hassle of federal contractor registration yourself, give us a call today and we will get started on the process for you.

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