SAM Registration

We’ve been helping businesses get started with government contracting for years, and not only can we help you with your System for Award Management (SAM) registrations and renewals, we also wanted to share a few tips that might make government contracting a bit easier.

1. Study Government Agencies
There are so many government agencies out there, and all of them will need contractors at some time or other. It is wise to research different agencies and take a look at the types of contracting jobs they typically seem to need. You might find one or two agencies that seem like a solid match for your services. Spend some time learning all you can about these agencies as this will help write better bid proposals.

2. Be Selective With NAICS Codes
NAICS, which stands for North American Industry Classification System, organizes businesses by multiple categories and each code identifies a specific type of business or a type of service. For instance, 23611 is the code for Residential Building Construction while 236210 is the code for Industrial Building Construction. Your business might provide both of the services and many others. When you advertise your business, there is no limit to the number of NAICS codes you can use, but usually it’s best to stick with a few codes that really highlight your main area of expertise.

As a side note, when completing System for Award Management registration, your entry will list NAICS codes that relate to your business. When you are bidding on contracts, you can use the codes listed in your SAM registration, but you also are free to use additional codes if you want. So if your business offerings expand a bit and you now offer additional services, you don’t have to worry about only using the codes listed in SAM.

3. Learn How To Write Successful Bids
You can take a look at previously awarded bids at FBO.gov, which can give you some idea of how to help you craft bid proposals, and it’s also smart to learn everything you can about writing successful bids before you take the plunge into government contracting. Don’t feel like you must start writing bids the minute your System for Award Management registration has been approved.

If your business qualifies as a small business, your first step probably should be to head to the Small Business Administration website at SBA.gov. This site contains tons of helpful guides for new government contractors, including an online course called Government Contracting 101. To see if your business qualifies as a small business, you can use SBA’s Size Standards Tool. If it does qualify, this website is filled with resources to help just about every aspect of managing a small business, including government contracting and subcontracting.

Subcontracting can be an excellent option for anyone new to government contracting, whether their business is small or large. If you are a small business owner and want to search for subcontracting jobs, SBA.gov has a subcontracting network on its website where you can find potential jobs. For businesses small or large, FBO.gov can be a good resource. Not only are you able to search for contracting jobs, this website also provides some information to help get you started with government contracting.

4. Keep System for Award Management Info Up-To-Date
If any of your businesses crucial information changes, it is essential to make sure these changes are made in the System for Award Management database. This includes name changes, address changes, phone number changes and email changes. You always want your contact information to be up-to-date. After all, not only do you want to submit bids to various agencies, representatives of these agencies also search for potential contractors on SAM, so it’s important that your contact information is correct.

5. Finish System for Award Management Renewals Early
Every year, you will need to renew your System for Award Management registration. It is crucial that you don’t wait until the last minute to do so. You will need to start the renewal process at least three months before your expiration date. Otherwise, government agencies will see that your expiration date is fast approaching and will be far less likely to choose your company for jobs.

At Federal Contractor Registry, we can help you with System for Award Management registrations and renewals. The registration process is highly complicated and can take up to 20 hours to complete, so it just makes sense to hire a third-party to handle the process. We’ve handled SAM registrations for small businesses as well as large Fortune 500 companies, and we can help you get started in the world of government contracting.

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For those hoping to become FEMA contractors, the good news is that there are plenty of jobs available. The bad news is that it can be very confusing getting started with government contractor, but we can help. Here is a list of tips that will make it easier to start bidding on government contracts.

1. Get Your DUNS
If you’ve never dealt with government entities before, new FEMA contractors should prepare themselves for the onslaught of acronyms heading your way, the first of which is DUNS. This stands for Data Universal Numbering System. This 9-digit number is a unique identifier for your business and you will need a separate number for each physical location of your business.

Fortunately, you can get your DUNS for free on the Dun & Bradstreet website and it takes just a few minutes to fill out the online forms. You will need to provide the legal name of your businesses, the headquarters name and address, any DBAs, the physical address, mailing address (if different, such as a PO Box), your telephone number, the main contact name and title, the number of employees at that specific business site and tell whether or not you are a home-based business. Once you’ve finished the process, it can up to 30 days to receive your number, although this can be expedited so that you receive it in 5 business days and perhaps sooner.

2. Get Your Notarized Letter
After you’ve secured your DUNS, the next step for FEMA contractors is to head to the Federal Service Desk website (FSD.gov) and search for instructions for the notarized letter that is now required in order to become a government contractor. This requirement is fairly new, and the government will provide you with a letter template and basically this identifies the Entity Administrator for your business. This is the person authorized to make changes to your System for Award Management account. Once this letter is filled out and notarized, send it to the address listed in the instructions.

3. Complete Your System For Award Management Registration
Now it’s time to sign up with the System for Award Management. For many potential FEMA contractors, this is one of the most difficult parts of the process. You can sign up for free at SAM.gov, but keep in mind that this is a very complicated process that can take as many as 15 to 20 hours to complete. At Federal Contractor Registry, we can take care of SAM registration for you. Over the years, we handled hundreds of SAM registrations for everything from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Using our service is a bit like using an accountant to handle your taxes, but rather than handling IRS-related tasks, we spare you the hassle of dealing with the complexities of the SAM system.

4. Learn How To Bid On Contracts
Learning how to write a bid is an essential skills for would-be FEMA contractors. The U.S. Small Business Administration has some helpful guides on their website, and there are many other resources available online whether you have a small business or not. You also can head to FBO.gov, to find government contracting opportunities and you can even get a look at contracting bids that were successful and see what successful contractors are doing when they send out contracting proposals.

Also, don’t forget to consider the world of subcontracting. Rather than taking on a large contracting job, you also can subcontract and help out another government contractor. This can be a great way for FEMA contactors to get started, and the main contractor will, no doubt, be a helpful source of general contracting advice.

5. Rejected? Ask For A Follow Up
If you bid on a job, but are rejected by a government agency, it can be helpful to understand why. Sometimes, it’s a matter of cost or perhaps you don’t quite possess the needed skills, but sometimes your bid might not be quite up to par. Asking questions and learning what kept you from getting a job can be helpful information allowing you to improve your bidding process and, ultimately, enjoy some government contracting success.

6. Renew & Renew Early
Whether or not you actually bid and receive any government contracts during your first year after SAM registration, FEMA contractors do need to renew their registration every year. It is absolutely essential that you begin the renewal process several months before your registration expires.

For one thing, it takes time to complete the renewal process and time to get approved. And, if a government entity notices that you are close to the expiration date, they often will skip over your company because they will be worried that your SAM registration may expire in the middle of a contracting job, which means they are left high and dry without a contractor. We recommend renewing about three months early (or earlier) and we can help you with the renewal process as well as your initial registration.

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In the last few months, the System for Award Management registration process has changed somewhat, and, naturally, it’s all become a bit more complicated. You might have heard a bit about the role of a SAM administrator and the new notarized letter requirement for SAM registration. It’s all a bit confusing, but we’ll break it down for you.

What Is A SAM Administrator?
Technically, a SAM administrator is actually known as an Entity Administrator. This individual is the person who initially registers a non-federal government entity (i.e. a business) in the SAM database.

This SAM administrator is an individual that is allowed to perform a number of actions in the SAM database. For instance, the SAM administrator or entity administrator is allowed to view all areas of your SAM registration, including areas that others might not be able to view.

A SAM administrator is the person who is allowed to update and renew registration as well as any entities in the organization’s hierarchy. This person also can update Service Contract Reports and BioPreferred Reports, as well as being able to manage and assign which users have roles with an entity.

Adding SAM Administrators
Often, an entity will want to have more than one SAM administrator. After all, it might not be convenient for one single person to handle all of the tasks relating to your SAM registration. The original Entity Administrator can invite others to become an additional administrator or others can request to take on this role. Instructions for this process can be found at SAM.gov, and it’s one of the less difficult processes you’ll deal with at SAM.gov.

The Notarized Letter Debacle
Yes, we are calling a debacle. That may seem harsh, but it’s definitely become a huge headache for many business owners. Here’s a recap of the situation: About a year ago, the Federal Service Desk (FSD) noticed some weird and possibly fraudulent activity in the SAM database. To combat this, the powers at FSD decided that in order to register or renew with SAM, the entity administrator would be required to submit a notarized letter declaring that they were, in fact, the entity administrator.

Adding an extra step to the SAM registration process, particularly one that requires the use of a notary was in and of itself a hassle. The real problem is that the FSD stated that no SAM registrations would be approved until the notarized letter was approved. The FSD didn’t take into account the sheer volume of letters they would receive versus their manpower. So many people were going through the registration process and then being denied registration because their letters had not been approved.

This sounds horrible, but there is good news. The FSD decided a few months ago that SAM registration could be approved before the notarized letter was processed. While you do still need to complete the letter, it won’t affect the status of your SAM registration, and that’s definitely a step in the right direction.

At any rate, if you are ready to become a SAM administrator and want to complete SAM registration, we can help. We are a third-party SAM registration process. While we do charge a fee for our services, we can save you the headache of the SAM registration process, which can take 15 to 20 hours or more. If you’ve started the registration process and quickly become frustrated, you aren’t alone, but we can handle all the heavy lifting for you so give us a call today.

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If you’ve ever done an internet search for “SAM gov phone number,” you might already know that it can be tricky to track down this number. You can head to the Federal Service Desk website and find both a phone number and a live chat option, but these helpful services aren’t always as helpful as you might think.

The Federal Service Desk website at FSD.gov is the place to go for information about the System for Award Management database. You also can go directly to SAM.gov, although you will not find any phone numbers easily on this website. Although , you will find links to SAM registration user guides and demonstration videos a well as a link to Frequently Asked Questions.

As you may or may not know, SAM registration is free, and in theory, the government provides you with help to see you through the registration process. However, even with the user guides and videos, it still can take more than 20 hours to trudge through the registration process.

When it comes to a SAM.gov phone number, we’ve actually called the number at the Federal Service Desk. After several minutes of listening to a recording, the recorded voice on the phone provided us with a list of topics, the first one of which, was SAM. From there, the recorded voice gave us a list of SAM topics, the last of which was regarding SAM registration for contractors. Once we selected that option, the recorded voice spent about five minutes describing the SAM registration process and at the end, we assumed, we’d have the opportunity to speak with an agent. However, it simply redirected us back to the main menu and we never were able to speak directly with a person who could help us with SAM registration.

From there, we decided to try the Live Chat and Web Form options. For both of these, you have to create an account with the Federal Service Desk. This only takes a couple of minutes, and then you can access Live Chat or fill out a Web Form. Of course, the Federal Service Desk is only available from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time so that can be restrictive, particularly if you planned on completing your applications after work or on the weekend, when you might have time to devote to this process. Occasionally, we’ve also found that the Live Chat option was unavailable from time to time during regular hours.

The government truly does want businesses to apply for contracting jobs and there are plenty of them out there, but the “free” registration process doesn’t account for the time it takes to register. So rather than work your way through a complicated application filled with government-speak, we highly recommend that you consider using a third-party service to complete SAM registration, such as Federal Contractor Registry.

Your time is worth money, and while we do charge for our services, we can take care of all of the intricacies of SAM registration and leave you free to keep running your business. We have years of experience, and will complete your registration as quickly as possible, so that you can start bidding on government contracts.

Think of it like hiring someone to do your taxes. The U.S. tax code is complicated and can take hours to complete, but an accountant can handle the job for you. It’s the same with SAM registration. It’s complicated, but we can do the heavy lifting, and reduce your work and stress.

While it might be tricky getting a hold of someone as FSD.gov or finding a SAM.gov phone number, we have registration specialists standing by at (800) 985-7658 or you can get started by clicking on the green New Registration tab on our homepage. We are happy to complete your SAM registration as well as SAM renewals.

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Have SAM registration instructions left you feeling frustrated? Were you excited about the idea of expanding your business and bidding on government contracts, but now feel lost in a sea of government-speak? You aren’t alone, and we can help.

The folks over at SAM.gov will tell you again and again that SAM registration is free, that you can do it yourself, and that there is plenty of help available. We suppose that depends on your definition of “free” and “help.” They say time is money, and it can take as long as 20 hours (or more) to complete the registration process, and that is time that you can better spend running your company.

SAM registration instructions are extremely complicated, and when you go to SAM.gov and look under the “Help” heading, you will find user guides and videos to move you through the registration process. The guide to help you learn how to register for SAM is nearly 200 pages in length, which is hardly light reading.

If you wish to bypass the ordeal of SAM registration and SAM registration instructions, the team at Federal Contractor Registry can help. We do charge for our services, of course, but we can complete SAM registration quickly, saving you time and frustration. Our clients range from small business to large Fortune 500 corporations. We are a third-party registration service that was created to address the needs of businesses that wish to do business with federal, state and local governments.

Not only can we save you time, we also will ensure that your SAM registration is completed correctly. If you complete registration on our own, you won’t actually know if you completed the process correctly until you are approved. If you make even one mistake, this could cause your application to be rejected and you’ll need to start over again. This is a huge reason to use an experienced SAM registration provider.

What We Need
Before we can get started, we do need some basic information. This includes your DUNS number, bank account number, bank routing number and your tax id number. The DUNS number can be obtained for free on the Dun & Bradstreet website. It takes just a few days for you to receive your DUNS number.

Because of recent suspected fraudulent activity in SAM, the government now requires that you submit a notarized letter in addition to the SAM registration. Templates for this letter and instructions can be found at FSD.gov. If you go to the top of the homepage, you will see a section marked “Top Help Topics.” Click on that link and you will head to a page that addresses top help topics by system. The first box is marked “System for Award Management,” and you’ll see that all of the sections in this box are in regards to the notarized letter requirement.

If you haven’t started SAM registration or you have and are completely frustrated with the SAM registration instructions, give us a call today. The government offers hundreds of lucrative contracts every year for all types of businesses, so don’t miss out on your opportunity to grab some of the government contracting pie.

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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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