6 Helpful Tips For FEMA Contractors

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.

The SAM Administrator: Essential Facts For New Contractors

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.

SAM.Gov Phone Number: Read This Before You Call

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.

SAM Registration Instructions: There Is A Better Option

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.

6 Crucial Facts About The System For Award Management & SAM

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.

Need SAM Registration? 4 Reasons To Use Our Service

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.

SAM.gov Renewal: What You Need To Do

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.

SAM.gov: 5 Facts About This Website

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.

SAM, MPIN, CAGE, EIN & Other Fun Government Acronyms

While every industry has its own unique jargon, if you’ve spent most of your life in the private sector but now wish to delve into government contracting, you will learning a whole new language, which we like to call “acronym-speak.” For instance, you might hear someone say, “I got my SAM, MPIN and CAGE, now I am applying at DHS, DOD and DOL.” For newbies, this can be quite confusing, so here’s a quick look at some of the acronyms you probably need to know.

SAM
This acronym stands for System for Award Management. It is a system, or rather a database, that includes all of the contractors available for government contract jobs. Various government agencies will search through this system in order to “award” these contractors with jobs. If you are not registered with SAM, you cannot bid on government contracts.

SAM & MPIN
When you register with SAM, MPIN follows. The MPIN (Marketing Partner ID Number) is a special code that you will use in order to access different government agencies and websites in order to search for contracting jobs. Everyone who registers with SAM will receive an MPIN.

SAM & CAGE
Along with SAM & MPIN, you also need to understand CAGE codes. CAGE stands for Commercial and Government Entity Code. This is the code that identifies you or your business. The MPIN is like a password for your access to government websites, while your CAGE code is like an ID number, a bit like your social security number or driver’s license number.

DUNS
Before you deal with SAM, MPIN and CAGE, you must first attain your DUNS number, or Data Universal Numbering System number. This is a unique number given to a business by Dun & Bradstreet, and government entities as well as other businesses can learn more about your company’s financial stability by searching for this number. In order to complete SAM registration, you must have a DUNS number, and registration for this number is free and takes just a few minutes.

EIN & FEIN & TIN
In addition to securing your DUNS number, you also need to know your Employer Identification Number, which is sometimes called the Federal Employer Identification Number. This also can be interchangeable with TIN or Taxpayer Identification Number. Each business has a unique number, but if you are applying as an individual, you can use your SSN (Social Security Number). Many people don’t wish to use their SSN, and you can contact the IRS and ask for a free EIN. This does take about two weeks to receive from the IRS, so keep this in mind and apply for it well ahead of the time when you want to complete SAM registration.

SBA
If you are a small business, you definitely will want to take advantage of the information and services provided by the Small Business Administration, or SBA. This entity has a website filled with helpful tips for small businesses, including information about government contracting and grants.

NAICS
Before there was NAICS, there was the SIC, which was created by the ECPC, and then changed under the guise of the OMB. While this probably means nothing to you now, it actually is something that will come into play during SAM registration. NAICS stands for North American Industry Classification System. Originally this system was known as the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. It was developed by representatives from the United States (via the U.S. Economic Classification Policy Committee/ECPC), Mexico and Canada.

Eventually, this system was updated from SIC to NAICS, and these updates were handled by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as well as representatives from Mexico and Canada. NAICS classifies all types of businesses, and also gathers pertinent information and statistics about these businesses, throughout North America. You can download the NAICS manual, which contains nearly 1,000 pages, classifying just about any type of business you can imagine. For instance, if you run a business that provides automotive glass replacement, your NAICS code will be 811122. This information will be one of the many bits of information needed to complete SAM registration.

Government Agencies
Because government agencies typically seem to have long names, using acronyms can make it easier and just about everyone involved in government contracting will use these acronyms. For instance, rather than saying Department of Defense or Department of Justice, most people will simply refer to these agencies as DOD or DOJ. With agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, it’s just faster to say FEMA than to repeat the long name. Just about every government agency will need to hire contractors from time to time, so it can be a good idea to learn about some of these agencies and the types of contracting jobs they might need.

While you’ve no doubt heard of FEMA, DOJ and DOD, there are so many agencies with which you’ve had no experience. For instance, have you heard of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) or perhaps the Office of Planetary Protection, which is now the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA)? There are hundreds of agencies, and you never know which obscure government agency might want to hire you.

While it might seem counter-productive to have so many systems and acronyms, learning a few of the most important acronyms can make government contracting a bit easier. When it comes to SAM, MPIN and CAGE codes, we can help you complete the SAM registration process and attain your MPIN and CAGE code. SAM registration can be very complicated and extremely time consuming, but we can take this weighty task off of your to-do list.

SAM Number: 7 Fast Facts

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.