Government contracting can be profitable, but it’s not always easy to wade through the mire of government-speak and fully understand the rules, regulations and registration instructions. If you’ve been struggling with SAM.gov, you’re not alone, but there is help available.
If you are reading this, you probably already know that registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) is the first step you take as a new government contractor. You probably also know that after a few minutes on the SAM.gov website that this registration process may be free, but it’s definitely not easy.
The folks at SAM.gov constantly stress that it’s free to register, but, of course, they won’t tell you that it actually does cost you something. It can take 15 to 20 hours to complete the registration process, so while they don’t charge you a fee, you will pay the cost of your valuable time. Additionally, it’s not just taking up time, it’s also a frustrating process, forcing you to stop every few minutes and find a set of Frequently Asked Questions or perhaps a video tutorial to help you understand each specific section of the application.
The easiest solution would be to hire a third-party registration service, such as Federal Contractor Registry. We do charge for our services, but it’s much like paying an accountant to handle your yearly taxes. An accountant understands all the details and updates to the U.S. tax codes, and we fully understand every part of the SAM registration process.
What We Need From You
Before you contact us gather together some preliminary information, including your DUNS number, your bank account number and bank routing number, your business’s taxpayer ID number and be prepared to give us a description of your business, the number of employees and what services or products you provide.
If you do not yet have a DUNS, which stands for Data Universal Numbering System, just head to the Dun & Bradstreet website and apply for one. This is a free service, and it takes about five minutes to apply for a DUNS. It does take about two business days for you to receive the number, but once you have it as well as the aforementioned information, you can give us a call and we’ll get started on your SAM registration.
The Notarized Letter Requirement
While we are handling your SAM.gov registration tasks, you have one step you will need to take on your own. In 2018, the government began requiring businesses to provide a notarized letter that signifies the name of the Entity Administrator for your SAM account. This is the person that is authorized to update and make changes to your SAM account.
This is a new requirement, and it came about because the General Services Desk (GSA), which is the agency responsible for SAM, notice potentially fraudulent activity in SAM, so they now require the notarized letter to ensure that they have the name of the Entity Administrator.
You can find a template for this letter at SAM.gov, and we highly recommend that you complete this letter as soon as possible. We also recommend that you send the letter using certified mail so that you can track the letter’s arrival. The government will not send you any type of confirmation until they have reviewed the letter and either approved or rejected it. If it is rejected, they will tell you why it was not approved. We highly recommend that you follow the template exactly, so that no mistakes are made.
In the past, the government would not approve your SAM registration or provide you with a CAGE Code until the letter was approved. However, there was such a huge backlog of letters that no SAM registrations or renewals were being approved. This was frustrating for those new to SAM, but it was extremely costly to those who were waiting on renewal, particularly if they had active government contracts. Without a current SAM registration, the government cannot do business with you, even if you already are in the middle of a contract.
Obviously, this didn’t work, and many contractors were losing money, not to mention the project delays. Subsequently, the GSA decided to continue requiring the letter, but they no longer require it before issuing a CAGE Code to first-timers or before approving a SAM renewal. If your head is spinning, you are not alone. Learning how to do business with the government and dealing the ins and outs of SAM.gov can be tricky. If you are feeling overwhelmed, contact us today and we can handle your initial SAM registration as well as SAM renewals.