If you would like to bid on government contracting jobs, registering your company in the System for Award Management is a requirement. Additionally, new registrants need to acquire a Unique Entity Identifier or UEI number, and here are a few important facts about this recent requirement.
- The UEI Number Has Replaced DUNS Numbers
In the past, when completing your System For Award Management (SAM) registration, all registrants were required to provide their Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. This number was generated by Dun & Bradstreet, a private company, which had a contract with the General Services Administration to provide these numbers.
The DUNS numbers were used, both by government procurement agents as well as business owners, to learn more about the financial stability of a specific company. The transition to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from the DUNS Number has been in the works for some time. It’s been a phased transition, with the aim to fully retire the use of the DUNS Number in federal government systems by December 2020. However, mostly because of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, this was extended until April 4, 2022.
- The UEI Streamlines The Procurement System
Unlike the DUNS Number, which was assigned by Dun & Bradstreet, the UEI system allows entities to self-assign their identifier, streamlining the process and reducing reliance on a third-party system. One of the main goals of the UEI is to provide a consistent identifier for entities across all federal awarding activities. This includes grants, contracts, and other types of federal financial assistance.
- The UEI Improves Accessibility
With the transition to the UEI, the U.S. government aims to make entity data more transparent and accessible. This supports the government’s goals of increasing transparency and accountability in federal spending.
One of the driving forces behind various reforms in U.S. federal procurement and financial assistance has been the desire for increased transparency. By making data on entities that receive federal funds more accessible to the public, the government aims to ensure that taxpayers can see where and how their money is being spent.
SAM provides a wealth of information on registered entities, including details related to their financial and performance capacity, past performance on government contracts and more. With the transition to UEI, the intent is to make this entity data even more transparent and easier to access by the public as well as researchers, journalists and others.
- Already Registered? This Step Is Not Necessary
If you have a current or expired SAM registration, then the UEI number already was assigned to you automatically and you won’t need to apply for the UEI. However, it is a good idea to log into SAM and make a note of your unique entity ID for future reference.
Be sure to add the UEI number to your capability statement and any government-related pages on your website. (As a side note, SAM registration expires every year, and if you want to do business with the federal government, we can provide you with fast, accurate SAM renewal services.)
- We Can Help Companies Obtain A UEI
At Federal Contractor Registry, we focus on helping companies complete their SAM registration. As part of this service, we provide several value-added features. This includes helping companies that are new to SAM get their UEIs. We can handle this process for you. While it’s not as complicated as SAM registration, it does take some time and we are happy to handle this task as part of our SAM registration services.
Additionally, we also will help you with the SAM notarized letter requirement. During the process of SAM entity registration, all registrants must send a notarized letter to the Federal Service Desk, which is the branch of the General Services Administration that handles all issues related to SAM. This letter identifies your company’s entity administrator, which is the individual who is allowed to make any changes to your SAM account.
We also can help small businesses sign up with the Small Business Administration (SBA). This includes determining if your business qualifies for any SBA set-asides. The federal government reserves a set portion of its federal contractor jobs just for small businesses, and these are known as set-aside contracts.
There are several different types of set-asides, including 8a certification, HUBZone certification, Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) certification and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) certification to name a few. Only companies registered with SBA and that qualify for these set-asides are allowed to bid on these contracts, which can reduce the competition and make it easier for small businesses to grow.
Why Hire A Third Party For SAM.gov Services?
The government charges no fee to apply for a UEI number nor do they charge a fee for SAM registration. So why would you pay someone to complete these tasks? SAM registration is an extremely complicated process that can take 10 to 12 hours to complete (or more).
Hiring a SAM registration expert is essentially just like hiring an accountant to do your taxes. The U.S. tax code is confusing and if you make mistakes, there can be severe penalties. SAM registration is a highly frustrating process, and many people simply give up on the idea of government contracting because of this difficulty.
Hiring an expert ensures that your SAM registration is completed quickly and 100% accurately. This also leaves you free to handle crucial business tasks rather than dealing with the hassle of SAM registration.
Rather than deal with the hassle of SAM registration, obtaining a UEI number and signing up for SBA, the team at Federal Contractor Registry can help with all of these tasks. To get started simply click on the green New Registration tab on our homepage and fill out our contact form. A member of our team will be in touch as quickly as possible to begin your registration process.