When it comes to government contracting, there’s definitely a learning curve and it can be tough to keep track of all of your contracting-related information, including your SAM MPIN and CAGE code. Here’s a quick look at what that means and a few tips to help you manage it all.
1. What Is A SAM MPIN?
SAM, as you probably know, stands for System for Award Management, and it’s a huge database that contains information about every government contractor. As you complete your SAM registration, you will be asked to create a Marketing Partner Identification Number or MPIN.
The MPIN is a code that you create, and it is a personal code that will be your password into SAM. There are actually two levels of access within SAM. You create a Login.gov username and password, as well as an MPIN.
With either of these passwords, either the Login.gov password or your MPIN, it is crucial that you keep this information in a safe place and that you do not share it with anyone. If an agency representative or someone else asks for your MPIN, do not provide it. They might ask for your DUNS or CAGE code or your NAICS codes, but your MPIN is private.
2. Understanding Your CAGE Code
Once you have completed your SAM registration, the government agency that is responsible for SAM, the General Services Administration will look over your application and either approve you or send you email explaining why they did not approve you.
If you are approved you will receive what is known and a Corporate and Government Entities (CAGE) code. This is will be a series of five numbers and letters and it will be code that agencies and other contractors can use to search for your business in SAM.
Even if you want to do businesses with a state government, you will need to provide your CAGE code so SAM registration truly is your entrance into the world of government contracting at all levels, including federal, state, county and perhaps even local levels.
3. Other Important Codes
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) was developed to categorize different types of business. Therefore, if a government agency needs someone to provide graphic design services, they would search for 54143, if they need rice drying services, they would search 115114. If they need greeting card publishers, they would search for 511191.
These examples might seem obscure but they stress the point that their truly are contracting opportunities out there for everyone. Many people mistakenly assume it’s all about construction or disaster clean-up, but the government needs an abundance of goods and services including plumbing services, paper products, landscaping, vehicle maintenance, consulting services and much more.
Product Services Codes or PSC are another type of code that you might need to know about. These are similar to NAICS codes, but unlike NAICS, these codes are not required to be part of your SAM registration. Still, it’s always good to provide the government with as much information about your business as possible.
One of the first codes that you’ll need for your SAM registration is your DUNS number, which stands for Data Universal Numbering System. If you’ve been in business for a while, chances are good that you probably already have this number, but if you don’t, you can head to the Dun & Bradstreet website and sign up for a DUNS number. There is no charge for this service.
As a side note, the government will no longer be using DUNS numbers in the near future. A new company was awarded a government contract in place of Dun & Bradstreet. The new number will be called a SAMMI number (SAM Managed Identifier). However, it’s uncertain as to when this number actually will be the requirement, so presently, DUNS numbers are still required.
4. Get Started Now – We Can Help
If you’ve got your DUNS and your taxpayer identification number, as well as your bank routing number and bank account number, you are ready to start your SAM registration and create that SAM MPIN.
SAM registration is free, but it’s also quite complicated and can take 10 to 15 hours to complete. The application is filled with vast amounts of government-speak which can be difficult to translate and understand. If you find yourself feeling frustrated with the process, give us a call.
As a third-party registration service, we do charge for our services, but we can quickly complete your SAM application and get you up and running as quickly as possible. We can help you find those NAICS codes, as well as your PSCs. We also understand each section of the application entirely, so we can ensure that the application is filled out correctly. The main reason why SAM registrations are not approved is due to errors on the application, but we can ensure that everything is correct on the first go around.
To get started, simply click on the green New Registration tab on our homepage. If you have an active registration already, but simply forgot your SAM MPIN, go to FSD.gov for further assistance. However, if we prepared you initial SAM registration, we may be able to provide you with your SAM MPIN, as we probably created it for you during the registration process.