SAM.gov registration
SAM is the federal government's supplier database. Without an active registration you cannot be awarded a contract or paid on one. It is free, it takes a few weeks, and the most common expensive mistake is paying somebody to do it.
10,061
federal solicitations are open right now across 913 agencies. An active SAM registration is the one thing standing between you and being able to bid on any of them.
It is free
Registration costs nothing. Sites charging hundreds of dollars to register you are reselling a free government service, and some are outright scams. Legitimate free help exists through APEX Accelerators, formerly PTACs, which are federally funded to assist exactly this.
What you need before you start
Your legal business name and physical address exactly as they appear on your tax records, your EIN, your bank details for electronic payment, and your NAICS codes. Mismatches between your SAM entry and your IRS record are the single biggest cause of delay, and they are tedious to unpick afterwards.
The annual renewal
Registration expires every year. An expired registration stops awards and stops payments, including on contracts you already hold, and the renewal is not automatic. Put a reminder sixty days before expiry rather than trusting the email.
Once you are registered
You get a UEI immediately and a CAGE code as part of approval. Both are public and both are how agencies and primes find you, so it is worth checking your own entry reads the way you would want a contracting officer to read it.
Questions people ask
Is SAM.gov registration free?
Yes, entirely. Anyone charging a fee is selling help with a free process.
How long does SAM registration take?
Usually two to three weeks once submitted, longer if your details do not match IRS records.
Does SAM registration expire?
Yes, annually, and an expired registration blocks both awards and payments.
What is the difference between SAM and SAM.gov?
The same thing. SAM is the System for Award Management, hosted at sam.gov.
Do I need SAM registration to subcontract?
Not strictly, but most primes will ask for it and you need it for anything you want to prime yourself.
Related
CAGE code lookup · UEI lookup · Find your NAICS codes · Browse open solicitations