The System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is the U.S. government's free, centralized platform for entity registration, contract opportunity search, and federal award management.
17 steps across 3 sections
1. Prerequisites
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) — Replaced the DUNS number; assigned automatically during SAM.gov registration
- EIN (Employer Identification Number) — Must match your legal business name exactly in IRS records
- CAGE Code — Commercial and Government Entity code; assigned during SAM registration (or can be pre-assigned by DLA)
- NAICS Codes — North American Industry Classification System codes identifying your business activities
- Bank account information — For electronic funds transfer (EFT) payment setup
2. Registration Steps
- Create a Login.gov account (if you don't have one)
- Log into SAM.gov and start entity registration
- Enter your legal business name and EIN (must match IRS records exactly — even punctuation differences like "Company, Inc." vs "Company Inc." can trigger manual review adding 15-30 business days)
- Provide business address with verifiable physical presence (2026 requirement)
- Select applicable NAICS codes (can list multiple; designate one as primary)
- Complete representations and certifications
- Set up EFT banking information
- Submit for IRS validation and review
3. Timeline
- Standard processing: 2-4 weeks for most small businesses
- Start registration at least 6-8 weeks before you want to bid
- Registration is valid for 12 months — must be renewed annually
- 2026 update: GSA recommends initiating renewals at least 60 days before expiration due to increased verification from FAR Overhaul (RFO) and CMMC integration