Do Iae Systems Require The Use Of The New Unique Entity Id
The Unique Entity ID is the official identifier for doing business with the U.S. Government as of April 4, 2022.
- Entities registering in SAM.gov are assigned a Unique Entity ID as a part of the registration process.
- Entity uniqueness continues to be validated by an entity validation service.
- Subcontracting reporting requires the Unique Entity ID obtained in SAM.gov.
- Interfacing systems must use the Unique Entity ID.
Beware Of Companies Selling Sam Registration
Each year, hundreds of small businesses are convinced to spend money with a vendor promising online SAM registration and will help you get a DUNS number.
Some vendors even use scare tactics such as telling you the task is highly detailed, or a cumbersome registration process, or that you just dont have the time to learn the procedures.
The fact is, only you should fill out the SAM registration and along the way get your DUNS number. If you cannot complete the SAM registration process, then you really need to rethink selling to the federal government.
Selling to and supporting federal government agencies is detailed and regulation driven. Its no harder than anything else you had to learn but will take some time.
Keep your $500-1,000 instead of paying to have someone to register you in SAM and help you get a DUNS number. Spend it on web design.
If you have questions, talk to one of the many free resources available to you e.g. Small Business Development Center, Womens Business Center, Procurement Technical Assistance Center, etc. They all offer their help with SAM registration at no additional cost.
I created a very detailed, free course on registering in SAM, getting your DUNS number, and getting started in federal contracting. It is a free course designed specifically to give you the start I wish I had when I started my small businesses years ago.
Individual Agencies That Use Dun & Bradstreet’s Products And Services
Whereas DUNS numbers and certain D& B-provided services are necessary for the functioning of federal acquisition processes, D& B also provides products and services to individual federal agencies that serve their needs. Company literature states that D& B has worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for over 20 years and has provided services to the Defense Security Service , which is a component of the DOD. D& B notes that “early all three letter agencies,49 multiple intelligence task forces, and National Labs use D& B Solutions to monitor foreign and domestic businesses and supply chains.”50 For example, D& B’s products may aid in tracking “the activities of all businesses and commercial organizations related to the nuclear, chemical and biological industries” “navigat the enormously complex chains of ownership and association used by international businesses and trade organizations that finance terrorism or other activities that are harmful to the U.S.” or “unveiling potential vulnerabilities and threats posed to the global supply chain or within the U.S. government national security apparatus.”51
During the period FY2011-FY2015, 39 agencies submitted data to FPDS that indicate they were doing business with Dun & Bradstreet. The list of agencies is in the following table.
Table 2. Federal Agencies with Entries in FPDS Involving Dun & Bradstreet
FY2011-FY2015
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Social Security Administration |
Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation, at .
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What Is The Purpose Of A Duns Number
A DUNS number is one of four key numbers related to your business.
Unique Identification Codes For Federal Contractors: Duns Numbers And Cage Codes
May 5, 2016 May 31, 2017R44490
An essential element of the federal governmentâs acquisition system is the capability to identify the businesses, and other types of entities, that do work for the government. Accurate identification of potential contractors and incumbent contractors facilitates a host of procurement processes while contributing to the transparency of federal government procurement.
The federal government uses a proprietary system, Dun & Bradstreetâs Data Universal Numbering System , to uniquely identify the entities with which it does business. At no cost to the applicant, D& B assigns a DUNS numberâa nine-digit unique identification codeâto prospective government contractors. The federal governmentâs use of DUNS, however, is not limited to the identification numbers. D& B provides, pursuant to its contract with the General Services Administration , 7 types of software products and 14 data products that enable the government to use DUNS for a variety of acquisition-related functions, such as paying contractors. Furthermore, approximately 80 data systems within the federal government contain DUNS information.
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Goodbye Duns: System For Award Management Full Transition To New Uei Next Week
As of April 4, 2022, the federal government will stop using the Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Number Systems Number to uniquely identify entities and will fully transition to using the Unique Entity Identifier . All entities will be using the UEI number for SAM and other government systems . DUNS Numbers will no longer be searchable or viewable in SAM. Those already registered in SAM should not need to take any action.
Uei For The Entire Lifecycle Of An Award
The UEI is a 12-character alphanumeric identifier that is owned and managed by the government. It connects agencies and companies throughout the federal award lifecycle whether its writing a contract or managing a grant.
The benefit that we see from the users perspective is that its going to be more convenient. Theyre not going to have to go to multiple sites and theyre not going to have to interact with a third party directly. Theyre going to be able to go to SAM.gov, provide the information or request a unique entity identifier, get the entity validation done and move on with whatever else they need to do, Whitehead said. That convenience factor, that ease of experience is something that were really looking forward to providing.
Whitehead said there are several reasons the UEI implementation took so long. First, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council had tochange regulations to remove references to DUNS numbers and replace them with UEI.
That change allowed us to compete the validation and then decouple the fact that we were having an identifier, the thing that connects to the entity from the validation service, on the back end, she said. Thats a good thing over time that allows increased competition. It removes the proprietary nature of the identifier, and really means that no matter who in the future, were to provide the service, this huge giant governmentwide change only has to happen once.
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Unique Entity Identifier To Replace Dun And Bradstreet Number
On April 4th, the General Services Administration will complete a major technology modernization project that began back in 2012 The federal government will be replacing the Dun and Bradstreet numbers number with a new Unique Entity Identifier known as the Unique Entity ID.
Continue reading to learn what that means for your small business, and what you need to do now.
What is a Unique Entity Identifier?
The federal government uses an award system called SAM, which stands for System for Award Management. Any entity that wants to bid on federal contracts or wants to receive federal funds must first register with SAM. Entities that use SAM include for-profit businesses, nonprofits, government contractors, subcontractors, as well as state and local governments .
The Unique Entity ID commonly referred to as a UEI, is a 12-character alphanumeric identifier assigned to an entity by SAM.gov. The Unique Entity ID is generated, owned, and managed by SAM.gov. It connects these entities and companies throughout the federal award lifecycle whether its bidding on a contract or managing a grant.
If your business or nonprofit is already registered in SAM.gov then you already have a Unique Entity ID. You can find it by logging in at SAM.gov.
If you have not registered with SAM.gov, you will get your Unique Entity ID during registration. Registration is free !
Is the Unique Entity Identifier the Same as my old DUNS number?
How Do I Locate My New UEI Number?
Quick FAQs
The Bottom Line:
Does Every Company Have A Duns Number
For companies NOT selling to the federal government, DUNS numbers are optional.
DUNS numbers are REQUIRED for federal government contractors FAR regulated since 1998. Over 80 federal government systems use DUNS numbers for tracking purposes.
DUNS numbers are assigned at the lowest organizational level which, for small-business federal contractors, typically are unique business locations.
Your headquarters would typically reflect the first DUNS number your company gets, and any new DUNS number related to this business would be requested as a child DUNS number under the parent number assigned to your headquarters.
The government uses DUNS numbers to identify your company. You can avoid all the deep details around DUNS numbers, but the reality isif you want to sell to the federal government, you must have a DUNS number. This will change in late 2020 when DUNS numbers are replaced with government generated unique identifiers.
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Unique Entity Id Replaces Duns Numbers In Samgov
WHAT: The U.S. General Services Administration has officially transitioned the System for Award Management to no longer use data universal numbering system numbers from Dun & Bradstreet , and now will use government-issued Unique Entity IDs.
WHEN: GSA implemented the change effective April 4, 2022.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR INDUSTRY: For now, most government contractors and their SAM.gov entity administrators do not need to do anything to make the change from DUNS number to automatically assigned Unique Entity ID until it is time to renew their SAM registration. If the contractor needs to know its new ID, it can find it on its SAM.gov profile. Entity administrators can also log into SAM.gov and visit their Workspace to find the IDs under their administration, which is necessary if the company opted to make its registration non-public. New entities will be automatically assigned an ID.
DUNS numbers are not going away entirely just yet. Although SAM.gov will no longer use DUNS, other government databases still refer to DUNS, and your teaming partners may be slower to transition to the new ID .
Wiley is available to help you navigate this and other SAM registration and CAGE Code issues.
Us Government To Ditch The Duns
Earlier this month, the GSA announced a new Unique Entity Identifier Standard for Federal awards management. The new standard will go into effect December 2020. It will replace the current DUNS number system as the official identifier for all businesses contracting with the U.S. Federal Government.
This should make registering to do business with the federal government a little easier, but the proof will be in the roll-out.
The GSAs Office of Systems Management, Integrated Award Environment , published an official notice of this new Unique Entity ID Standard for Awards Management in the Federal Register on July 10, 2019. The new standard will be considered final on that date. The GSA plans to have the new system in place by December of 2020.
GSAs notice announces:
he U.S. government is moving to a new unique entity identifier for federal awards management, including, but not limited to, contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, which will ultimately become the primary key to identify entities throughout the federal awarding lifecycle, in SAM.gov, other IAE systems, on required forms, and in downstream government systems.
Questions about this post? Or need help with a government contracting legal issue? Email us or give us a call at 785-200-8919.
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Commercial And Government Entity System And Codes
The Department of Defense created the CAGE system between 1945 and 1950 its original purpose was to catalog various items .21 Subsequently, other purposes were added, such as using CAGE codes to identify vendors.22 The CAGE Branch of the Defense Logistics Agency , which is the only authorized source of these codes, assigns CAGE codes to entities located in the United States or its outlying areas.23 A CAGE code is a five-character alpha-numeric identifier that belongs to a nonproprietary system created by DOD. Similar to DUNS numbers, some contractors may have the same, or similar, names. See Figure 2 for an illustrative list of companies and their respective CAGE codes. DLA assigns CAGE codes “per legal entity at individual physical addresses .”24 There is no cost for obtaining a CAGE code.25
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Figure 2. Examples of CAGE Codes |
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U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, “Logistics Information Service,” at . |
The Federal Government Is Transitioning From The Duns Number To A Unique Entity Identifier
Resources and Insight | 4 Min Read
Historically, if you were looking to do business with the federal government you would register your business under a unique identifier, known as a Data Universal Numbering System Number. The government has recently announced an initiative to move away from DUNS as the identifier and now will use a Unique Entity Identifier . This transition is projected to be completed by April 4th, 2022. What does this mean for you and your business?
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Unique Entity Id Transition Information
- The process to get a Unique Entity ID to do business with the governmentchanged.
- The definition of entity uniqueness did not change.
Change can be confusing and frustrating. To make the change easier, we shared information about the changes and transition plan.
During the transition, we:
- Phased out the DUNS Number as the official identifier for doing business with the federal government.
- Introduced a new Unique Entity ID, generated in the System for Award Management , as the official identifier for doing business with the government.
- Made it easier to get a Unique Entity ID to do business with the government.
- Transitioned to a new service provider to validate entity uniqueness.
The Federal Government’s Reliance On Duns And Efforts To Explore Alternatives
DUNS numbers, and the information associated with them, facilitate the smooth, efficient operation of the government’s acquisition system. The related products and services that the government obtains from D& B are also integral to the functioning of various procurement processes and activities. Using DUNS, the federal government is able, for example, to uniquely identify the entities that perform work for, or provide supplies or equipment to, agencies verify contract awardees’ information and track the amount of funds obligated to corporate families. In addition to GSA, which is responsible for many of the federal government’s acquisition systems that include or use DUNS numbers and which awards contracts to D& B for the use of DUNS, various federal agencies purchase a variety of D& B services.
On June 29, 2010, GSA awarded a sole source contract, under the authority of FAR §6.302-1, to Dun & Bradstreet for the use of its Data Universal Numbering System.26 The contract consists of a three-year base period and five one-year option periods. The effective date of the contract was June 30, 2010 the completion date for the base period was June 29, 2013 and the estimated ultimate completion date is June 29, 2018. The present value of the contract, including the base period and all option periods, if exercised by GSA, is $135,111,119.67.27
In the same notice, GSA also describes the extent of the federal government’s reliance on D& B services and products.
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The Data Act And Unique Identifiers
Enacted on May 9, 2014, the DATA Act gave the Director of OMB and the Secretary of the Treasury responsibility for operating the USAspending.gov website, including the development, or adoption, of data elements. The DATA Act mentions “unique identifiers ⦠for entities43 receiving Federal awards that can be consistently applied Government-wide.”44 The Department of the Treasury and OMB have named this data element the awardee/recipient unique identifier.45
The discussion of this data element by the Treasury and OMB noted that the federal government continues to use the Data Universal Numbering System described relevant regulatory changes alluded to possible challenges if the government opts to implement a new identification system and confirmed that the federal government is exploring alternatives to DUNS.46 In their discussion of the awardee/recipient unique identifier data element, which is provided below, the Department of the Treasury and OMB describe the ongoing effort to identify and select an identification system that will meet the needs of the federal government.
