Information about SAM.GOV and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Requirements

About SAM.gov and the Unique Entity Identifier

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced that all firms seeking federal financial assistance (FFA) from the U.S. Government are required to obtain an active SAM.gov registration including the issuance of a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). For GSA, the 12-digit UEI number replaces the 9-digit DUNS number provided by Dun & Bradstreet which were previously used by the agency to uniquely identify organizations receiving FFA. The only method of getting a free UEI number is directly through the official government website SAM.gov (SAM is abbreviated for System for Award Management).

Unique Entity Identifier Q&A

Who needs a UEI and active SAM.gov registration at EXIM?

• For Insurance Products – The insured needs a UEI and active SAM.gov registration
• For Working Capital Guarantees – The guaranteed lender needs a UEI and active SAM.gov registration
• For Loan Guarantees – The guaranteed lender/facility agent needs a UEI and active SAM.gov registration
• For Direct Loans – The borrower, or special purpose vehicle (SPV) or special purpose company (SPC), needs a UEI and active SAM.gov registration

What do I need to know before I apply for a UEI and active SAM.gov registration?

It is the customer’s responsibility to visit the SAM.gov website, create and maintain a user account, and apply for a UEI and SAM.gov registration. Registration is for Financial Assistance Awards only.

The name and address associated with your account should match your EXIM transaction(s). The UEI and SAM.gov registration is unique to an entity at a specific address.

Review the EXIM Bank Client Workbook to understand the required information for obtaining a UEI and completing the registration process.

What’s the application process to obtain a UEI and SAM.gov registration?

The following is an overview of the process for U.S. and Non-U.S. entities.

First – Login.gov

• Login.gov (https://login.gov/) allows an individual to create login credentials (email, password and 2-factor authentication method) that they can use to sign into multiple U.S. government websites such as SAM.gov and the Federal Service Desk (FSD.gov)
• The person who will be acting as your Entity Administrator is the one who should create these login credentials.

Next – UEI and SAM.gov

• Though it is possible to request a unique Entity ID without doing the full SAM.gov registration, EXIM applicants/participants are required to do the full registration.
• SAM.gov automatically obtains a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code for U.S. entities. That is why they do not have to request it separately like internationalities entities do for a NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) code. However, for EXIM customers applying for Financial Assistance Award Only registration, GSA no longer requires a CAGE code and one will not be assigned automatically during the registration process if you do not have one.
• Since the registration involves multiple steps/screens, it is ok to save work in progress and come back to complete it in another session.
• When you have completed the registration and you have your UEI and annual registration expiration/renewal date, please email that to your EXIM contact so we may record it in EXIM's records.

Finally – Annual Recertification

• Entity Administrator and/or Entity Registration Representatives are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of an entity registration in SAM. An entity registration must be renewed every 365 days in order to remain active and will expire if it is not updated in a timely manner. An expired registration may affect the ability to do business with the Federal government.

My UEI has been assigned. Do I need to do anything else?

You must complete the SAM.gov registration process (for Financial Assistance Awards only).

To complete the registration process after your UEI is assigned, proceed with the following steps:

• In your SAM.gov workspace, select “ID Assigned”.
• Select “Register” from the entity’s actions menu (shown as three vertical dots) in your entity’s workspace.
• Complete the required sections of the registration application then select “Submit.”

Once the registration application is submitted, it can take up to 10 days for your registration to become active. An email will be sent to confirm an active registration. You can also track the status of your registration by clicking the Check Registration Status link on the SAM.gov homepage. You will be required to enter your UEI to obtain your status.

I submitted my SAM.gov registration. What happens next?

Once the registration is submitted, the SAM.gov system will perform two additional validations: IRS verification and CAGE Code validation (NOTE: For U.S. entities applying for Financial Assistance Award registration, the CAGE code is no longer required). After those validations are completed, the SAM registration will be activated. For any issues with these validations, please see the question below related to Federal Service Desk (FSD) ticket resolution.

It can take up to ten days from submission for a company’s registration to be activated. To check registration status, log into SAM.gov and click on the Check Registration Status link on the SAM.gov homepage.

Does my UEI and/or SAM.gov registration expire?

An assigned UEI does not expire. A SAM.gov registration is valid for one year after the registration submission date.

You can view your entity’s registration activation and expiration dates through the SAM.gov website.

The Entity Administrator will receive emails from SAM.gov at 60 days, 30 days, and 15 days prior to the expiration date reminding them to select to renew their registration. Renewal is an active process; the entity administrator must login to their SAM.gov account, select “Renew Entity”, and follow the steps to submit a renewal request.

I have a UEI but my SAM.gov registration is expired. What should I do?

Log in to your SAM.gov account and select “Get Started”, then provide the required information to revalidate your entity’s information. If you are not the Entity Administrator of your company’s SAM.gov account, you will need to coordinate with your Entity Administrator to reactivate your registration.

I cannot identify my company’s Entity Administrator. What should I do?

SAM.gov requires an entity administrator to handle the maintenance of a company’s registration. If the entity administrator is unknown or no longer with the company, a notarized letter is required to update the assignment of the entity administrator. This FSD.gov link shows the steps required to request an update to the entity administrator’s designation, along with notarized letter templates.

My policy is up for renewal. Do I need a UEI and active SAM.gov registration?

Yes. You must maintain an active SAM.gov registration through the life of your transaction with EXIM.

I need to amend my transaction. Do I need a UEI and active SAM.gov registration?

Yes. You must maintain an active SAM.gov registration through the life of your transaction with EXIM.

What is the Federal Service Desk (FSD)?

FSD stands for Federal Service Desk (FSD). It is a website for those who make, receive, and manage federal awards. It provides support for government-wide systems required by federal policy.

For EXIM customer purposes, this site is where you can track any FSD tickets that are generated as part of obtaining a UEI or managing your SAM.gov registration. The login information for accessing FSD.gov is the same as your login used to access SAM.gov.

What do I do if a I have a pending Federal Service Desk (FSD) ticket?

You will receive email updates, such as notifications about what the issue is, how to resolve it, and when it is resolved. For more information, refer to the FSD.gov Entity Registration Frequently Asked Questions.

Who do I call if I need further assistance with my FSD ticket?

The FSD Help Desk number is (866) 606-8220. When you reach the FSD Help Desk, you will be asked to provide the email address and/or phone number associated with your user account. Be sure to have this information available.

Another way to obtain status of your ticket is to log into FSD.gov, select “My Incidents”, and then view the status of your ticket.

I received an email that my FSD ticket has been resolved. Now what do I do?

The FSD ticket resolution does not update your entity’s information. You must log in to SAM.gov and restart from the step where the ticket was issued. See below for common touchpoints where ticket resolution occurs:

• Entity Verification has been completed – Log in to SAM.gov and select “Get Started” to reinitiate the UEI assignment process.
• Entity Administrator assignment has been completed – Log in to SAM.gov and select “Get Started” to reinitiate the UEI assignment process.
• Resolve discrepancy for IRS or CAGE code validations – For an IRS discrepancy, the validation is checking to ensure that the taxpayer name and address provided in the “IRS consent” section of the application matches the taxpayer name and address provided on your recent tax returns. Make sure to update the taxpayer name and address to match what is listed on your company’s tax return. For CAGE code discrepancies, the SAM.gov system is verifying that the address provided on your SAM registration matches the address listed with Department of Defense’s Defense Logistic Agency (DLA) for your CAGE code. For questions related to your CAGE code, please contact (877) 352-2255.

Are there companies who provide SAM.gov registration services assistance?

Yes. Please contact UEIAssistance@exim.gov for additional information.

I don’t see my question answered here. Who do I contact for additional information?

Please contact UEIAssistance@exim.gov.