CAGE Code and UEI Lookup

A Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code is a five-character identifier for a company or organization at a specific location. The Defense Logistics Agency’s CAGE program assigns it, and federal agencies use it to identify a contractor at each of its facilities.

When a U.S. entity registers in SAM.gov for contracts, SAM.gov sends the registration to the Defense Logistics Agency, which assigns the CAGE code, so there’s nothing separate to apply for. Entities outside the U.S. need an NCAGE code, from their country’s national codification bureau or from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, before they register for contracts. A company can hold a CAGE code for each of its locations.

The Unique Entity ID (UEI) is a 12-character identifier SAM.gov assigns to each entity that does business with the federal government. Contract awards, grants and subawards name their recipients by it.

The UEI replaced the DUNS number as the government-wide identifier on April 4, 2022. An entity can get a UEI without registering in full, but it needs an active SAM.gov registration to bid on contracts or apply for federal assistance as a prime awardee.

A SAM.gov registration lets an entity bid on federal contracts and apply for federal assistance, and it’s free. SAM.gov assigns the UEI when the entity registers or requests one, and the UEI doesn’t expire. A U.S. entity that registers for contracts gets its CAGE code through the same registration.

The registration itself must be renewed every 365 days to stay active. Each vendor’s GovTribe page shows whether its registration is active, and when it expires.

Until April 4, 2022, the federal government identified entities by the nine-digit DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet. Since then it has used the UEI, and SAM.gov no longer lists DUNS numbers. Entities registered before the change were assigned a UEI automatically, and it’s on their SAM.gov registration.

To find the UEI for an old DUNS number, search the number above: GovTribe matches it to the vendor’s record from before the change and opens its page, with its UEI. USAspending.gov’s recipient profiles also search by legacy DUNS number, for companies that received federal awards.

Search the company’s name, CAGE code, UEI or DUNS number above. A code that belongs to one vendor opens its GovTribe page, which lists its UEI, CAGE codes, SAM.gov registration, primary NAICS code and federal awards.

The government’s own sources are SAM.gov’s entity search, which needs a free SAM.gov account, and the Defense Logistics Agency’s CAGE search. A company’s UEI also appears on each of its federal awards.

Sign in to SAM.gov and open the Entities widget in your Workspace: your UEI is in the list, and your registration record shows your CAGE code. You need a role with your entity to see it there.

If your entity doesn’t have a CAGE code yet, register it in SAM.gov for contracts rather than only requesting a UEI: a UEI on its own comes without one.