SAM_FAQs.pdf

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System for Award Management (SAM) Frequently Asked Questions

1 General Q1: What is SAM?

The System for Award Management (SAM) is combining eight federal procurement systems and the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance into one new system.

Q2: What systems will be included in SAM?

Phase 1 – Central Contractor Registration (CCR), Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), and the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS)

Future Phases – Federal Business Opportunities (FBO), Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA), Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS), Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) Sub-award Reporting System (FSRS), Wage Determinations Online (WDOL), Federal Procurement Data System – Next Generation (FPDS-NG), Past Performance and Information Retrieval System (PPIRS)

If it isn’t listed above, it is not scheduled to be part of SAM.

Q3: When will SAM launch?

SAM is being deployed in phases, beginning with the "Entity Management" capability and the Exclusions portion of the "Performance Information" capability. Currently, this first phase is scheduled to be available at the end of July 2012.

2 Getting a User Account/Next Steps Q4: How do I register for a user account in SAM?

You cannot register for a user account in SAM until SAM goes live in late July. After SAM goes live, you may register for a SAM account by going to sam.gov and clicking on one of the "Create Account" or "Register" buttons.

Q5: If I have an account now, will my permissions be transferred to SAM?

First, you will need to create an account in SAM. Once you login to your account, you will have the ability to migrate the following roles from your legacy system account into your new SAM account:

CCR Roles

• Administrators in CCR will become “Entity Administrators” in SAM

• Maintenance Users in CCR will become “Entity Registration Representatives” in SAM

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View Only Users in CCR will become “Entity Registration Viewers” in SAM

FedReg Roles

• Registrants in FedReg will become “Office Registration Representatives” in SAM

• Agency Registration Officials (AROs) in FedReg will become “Agency Administrators

– Entity Management” in SAM

EPLS Roles

• Debar Users in EPLS will become “Agency Exclusion Representatives” in SAM

You will need to know the email address and the username of your legacy system account in order to migrate your roles.

Users coming from a government IP address will automatically receive FOUO-level access in SAM (equivalent to FOUO- or Proprietary-level access in CCR). If you had a higher sensitivity level than FOUO or Proprietary in CCR, you will need to reapply for that level of access in SAM.

We will be communicating with you about how to do that.

Q6: I am currently registered in CCR and/or ORCA. What should I do now?

You don't need to do anything until time to update your registration. You'll receive an email notification letting you know when your account is about to expire, and you'll complete that process in SAM, if your account expires after SAM goes live. If your account expires before SAM goes live, please complete your update in CCR.

Additional information is available on the CCR web site.

Q7: Should I register in CCR or ORCA now?

You'll have access to CCR and ORCA until late July (specific date TBD). Whatever you've entered by that date will be moved to SAM and you can complete the process there after SAM goes live at the end of July.

3 Getting Data in SAM Q8: What will happen to my CCR and ORCA information when SAM goes live?

• Your records will be waiting for you in SAM. All you have to do is register in SAM, and SAM will validate your identity and walk you through the process of connecting you with your records.

• Please wait until time to update your registration or information before creating a SAM account.

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Q9: I work for the government and I use CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and/or EPLS to find information to support procurement or financial assistance awards or as part of processing payments or other job responsibilities. What information will I be able to access in SAM?

• Data that was public in the legacy systems will remain public in SAM.

• If you have a government email account or perform your searches from a government network, you'll automatically get access to FOUO data without having to apply for it.

• Your permissions will be migrated from CCR/FedReg, and EPLS to SAM.

• If you were a CCR Tools user and your access level was higher than FOUO or Proprietary, then you'll need to apply for access to that higher level of data once you have a SAM account.

Q10: I work for a private entity and I use CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and/or EPLS to find information. What information will I be able to access in SAM?

Data that was public in the legacy systems will remain public in SAM.

4 Training Materials Q11: What training materials are available for SAM?

Please see http://sam.gov for training materials. Quick start guides are available now.

Additional information, including a user guide and webinars on selected topics will be provided.

Q12: When should I start reviewing training materials?

We recommend you start reviewing the training materials (which will be posted on SAM.gov) 2 to 3 weeks before you need to update your registration.

5 Getting More Information Q13: Where do I go for more information about SAM?

The best place to look is on the http://sam.gov web page. We do not have an email distribution list for general information about SAM.

Q14: Can I sign up to get updates on SAM?

We do not have an email list for general information about SAM. The best place to get more information about SAM is the web site, http://sam.gov.