Appendix 5 - Quick Start Guide for Grant Registrations.pdf

Quick Start Guide for Financial Assistance Registrations

How to Start Registering a New Entity in SAM.gov

SAM.gov is an official website of the United States government. There is no charge to register or maintain your entity registration in SAM.gov.

Introduction and Definitions

What is SAM.gov?

You can use SAM.gov to register to do business with the U.S. government. A SAM.gov registration is required to apply for and receive payment for U.S. federal government grants or other financial assistance.

Registering includes both entity validation and entity registration. The federal government does not require registration if your grant is not federally funded.

What is entity validation?

Before you can register your entity, you must validate it. Entity validation confirms an entityʼs existence, location, and uniqueness. The uniqueness of an entity is based on it being a separate legal entity with a separate physical address.

An entity validation service (EVS) independently verifies the uniqueness of an entity. SAM.gov verifies that there is no existing registration for the entity as part of validation. Once your entity is validated, you will receive a Unique Entity Identifier for it. This process is required by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 52.204-6.

What is a Unique Entity ID?

SAM.gov assigns a Unique Entity ID to entities when they pass validation in SAM.gov. The Unique Entity ID is a 12-character alphanumeric identifier used in SAM.gov and other federal government systems to identify a unique entity.

What is entity registration?

An entity registration allows you to apply for U.S. federal government financial assistance.

You must renew your registration every 365 days for it to remain active. We recommend that you begin your renewal 45–60 days before your registration expires to have enough time to validate your entity and complete the registration.

What do I need to get started?

Registrations require information about your entity including, but not limited to, your:

● Entityʼs legal business name

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● Physical address

● National identifier (if your entity is based outside the United States)

● Entity start year

● Tax identification number (TIN)—only needed if your entity pays U.S. taxes

● Banking information—for U.S. entities and non-U.S. entities with a U.S. bank account that you want to use to receive payments

● CAGE or NCAGE code—required for entities that have a CAGE or NCAGE code and for entities seeking financial assistance from the Department of Defense

● Entity points of contact

Visit the Get Started page at SAM.gov to view a checklist to help you prepare for registration. If you already have a Unique Entity ID but have not completed registration, you can skip to that section of the checklist.

The Difference between Financial Assistance and All Awards Registrations Financial Assistance: A financial assistance awards registration allows you to apply for financial assistance, such as grants and loans. The federal government supports a broad range of financial assistance —in various areas such as education, health care, research, infrastructure, economic development, and others—through grants, loans, scholarships, insurance, and other types of financial assistance.

All Awards: An all awards registration allows you to bid on contracts and other procurements, and apply for financial assistance. Unlike grants, which are assistance mechanisms, contracts are a procurement mechanism. The federal government uses contracts to purchase goods or services for direct benefit or use by the government.

Provide Information and Validate Your Entity When you are ready to start a new entity registration, go to SAM.gov and follow these steps:

1. Select the “Sign In” link at the top of the page. Select “Accept” to accept the U.S. Government System terms. The system redirects you to login.gov.

2. Login.gov is a service that manages usernames and passwords for SAM.gov. If you already have a login.gov account, sign in with your credentials. Otherwise, select “Create An Account” and follow the prompts.

3. Once signed in, the system redirects you to your SAM.gov Workspace.

4. In the “Entities” section in the Workspace, select the “Get Started” button.

5. On the next page is a welcome screen. Take a moment to download the guide under

“Download Your Registration Guide.” Then select the “Create New Entity” button.

6. The next page asks, “What is your goal?” If you want to apply directly for federal grants or other federal assistance, select “Directly with the U.S. federal government,” then select “Apply for federal financial assistance” for the next option.

7. Select “Next,” and answer “Who required your entity to be in SAM.gov?” on the next page.

Select “Federal government.” If you are applying for funds from a specific agency, you can select it as well.

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8. Select “Next.” SAM.gov suggests an option on the next page, which should be Financial Assistance if you answered the questions as just described. You can select any option, regardless of the recommendation.

9. On the next page, you are asked, “Are you registering a government entity?”

a. Select “No” if you are registering a for-profit or non-profit business or organization.

b. Select “Yes” if you are registering an official organization, department, or institution of a U.S. state, local, or territorial government; a tribal government; or a foreign government. If you select “Yes,” choose your type of government entity on the next page.

10. On the next page, answer whether you are receiving or applying for financial assistance from the Department of Defense. If yes, select whether your entity is located in the U.S.

11. On the next page, the system asks if you already have a CAGE or NCAGE code.

a. If you have one, select “Yes, and I can provide.” Enter and search for your code.

b. If you do not have one, select “No.” If you are seeking financial assistance from the

Department of Defense and your entity is located outside of the U.S., you must get an NCAGE code before continuing.

12. Confirm your selections on the next two pages, or select “Previous” to go back and select different options.

13. On the next page, enter information about your entity. Enter your entityʼs legal business name, doing business as name (if applicable), and physical address, then select “Next.”

14. The “You Are About to Validate Your Entity” page displays. It lists the information used to validate your entity. You may need to submit documents to complete validation. Confirm that you can provide documentation to validate your entity information, then select “Next.”

15. If your entity is already in SAM.gov, you will get an alert. Follow the on-screen instructions. If your entity is already in SAM.gov and you need to get a role to update it, do not continue as if it were a new entity. Take the time to get a role now to avoid spending more time deleting the duplicate information later.

16. If your entity is not already in SAM.gov, the system will validate your entity name and address to verify your entityʼs existence, location, and uniqueness. Review the detailed process for entity validation.

17. If you do not find your information when validating your entity in SAM.gov, you must submit documentation to prove your entityʼs legal business name, physical address, start year, and state of incorporation. Once you submit your documents, you will get a reference ID number and you will have to wait for the EVS to enter or update your validation data before you can proceed.

18. If you submit documentation, then the entity validation service will update your entity information. Once that has happened, return to SAM.gov to complete your validation.

19. Choose whether to allow your entity record to be publicly displayed in SAM.gov.

20. Certify under penalty of law that you are authorized to conduct transactions for the entity.

Then select “Receive Unique Entity ID.”

21. The next page displays your Unique Entity ID. Select “Continue Registration” to go to the next registration step. Selecting “Done” redirects you to your Workspace. You can continue registration later.

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Register Your Entity When you continue your registration, SAM.gov displays the registration sections you must complete.

For Financial Assistance Awards Only, those are Core Data, Representations and Certifications, and Points of Contact. Refer to the guide you downloaded earlier for a checklist of the information you must provide and the questions you must answer.

Continue to enter information into each section—Representations and Certifications and Points of Contact—as required. Your information will be saved when you select “Save and Continue” on each page.

If you exit registration before completing it, you can access it later from your Workspace.

1. Sign in to SAM.gov and, in the Workspace, select the “Work in Progress” bubble on the “Entities” widget. A list of your registrations in progress will display.

2. Next to the record title you want to access, select the Actions menu (the three vertical dots), then choose “Update” from the menu. You will be redirected to where you le� off in your registration.

a. If you do not edit or submit your registration within 90 days, the system will remove it.

A�er entering your information in each section and giving the registration a final review, select the “Submit” button. You will receive a “Registration Submitted – Confirmation” message on the screen. If you do not see this message, you have not submitted your registration.

When will my registration become active?

Allow at least ten business days a�er you submit your registration for it to become active in SAM.gov.

If your entity fails TIN or CAGE code validation, SAM.gov will email you instructions on updating your information and resubmitting your registration. If you notice your registration has an alert notification displaying that CAGE has rejected the registration, please contact the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Customer Interaction Center at dlacontactcenter@dla.mil, 1-877-352-2255, or DSN 661-7766 to correct or update the necessary information. You may need to work with the IRS or DLA to update your information before resubmitting your registration.

How do I check the status of my entity registration?

If you are the person who submitted the registration and are signed in to your SAM.gov account, you can check your entity registration status.

1. Sign in to SAM.gov. You must be signed in to check your entity status.

2. From the home page, select the “Check Entity Status” button. The page is also linked in the footer of all pages on SAM.gov.

3. Enter a Unique Entity ID or CAGE code and select “Search.” The entityʼs status will display below.

Entity Roles The person who registers the entity will be assigned as an Entity Administrator. You should assign the same role to at least one other person in your organization. Otherwise, you will have to submit a

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To learn more about entity roles, see the Role Management Guide and more information on specific roles and permissions.

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