J.3. - Quick Start Guide for Contractor Registration.pdf

Quick Start Guide for Contract 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 record in SAM.gov.

What is an entity?

The term “entity” refers to prime contractors, organizations or individuals applying for assistance awards, those receiving loans, sole proprietors, corporations, partnerships, and any U.S. federal government agencies desiring to do business with the government. “Entity” can also refer to a party that has been suspended or debarred, is covered by a prohibition or restriction, or is otherwise excluded from doing business with the government.

What is entity registration?

An entity registration allows you to bid on government contracts and apply for federal assistance. We will assign you a Unique Entity ID as part of entity registration.

Comprehensive and current entity information is essential for the federal award process. It is important to prepare your information and allow sufficient time to understand and accurately complete your registration. You only need to complete and manage it here to remain eligible for federal awards. You must renew your registration every 365 days for it to remain active.

What do I need to get started?

Registrations require you to enter a lot of information about your entity. Information includes, but is not limited to your:

● entityʼs legal business name

● physical address

● tax identification number (TIN)

● CAGE or NCAGE code

● information about the types of goods and services you provide

● entity size

● optional Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) information

● disaster relief data

● representations and certifications

● points of contact

Visit the Get Started page at SAM.gov to view checklists and guides to help you prepare for registration. If you already have a Unique Entity ID but have not completed registration, go to this section.

U. S. General Services Administration 1 https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration

Start Registration 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 upper right corner of the page. Select “Accept” to accept the U.S.

Government System terms. A�er selecting “Accept,” the system will redirect 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 you are signed in, the system will redirect you to your SAM.gov Workspace.

4. On the “Entity Management” widget in the Workspace, select the “Get Started” button.

5. On the next page, select the “Register Entity” button.

6. On the next page, you will choose your entity type and your “Purpose of Registration.”

a. Select your type of entity. Choose “Business or Organization” if you are NOT a U.S.

State, U.S. Local, Tribal, or Foreign government entity.

b. There are two types of registration purposes: Financial Assistance Awards and All Awards. If you want to bid on contracts and other procurements, select the “I want to be able to bid on federal contracts or other procurement opportunities. I also want to be able to apply for grants, loans, and other financial assistance programs.” option. Then select “Next.”

i. An All Awards registration allows you to bid on contracts and other procurements, as well as apply for financial assistance. This type of registration requires more information.

ii. A Financial Assistance Awards registration allows you to apply for financial assistance, for example, grants and loans, only. This type of registration requires less information.

7. The next two pages display your choices from the Purpose of Registration page and a summary of the information you need to have prepared to complete your registration. Review the pages to make sure you are ready to start. Confirm your selections and select “Go back” if you need to change your purpose of registration or entity type. If your information is correct, select “Next.”

8. Here you will start to enter information about your entity. Enter your legal business name and physical address, then select “Next.”

9. Your entity name and address will be validated by SAM.gov. The next page will show an entity matched in SAM.gov. If your entity information is correct, select “Next.”

a. If the match shown is not your entity or you are unable to find a match, you can create a help ticket with the Federal Service Desk (FSD) from the page. Select the “Create Incident” button to contact the FSD for assistance.

10. On this page, you will choose whether to allow your entity record to be publicly displayed in SAM.gov. Note that if you deselect this box and restrict the public display of your entity, only you and federal government users will be able to view your entity record.

U. S. General Services Administration 2 https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0045979 https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0055230 https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0055230

11. Then, you must certify under penalty of law that you are authorized to conduct transactions for the entity. Then, select “Receive Unique Entity ID.”

12. The next page will display your Unique Entity ID. If the entity already has a registration or a Unique Entity ID, you will see informational alerts at the top of the page with more details.

13. Select “Continue Registration” to go to the next registration step. If you select “Done,” you will be redirected to your Workspace. You can continue registration later if you choose to.

Continuing Registration When you select “Continue Registration” from the “Receive Unique Entity ID” page, the remaining sections of registration will be displayed. Select “Continue” to begin entering information into the Core Data section of registration. Visit the Get Started page at SAM.gov to view checklists and guides to help you prepare for registration.

1. Enter additional organization information as required. You will create a Marketing Partner Identification Number (MPIN) on this page. It is important to remember your MPIN as it will serve as your electronic signature for the IRS Consent to Disclosure of Tax Information on the next page. You will need your MPIN in the future to make updates to your registration.

Continue to enter additional information into each section 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 “Entity Management” widget. A list of your registrations in progress will display.

2. Next to the record title you want to access, select the button with the three dots to the right of the entity name, then choose “Update” from the menu. You will be redirected to where you le� off in your registration.

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

A�er entering your information in each section, select the “Submit” button a�er your final review. 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 send you an email with instructions on updating your information and resubmitting your registration. You may need to work with the IRS or CAGE to update your information before resubmitting your registration.

U. S. General Services Administration 3 https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration

How do I check the status of my entity registration?

If you have a role with an entity and are signed in to your SAM.gov account, you can check your entity registration status. You can also check the status of an entityʼs registration as a federal user. If none of these is the case, you cannot check an entityʼs registration status.

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

2. From the home page, select the “Check Registration 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 registration status will display below.

U. S. General Services Administration 4