NCAGE_and_SAM_registration_guide.pdf

Notes to Vendors about NCAGE Codes and Registering in SAM

Below are instructions for getting NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) codes (when necessary) and registering in the System for Award Management (SAM).

U.S. vendors can ignore the instructions about NCAGE since they will receive CAGE codes automatically as a result of the SAM registration process. Foreign vendors will need to pay attention to the NCAGE codes and all of the other information below that is applicable to foreign vendors.

1. Who must get an NCAGE Code?

Any vendor based overseas that is required by a CO to be registered in SAM.

2. Who must register in SAM?

Any vendor required to do so by the CO, whether the request is made in the solicitation or otherwise. FAR 4.1102 describes when a CO would have to require vendors to register in SAM.

3. How do we obtain an NCAGE Code?

a. Request and obtain an NCAGE Code through https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx. For more information, see http://pd.statebuy.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=62&menu_id=60 and http://www.dlis.dla.mil/Forms/Form_AC135.asp; and

b. Once you receive the NCAGE Code, verify with the U.S. Department of

Defense’s (DoD’s) Business Identification Number Cross-reference System

(BINCS, at http://www.logisticsinformationservice.dla.mil/BINCS) that the

NCAGE code has been successfully input into the BINCS system. Once the

NCAGE code has been entered into BINCS, SAM will be able to validate the

NCAGE code the vendor enters into SAM. Only after a SAM registration is completed and fully validated can a vendor be considered to have a current, active registration in SAM. If the NCAGE code is not in BINCS or if there is a problem with the information regarding the code, that page also has information on how to contact the DoD office that operates BINCS.

NOTE: NCAGE code requests can take from a few days to several weeks to process.

https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx http://pd.statebuy.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=62&menu_id=60 http://www.dlis.dla.mil/Forms/Form_AC135.asp http://www.logisticsinformationservice.dla.mil/BINCS

4. What information should we provide NATO to get an NCAGE Code?

NATO will ask for your Legal Business Name and address, among other data.

If you are a foreign vendor registering in SAM, you will also be required to obtain a

DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet before you can complete your SAM registration.

See http://www.statebuy.state.gov for more information. Please note the Legal Business

Name and address provided to Dun and Bradstreet for the DUNS number must exactly match (including spelling, capitalization, punctuation and spacing) the Legal

Business Name and address provided to NATO for the NCAGE code. The DUNS number name and address information will be fed automatically into SAM from the Dun and Bradstreet database. Since SAM will also check BINCS for the NCAGE Code as well as the name and address in BINCS, if the information for the DUNS number does not match the information for the NCAGE Code, SAM will be unable to complete the validation of the SAM registration.

If you are a foreign vendor, one way to help ensure the information for the DUNS number and the NCAGE code are the same is to apply for them at the same time, perhaps also cut/pasting from one request form to the other. You can apply for both at the same time since it is not necessary to have a DUNS number before getting an NCAGE code, nor is it necessary to have an NCAGE code before getting a DUNS number. However, both are needed before a vendor can complete their SAM registration. Since NCAGE

Codes can take significantly longer to obtain than DUNS numbers, we recommend submitting the NCAGE request first.

5. How many NCAGE Codes do we need?

In most cases, only one will be necessary. Please note that for proper DUNS identification, vendors must have a separate vendor DUNS number for each vendor location involved in a government contract, grant or cooperative agreement. If vendor facilities at more than one physical address are involved, then you will need more than one DUNS number. For any such facilities located in the U.S. and registered in SAM, the facility would automatically receive a CAGE code as part of the SAM registration process, so NCAGE codes would not be necessary for such facilities located in the U.S. Since the Legal Business Name and address associated with an NCAGE Code must be identical to those associated with a DUNS number, any such facilities located outside the U.S. would need separate NCAGE Codes, If more than one facility located outside the U.S. is involved in the performance of the contract, then you will need more than one NCAGE Code. Each NCAGE Code must be requested separately.

6. What information should we provide SAM to get an active registration in SAM?

Instructions on how to register and renew are available on the SAM website at http://www.sam.gov. Additional information (in English and a limited number of other languages) is available on the public A/OPE internet site at http://pd.statebuy.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=62&menu_id=60. Please pay special attention to which fields are required and not required, and which fields should be left blank.

http://www.statebuy.state.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://pd.statebuy.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=62&menu_id=60

The registration will not validate unless the correct fields are filled out with the correct information.

When registering in SAM, foreign vendors should keep in mind that since SAM is used to register for U.S. federal government business, the questions it asks are asked from the U.S.

point of view. Also, SAM is only able to validate information from BINCS or other U.S.

systems. Data from other countries that is not contained in BINCS or another U.S. system cannot be verified, and SAM may be unable to complete the validation process in such cases.

Such data fields should be left completely blank. For example:

When SAM asks whether the vendor is a small business, this refers only to small businesses based in the U.S. Foreign vendors are always considered to be “other than small” or “large.”

When SAM asks for the ABA Banking information and other Electronic Funds

Transfer (EFT) information, SAM is only equipped to handle EFT information in

U.S. format. If this information is in another, non-U.S. format, leave this information blank in SAM;

Only fill in the Tax ID number if it is a U.S. Tax ID number. Otherwise, leave it blank.

7. When may I complete my SAM registration?

You may draft part of a registration and save the draft in SAM. However, you will not be able to complete the registration until:

You have received your DUNS number from DUN and Bradstreet;

For foreign vendors, your NCAGE Code is listed correctly in BINCS; and

You are able to provide all other information required by SAM.

At that point, you should enter your DUNS Number (and NCAGE Code if needed) into

SAM, complete your registration and submit it. The SAM registration process typically takes the applicant about 30 minutes once all the required information is available, and should become active within 3-5 business days.

8. How many SAM registrations do I need?

In most cases, only one will be necessary. Please note that for proper location identification, vendors must have a separate vendor DUNS number (and NCAGE Code, for foreign-based vendors at overseas locations) for each vendor location involved in a government contract, grant or cooperative agreement. It therefore may sometimes be necessary to obtain more than one DUNS number if vendor facilities at more than one physical address are involved.

Vendor facilities located in the U.S. and registered in SAM will automatically be given a

CAGE code by SAM as part of the SAM registration process. If a foreign-based vendor has more than one facility located overseas, they will need separate NCAGE codes for each facility. Each vendor facility involved in the performance of a contract, grant or cooperative agreement must be separately registered in SAM, under their respective DUNS numbers (and

NCAGE Codes if needed).

9. Do I have to renew my SAM registration? If so, how often?

SAM registrations must be updated when information in them changes, but at least annually. Per FAR 4.1201(b)(1), anyone registering in SAM must update their representations and certifications in SAM as necessary, but at least annually. See FAR

4.1201(b)(2) for conditions under which vendors must update their business size representation in SAM regardless of whether that update is part of the contractor’s regular update. FAR 4.1201(b)(2) only applies to vendors based in the U.S.