# Registration, Renewal, and CAGE Creation in System for Award Management (SAM)

###             Updated: March 27, 2024        

**Purpose:**  To provide guidance on the entity registration, validation, and renewal process on SAM.gov that also creates a Vendor's Commercial And Government Entity code.

                Registration, Renewal, and CAGE Creation in System for Award Management (SAM)                            How Vendors use SAM.gov to work with the Government by: creating and maintaining accounts, entity registration, entity validation, CAGE code creation, updating and renewing registration/contact info.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Jakia VelazquezVIRIN: 240222-D-D0441-9003

## Jump To Sections:

      - What is SAM.gov?
      - Signing Up vs. Registering an Entity
      - Creating a SAM.gov Account
      - Entity Registration          - Registering an Entity
        - Validating an Entity
        - Confirming CAGE Creation
        - Updating or Renewing Entity Registration 
      - Keeping Points Of Contact (POCs) Up to Date  
      - Contact Information

Terms Glossary

## What is SAM.gov?

For more understanding on the general purposes of SAM.gov, see About SAM.gov.

The System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is an official Government website used to do business with the U.S. Government. This site can be used to:
      - register or check the status of an entity.
      - update or renew an entity registration.
      - look for entity registration and exclusion records.
      - retrieve award data that is publicly available.

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## Signing Up vs. Registering an Entity

It is important to understand the difference between signing up and registering when visiting SAM.gov.

                “**Signing up**” is the act of creating an account on SAM.gov and setting up your profile.                            "**Registering"** provides an entity (an individual or organization) the ability to bid on contracts or apply for federal assistance (e.g., grants, loans) on SAM.gov.            

For more information see, What’s the difference between signing up and registering?

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## Creating a SAM.gov Account

Before accessing the many features of SAM.gov, you must first set up a SAM.gov user account.

Expand All1. SAM.gov Home and Select Sign In- On the homepage,  select 'sign in'  from the upper right corner
- Accept  the U.S. Government terms to sign into this website.

                SAM.gov                            When signing into the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) users must accept the U.S. Government System terms and conditions of using the site.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: John McCormickVIRIN: 240122-D-D0441-9006

2. Use Login.gov info or Create an Account                SAM.gov utilizes Login.gov, a service that manages user account credentials and allows you to sign in to many federal Government websites.
A. If you **already have a Login.gov account**, connect it to your SAM.gov account by selecting ‘sign in’ and inputting your email address and password.

B. If you **do not have a Login.gov account**, select ‘create an account.'

                Registration and Renewal in System for Award Management (SAM.gov)                            When setting up an account for the first time a new user can use an existing Login.gov profile or create a new account in SAM.gov.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: John McCormickVIRIN: 240122-D-D0441-9005

3. Fill In Information and Submit                 To create your account:- Enter your  email address
- Select your  email language preference
- Select the box to  accept Login.gov’s rules of use
- Click  ‘Submit’

                Registration and Renewal in System for Award Management (SAM.gov)                            When creating an account for new users because they have never used login.gov they must enter a valid email address, select their language preference, accept login.gov's terms of use, and submit their information.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: John McCormickVIRIN: 240122-D-D0441-9004

**Resources for signing up on SAM.gov:**
- How do I sign up and sign in on SAM.gov?
- FAQs on Login.gov

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Entity Registration
Before doing business with the federal Government, a Vendor must first register and then validate their entity at SAM.gov.

The Vendor will go through the entity validation process when registering their entity. After a Vendor registers in SAM.gov, a CAGE code is created for the Vendor.
Registering an Entity
Registering involves providing information about yourself or your organization so that the Government can verify that you are a legitimate entity that can bid on Government contracts or apply for federal grants or loans. 

Entity Registration Process **Entity Registration Process: https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=gsafsd_kb_articles&sys_id=0eb9fca3db77bd90a8cb4a391396198d

Registering is essential to **obtaining your unique entity ID** which is needed to do business with the Government.   Expand AllVideo on Entity Registration and Entity Management
Video on Entity Registration - Workspace Navigation
Video on Entity Registration - Core Data
Small Business Administration SAM.gov Registration Training Video
**Resources for entity registration:**
- Quick Start Links: Getting Started with Entity Registration  - provides a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and quick start guides that offer step-by-step guidance on entity registration.
- Entity Registration Checklist (PDF)  - helps you gather information and prepare to answer questions for your registration.
- How do I check the status of an entity registration or Unique Entity ID in SAM.gov?
- How long does it take until an entity registration is considered active?

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Validating an Entity
Validating a Vendor’s entity is essential when registering an entity on SAM.gov to get a unique entity ID. Validation is necessary when you:
- register an entity
- renew an entity registration each year
- get a Unique Entity ID
- update or change your entity’s name or address

Entity Validation Process **Entity Validation Process: https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0058402

Validation is when a Vendor provides the correct legal business name and physical address of their entity, and the Government uses an entity validation service (EVS) to confirm that information. This is how the Government verifies that an entity exists and is unique.

Dive deeper into the process of Validating your Entity on SAM.gov.

**Resources for understanding entity validation:**
- Quick Access Links: Validating your Entity
- What documentation do I need to validate my entity?
- How long does entity validation take?

** SAM.gov recently changed their entity validation service (EVS) provider which may cause a Vendor not to be able to find a match even if they are currently registered in SAM.gov. Because of this, some cases require additional documentation and a manual review to validate an entity.

Review Times for Validating Entity Submissions                Once documentation for validating an entity has been submitted, the review time will vary based on whether a match can be made from the original documents that were submitted or if additional documentation is needed.
Less complex registration cases that involve additional documentation needed may be resolved within five days; however, other cases may take as long as several weeks.

                Registration and Renewal in System for Award Management (SAM.gov)                            Flowchart demonstrates the lifecycle of how entity validation works in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: John McCormickVIRIN: 240122-D-D0441-9003

How Does Entity Validation Work in SAM.gov?
The steps within the entity validation process in SAM.gov. are:
- You are About to Validate Your Entity
- Enter Entity Information
- We are Searching Millions of Records
- Enter Incorporation Information
- Review Entity Details (select entity)
- Are All of Your Details Correct?    - If Yes, proceed to step 11. Receive Entity Validation
  - if No, process to step 7, Update Entity Details 
- Update Entity Details
- Confirm Entity Details
- Document Your Entity Details
- Entity Documents Submitted   Note:  At this point, your validation incident is generated. The EVS has received your documents and will conduct a review. Processing and resolving new incidents with correct documentation currently will take 7 calendar days. Submitting incorrect documents will delay incident resolution timeframes.
- Receive Entity Validation
- Get Unique Entity ID
- Proceed to Core Data Registration pages (if registering)

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Confirming CAGE Creation
To do business with the government, a Vendor will need a CAGE Code. A CAGE code is a five-character identifier assigned by the DLA CAGE Program Office to entities located within the United States and its territories.

**During the registration process on SAM.gov**, a new CAGE code will be assigned if one does not exist already. If a Vendor has an existing CAGE code, their information will be updated.

Although the time may vary, it can take up to 10 business days for the CAGE Program Office to process all CAGE requests. Once a Vendor registers in SAM, the CAGE validation status can be checked with the Check Entity Status Tool.

Check Entity Status Tool **Check Entity Status Tool: https://sam.gov/content/status-tracker

            For more information on understanding CAGE registration, see CAGE FAQs.        

During the CAGE validation process, SAM.gov may return a Vendor’s registration in the form of an email notification because of missing, incomplete, or invalid information. Once the corrected documentation has been received by the CAGE Program Office, the SAM registration status will reflect "Pending CAGE Validation."
**Contact Information**- For questions regarding CAGE validation, and statuses reflecting "Pending CAGE Validation," contact the  DLA Customer Interaction Center (CIC)  for assistance.
- For any other status that is reflected, contact the  Federal Service Desk (FSD) .
- For general questions on CAGE Contact the Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code Program at:

**Toll Free:**1-877-352-2255**Commercial/FTS:**1-269-961-7766**DSN:** 661-7766**Email:**dlacontactcenter@dla.mil

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Updating or Renewing Entity Registration
An entity registration must be renewed annually from the date you last certified and submitted the registration in SAM.gov.

If any details of a company change between annual renewals, the Vendor must be sure to update their SAM registration immediately.

SAM.gov Renewal Process **SAM.gov Renewal Process: https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=gsafsd_kb_articles&sys_id=707404621b327d90860e62cfe54bcb58

It is best practice to begin the renewal and validation process 45 days before the expiration date to avoid having a registration expire while under review.

The Vendor must maintain an active registration status to continue their business endeavors with the Government.

**Resources for understanding updating or renewing entity registration:**
- How do I update/renew an existing entity registration in SAM.gov?
- Quick Access User Links: How to renew or update an entity

Review Times and Checking Status of Registration Submissions
The timeframe for when an entity registration is considered active depends on the purpose of the Vendor's registration and the processing time.

For help checking the status of a registration, visit How do I check the status of an entity registration or Unique Entity ID in SAM.gov?.

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Keeping POCs Up to Date
It is important to keep Vendor points of contact (POCs) information up to date on SAM.gov as other Government systems will use the Vendor POC when contacting.

** Updating your entity’s POCs does not update your registration status, so be sure to still update your entity registration annually.        

When creating or updating a registration, one will find the POCs section towards the end of the registration. However, if you are looking to only update the POC information without updating your entire registration, that section can be completed at the beginning of the entity update.

Updating POC Information **Updating POC Information: https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=gsafsd_kb_articles&sys_id=2f68217e871bf590f20c63180cbb35f2

**For troubleshooting** see,****Why can’t I update the POCs on my registration?

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Contact Information**DLA Customer Interaction Center (CIC)**
For help setting up a Vendor SAM.gov account, registration, or CAGE code creation reach out to the CIC.

**Hours of Operation**Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including government holidays.U.S. Calls: 1-877-DLA-CALLEmail: dlacontactcenter@dla.mil
**Federal Service Desk**
For additional guidance on SAM.gov topics, creating an incident ticket with SAM.gov, or for a live chat, go to Federal Service Desk.

**Hours of Operation**Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ETU.S. Calls: 866-606-8220International calls: +1 334-206-7828
Terms Glossary
Find meanings for acronyms, abbreviations, and codes used throughout the process article below in the table:
Terms UsedMeaningCAGECommercial and Government EntityCICCustomer Interaction CenterDLADefense Logistics AgencyEVSEntity Validation ServiceFAQFrequently Asked QuestionFSDFederal Service DeskIDIdentity/IdentifierPDFPortable Document FormatPOCPoint of ContactSAMSystem for Award Management

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