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Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs) for

SAM Registration, UEI Requirement, and

ACH Form for Recurring TEOAF Vendors

05/16/2023

   
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Table of Contents

1. Why is TEOAF requiring its recurring vendors to register in SAM.gov? ............................................... 3

2. What is a SAM Registration?................................................................................................................. 3

3. What is a SAM.gov “entity”?................................................................................................................. 3

4. What is a UEI? .......................................................................................................................................3

5. What if I registered in SAM.gov prior to April 4, 2022, do I still need to obtain a UEI? .......................3

6. Do I need to obtain a separate UEI for each of my organizations associated with equitable sharing

and/or joint operations related activities? ................................................................................................... 3

7. Do I need to register my organization on SAM.gov or can I obtain a UEI without registering?...........4

8. Do I need to provide a 4‐digit EFT number in addition to my UEI on my ACH form?...........................4

9. How do I find my UEI in SAM.gov?........................................................................................................ 4

10. What types of vendors does TEOAF require to obtain a UEI? .............................................................. 4

11. I have a vendor that is supposed to receive a refund or remission payment, do they need a UEI? ....4

12. How do I obtain a UEI?.......................................................................................................................... 4

13. As a recurring TEOAF vendor, when do I have to obtain a UEI and provide that information to

TEOAF?..........................................................................................................................................................5

14. I am a state or local law enforcement agency, who do I send my updated ACH with my UEI and ,if

applicable, a 4‐digit EFT number?................................................................................................................. 5

15. Do I need to include banking information on my updated ACH form even if my banking information

has not changed?..........................................................................................................................................5

16. Why do I need to indicate the TEOAF program for which the UEI is related to on my ACH form?......5

17. Where can I obtain a new ACH form and more information on TEOAF’s requirement for recurring

vendors to register in SAM.gov and obtain a UEI? ....................................................................................... 5

18. Is there additional guidance on how I should register in SAM.gov or how I should fill out an ACH

form?............................................................................................................................................................. 5
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1. Why is TEOAF requiring its recurring vendors to register in SAM.gov?

a. TEOAF is planning to migrate from the Custom and Border Protection’s (CBP’s) Finance

and Accounting Division (FAD) accounting system to the Administrative Resource Center

(ARC) Oracle accounting system in October 2024.  Generally, all entities wishing to do

business with the federal government must have a unique entity identifier (UEI).   Once

migration to ARC Oracle is complete, registration in SAM, as well as possession of a valid

UEI, will be required for all entities that wish to do business with TEOAF.   

2. What is a SAM Registration?

a. The System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is an official website of the U.S.

Government, for which there is no cost to use. The SAM.gov site can be used to:

i. Register to do business with the U.S. Government.

ii. Update, renew, or check the status of your entity registration.

iii. Search for entity registration and exclusion records.

iv. Search for assistance listings (formerly CFDA.gov), wage determinations

(formerly WDOL.gov), contract opportunities (formerly FBO.gov), and contract

data reports (formerly part of FPDS.gov).

v. View and submit BioPreferred and Service Contract Reports.

vi. Access publicly available award data via data extracts and system accounts.

3. What is a SAM.gov “entity”?

a. The term “entity” is used to refer 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.

4. What is a UEI?

a. Effective since April 4, 2022, the Unique Entity ID (UEI) is the official identifier for doing

business with the U.S. Government, replacing the DUNS number. As stated previously,

all entities wishing to do business with the federal government must have a valid UEI

issued by SAM.gov.  

5. What if I registered in SAM.gov prior to April 4, 2022, do I still need to obtain a UEI?

a. Yes, if you registered in SAM.gov prior to April 4, 2022, SAM.gov will automatically

assign you a UEI.  You should navigate to https://sam.gov/content/home to renew your

existing entity record in SAM.gov by clicking the “Renew Entity” button on the SAM.gov

homepage.

6. Do I need to obtain a separate UEI for each of my organizations associated with equitable

sharing and/or joint operations related activities?

a. If each organization has a separate Legal Business Name and Physical Address, you will

need to register in SAM.gov and obtain a separate UEI for each organization/entity (i.e.,

for each unique Legal Business Name and Physical Address combination). For more

information regarding how the GSA Entity Validation Service works, please click here.
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7. Do I need to register my organization on SAM.gov or can I obtain a UEI without

registering?

a. For TEOAF’s purposes, all Recurring TEOAF vendors (e.g., vendors that receive recurring

payments from TEOAF typically associated with the Equitable Sharing and Joint

Operations programs) must be registered in SAM.gov AND obtain a valid 12‐digit UEI

and, if applicable, a 4‐digit EFT number (see the following question for more information

regarding the 4‐digit EFT number).  Without registering in SAM.gov AND obtaining a

valid UEI, TEOAF will be unable to send payments to your organization, effective

October 2024.  

8. Do I need to provide a 4‐digit EFT number in addition to my UEI on my ACH form?

a. Only entities that require more than one bank/Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) account

for the same Legal Business Name and Physical Address combination should create a 4‐

digit EFT and must provide it on their ACH form. For more information regarding EFTs,

please click here.  The following page contains information on how to obtain an EFT,

please click here.

9. How do I find my UEI in SAM.gov?

a. If you are already registered in SAM.gov and have been assigned a UEI, you can follow

the following steps to view your UEI in SAM.gov:

1. Log into SAM.gov.

2. In your workspace, select the numbered bubble above “Active” in the Entity

Management Widget.

3. Any registered entity records will then be displayed, and the UEI number(s) are

shown on the left side of each record.

Please refer to the following article about how to locate your entity in SAM.gov, please

click here.

10. What types of vendors does TEOAF require to obtain a UEI?

a. Only Recurring TEOAF vendors (e.g., vendors that receive recurring payments from

TEOAF typically associated with the Joint Operations and Equitable Sharing programs)

must be registered in SAM.gov and have a valid UEI and, if applicable, a 4‐digit EFT

number.

11. I have a vendor that is supposed to receive a refund or remission payment, do they need

a UEI?

a. No, only Recurring TEOAF vendors (e.g., vendors that receive recurring payments from

TEOAF typically associated with the Joint Operations and Equitable Sharing programs)

must be registered in SAM.gov and have a valid UEI and, if applicable, a 4‐digit EFT.

12. How do I obtain a UEI?

a. Navigate to https://sam.gov/content/home, and on the home page do one of the

following:
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i. If already registered in SAM.gov ‐ Renew your existing entity record in SAM.gov

by clicking the “Renew Entity” button on the SAM.gov homepage.

ii. If not registered in SAM.gov – Obtain a UEI by clicking the “Get Started” button

on the SAM.gov homepage and follow the steps included on that page.

13. As a recurring TEOAF vendor, when do I have to obtain a UEI and provide that

information to TEOAF?

a. Beginning October 2024, TEOAF will no longer process transactions for recurring

vendors that are not registered in SAM.gov and do not have a valid UEI and, if

applicable, a 4‐digit EFT number.  If TEOAF does not receive valid UEI/EFT information by

this date, delays in issuing payments for that entity will result until valid UEI/EFT

information is received by TEOAF.  

14. I am a state or local law enforcement agency, who do I send my updated ACH with my

UEI and ,if applicable, a 4‐digit EFT number?

a. Once the ACH form has been fully completed, it can be transmitted  to a TFF bureau HQ

contact or bureau liaison who will in turn send it to TEOAF at tffvendors@cbp.dhs.gov.

Alternatively, it can be sent directly from the state or local law enforcement agency to

TEOAF via the tffvendors@cbp.dhs.gov mailbox.  

15. Do I need to include banking information on my updated ACH form even if my banking

information has not changed?

a. Yes, even if your banking information has not changed. you must include the existing

banking information because it is the only way we can match your entity with the

existing entity in our vendor database.  

16. Why do I need to indicate the TEOAF program for which the UEI is related to on my ACH

form?

a. TEOAF needs state and local agencies to indicate the program that the UEI is related to

because some state and local agencies participate in multiple TEOAF programs and

would like to ensure that TEOAF program funds are transmitted to the correct bank

account.  

17. Where can I obtain a new ACH form and more information on TEOAF’s requirement for

recurring vendors to register in SAM.gov and obtain a UEI?

a. https://home.treasury.gov/policy‐issues/terrorism‐and‐illicit‐finance/asset‐

forfeiture/forms‐guidelines‐and‐teoaf‐policy‐directives  

18. Is there additional guidance on how I should register in SAM.gov or how I should fill out

an ACH form?

a. Please refer to the PowerPoint Presentation titled SAM Registration, UEI Requirement,

and ACH Form for Recurring TEOAF Vendors PPT on TEOAF’s public facing Forms,

Guidelines, and TEOAF Policy Directives page:

https://home.treasury.gov/policy‐issues/terrorism‐and‐illicit‐finance/asset‐

forfeiture/forms‐guidelines‐and‐teoaf‐policy‐directives.
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Quick start guides for entity registrations that were created and are maintained by GSA

can be found on the SAM.gov website via the following link:

https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=gsafsd_kb_articles&sys_id=8b577ef81bbdc950fe314

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