How to Register on SAM.gov: UEI, CAGE and Active Status (2026)

If you want to bid on federal contracts, an active SAM.gov registration is the price of admission. Here is what a small construction or services firm actually needs to do, in plain terms.

SAM.gov, the System for Award Management, is the U.S. government's official vendor registration database, run by the General Services Administration. Registering creates an active entity record, which is what makes your business eligible to receive federal contract awards and payments. The registration itself is free. If someone tries to charge you a fee to register your entity, they are not the government. Legitimate consultants can charge to help you through the process, but the record on SAM.gov costs nothing.

A UEI on its own is not enough

There are two very different things you can do on SAM.gov, and mixing them up costs new contractors weeks.

The first is getting a Unique Entity ID (UEI) only. The UEI is a 12-character alphanumeric code that replaced the old DUNS number in April 2022 as the standard federal identifier. A UEI-only record gives your business an identity in federal systems, which is enough for some sub-awardees and organizations that only handle federal reporting. It does not make you an active vendor, and it does not let you bid as a prime.

The second is full entity registration. This is what you need to compete for contracts or apply for grants directly. During full registration the UEI is assigned to you automatically as part of the record, so you never apply for it separately. When SAM.gov asks why you are registering, most contractors should choose the option that covers all awards, which keeps your options open.

Registration is the starting line, not the finish line. An active record makes you eligible; it does not generate bids or contracts on its own.

What to have ready before you start

Registration goes much faster if you gather these first:

A Login.gov account with identity verification completed. This is the government's single sign-on, and its identity proofing can be slow, so do it early.
Your EIN or tax ID. The legal business name on your SAM record must match the IRS record for that EIN exactly, character for character.
A physical business address in standard USPS format. Not a P.O. box. If the format does not validate, registration stalls.
Banking details for electronic funds transfer: routing number, account number, account type, and an ACH contact phone number. That contact matters, because it is who the government calls if there is a payment problem after you win.
Your NAICS codes. At least one, and you can add several. Contracting officers assign a NAICS code to each solicitation, so the codes on your profile decide which opportunities you match.

The registration steps

Sign in through Login.gov and open your SAM.gov workspace.
Start a new entity registration and choose "Register Entity," not "Get UEI Only," if you intend to bid.
Let the system search for an existing record. If your business already has a UEI from a prior DUNS transition, select it rather than creating a duplicate.
Work through the multi-section form: business details, tax ID, banking, NAICS codes. Each section saves independently, so you can step away and come back.
Complete the Representations and Certifications. These are legal attestations about your size, ownership and business status, not administrative checkboxes. Read them carefully.
Submit. For U.S. entities, a CAGE code is assigned automatically as part of the process.

Timeline

Plan for roughly 7 to 10 business days for government validation once you submit. New entities, very new EINs, or any record that hits a validation issue can take three to four weeks. The lesson is simple: do not start your registration the week bids are due.

Staying active

Once your record shows "Active," you are eligible for awards. To keep that status you must renew annually. The UEI itself does not expire, but an expired registration means you cannot receive an award, even if you win the competition. Put the renewal date on a calendar the day you activate.

After you are active

The work now shifts from paperwork to pursuit. Set up saved searches filtered by your NAICS codes, place of performance and agency, so relevant opportunities come to you. Keep your capability statement current and ready to send. And make sure your UEI and CAGE code live in your internal vendor file next to your EIN, because you will use them on every bid, teaming agreement and payment setup from here on.

Where Farier fits

Getting registered is administrative. Delivering the work after the award is where projects are won or lost. Farier helps clients and teaming partners move from a clean registration to disciplined execution, with the planning, coordination and documentation that public work demands. If you are getting procurement-ready and want a delivery partner lined up, start a conversation.