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:
● entity’s 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.

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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. After 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.

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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 left
off in your registration.
a. If you do not access or submit your registration within 90 days, the system will remove
it.
After entering your information in each section, select the “Submit” button after 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 after 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.

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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 entity’s registration as a federal user. If none of
these is the case, you cannot check an entity’s 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 entity’s registration status will
display below.

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