Complete Guide to SAM.gov
SAM.gov is the front door to federal contracting. Whether you're registering your business for the first time, searching for contract opportunities, or checking exclusion records, this guide covers everything you need to navigate the System for Award Management.
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1. What is SAM.gov?
SAM.gov, the System for Award Management, is the official website of the U.S. government for managing the lifecycle of federal awards. Launched in its current form in 2012, SAM.gov consolidated multiple legacy systems — including the Central Contractor Registration (CCR), Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), and the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) — into a single unified platform.
Operated by the General Services Administration (GSA), SAM.gov is the authoritative source for entity registration data, federal contract opportunities, exclusion records, wage determinations, and federal assistance listings (formerly the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, or CFDA). Every business, organization, or individual that wants to receive federal contracts, grants, or other awards must have an active registration in SAM.gov.
SAM.gov processes over 900,000 active entity registrations and lists thousands of active contract opportunities at any given time. The system is free to use, and the government strongly advises against paying third parties for registration services that can be completed at no cost through SAM.gov directly.
In recent years, SAM.gov has undergone significant modernization. The transition from the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) to the Unique Entity ID (UEI) in April 2022 was a major milestone, eliminating the dependency on a third-party provider for entity identification. The UEI is now generated automatically during SAM.gov registration and serves as the primary identifier across all federal award systems.
2. Key Functions of SAM.gov
SAM.gov serves as a multi-purpose platform that brings together several critical functions for the federal acquisition community. Understanding these functions helps you get the most out of the system.
Entity Registration
Register your business to do business with the federal government. Your registration includes company details, NAICS codes, banking information, points of contact, and representations and certifications. Required for receiving any federal award.
Contract Opportunities
Search for active federal solicitations, pre-solicitation notices, sources sought, RFIs, and award notices. Formerly known as Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps or FBO), this function was migrated to SAM.gov in November 2019.
Exclusions (Debarment)
Check whether an entity or individual has been excluded from receiving federal contracts or grants. Exclusions can result from fraud, poor performance, or other misconduct. Contracting officers are required to check exclusions before making awards.
Wage Determinations
Access Service Contract Act (SCA) and Davis-Bacon Act wage determinations that establish minimum wage and fringe benefit rates for workers on federal contracts. These rates vary by locality and occupation.
Federal Assistance Listings
Browse the catalog of federal assistance programs (formerly CFDA). Each listing describes a grant, loan, or other assistance program including eligibility, application procedures, and contact information.
Entity Validation
The system validates entity information against IRS records, CAGE codes, and other authoritative sources. This validation process ensures data integrity across the federal award ecosystem.
3. How to Search for Contracts on SAM.gov
SAM.gov's contract opportunities search replaced the former FedBizOpps (FBO.gov) system. It allows you to search for active solicitations, pre-solicitation notices, sources sought, requests for information, and award notices across all federal agencies.
Basic Search
The simplest way to find opportunities is the keyword search bar on the Contract Opportunities page. Enter terms that describe your products or services — for example, "cybersecurity assessment" or "janitorial services." SAM.gov will return results matching your keywords across opportunity titles, descriptions, and attachments.
Advanced Filters
SAM.gov provides several filters to narrow your search results:
- Notice Type: Filter by solicitation, pre-solicitation, sources sought, award notice, or special notice
- NAICS Code: Filter by your industry classification using NAICS codes
- PSC Code: Filter by Product Service Code for specific goods or services using PSC codes
- Set-Aside: Filter by small business set-aside type (8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB, HUBZone, etc.)
- Place of Performance: Filter by state, city, or zip code
- Agency: Filter by the contracting federal agency
- Response Date: Filter by deadline to focus on opportunities you can still respond to
Following Opportunities
When you find a relevant opportunity, you can "follow" it on SAM.gov to receive email notifications when the contracting officer posts amendments, Q&A responses, or other updates. This is critical because solicitations frequently change after initial posting, and missing an amendment can make your proposal non-compliant.
Saved Searches
SAM.gov allows registered users to save search criteria and receive daily email digests of new opportunities matching their parameters. This is a basic but useful feature for staying aware of new postings without manually checking the site every day.
Limitations of SAM.gov Search
While SAM.gov is the authoritative source, its search functionality has notable limitations. The keyword search is purely text-based with no semantic understanding, meaning you must guess the exact terms agencies use. There is no cross-referencing with historical award data from USAspending or FPDS, making competitive intelligence difficult. The interface does not provide win probability estimates, competitive landscape analysis, or intelligent recommendations based on your company profile.
4. Entity Registration Requirements
Registering on SAM.gov is the essential first step to doing business with the federal government. Without an active registration, you cannot receive contract awards, task orders, or federal grant payments. Here is what you need to know before you begin.
What You Need to Register
- Legal Business Name: Must match your IRS records exactly
- Physical Address: Your primary business location (P.O. boxes are not accepted as the physical address)
- Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN/EIN): Your IRS-issued Employer Identification Number or Social Security Number for sole proprietors
- Banking Information: Bank routing number, account number, and account type for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payments
- NAICS Codes: At least one NAICS code describing your business activities (you can select multiple)
- PSC Codes: Product or Service Codes that describe what you sell to the government
- Points of Contact: Government business POC and electronic business POC with name, phone, and email
The Registration Process
Registration begins at SAM.gov by creating a Login.gov account. After logging in, you will be guided through a multi-step process covering core data, assertions, representations and certifications, and points of contact. The system will validate your entity against IRS records and assign a Unique Entity ID (UEI) and CAGE code.
For a detailed step-by-step walkthrough, see our How to Register on SAM.gov guide and the SAM Registration Checklist.
Representations and Certifications
During registration, you must complete a series of legal representations about your business. These include your small business size status under applicable SBA size standards, socioeconomic certifications (8(a), WOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone), tax compliance, debarment status, and various other federal requirements. These representations are legally binding and form the basis for set-aside eligibility determinations.
CAGE Code
The Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code is a five-character identifier assigned to entities doing business with the federal government. For U.S. entities, the CAGE code is assigned automatically during SAM.gov registration. International entities receive a NATO CAGE (NCAGE) code. The CAGE code is used across defense and federal systems for supply chain management, contracting, and logistics.
Annual Renewal
SAM.gov registrations expire after one year. You will receive email reminders at 60, 30, and 15 days before expiration. During renewal, you must verify and update all entity information, re-certify your representations, and confirm your banking details. An expired registration can halt payments on existing contracts and prevent new awards, so timely renewal is critical.
5. Understanding Exclusions
The SAM.gov exclusions database (formerly the Excluded Parties List System) contains records of individuals and entities that are debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, or otherwise excluded from receiving federal contracts, subcontracts, and certain types of federal assistance. Contracting officers are required to check this database before making any award.
Exclusions can result from various causes including fraud, criminal convictions, violation of contract terms, failure to perform, tax delinquency, and violations of procurement integrity. The period of exclusion typically ranges from one to three years for debarment, though some exclusions are indefinite.
If you are a prime contractor, you are also responsible for ensuring your subcontractors are not excluded. Failing to check the exclusions list before awarding a subcontract can result in liability for the prime contractor. The exclusions check should be performed at the time of award and periodically during contract performance.
The exclusions database is publicly searchable. You can look up entities by name, UEI, CAGE code, or Social Security Number. Each exclusion record includes the excluding agency, the cause, the effective date, and the termination date.
6. Wage Determinations
SAM.gov hosts wage determinations issued under two key labor laws that affect federal contractors:
Service Contract Act (SCA)
The McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act requires contractors performing services on federal contracts exceeding $2,500 to pay service employees no less than the wage rates and fringe benefits prevailing in the locality. SCA wage determinations are specific to the geographic area and occupation. When pricing a service contract, you must factor in the applicable SCA rates for each labor category and location. Browse wage determinations by area.
Davis-Bacon Act
The Davis-Bacon Act requires contractors on federal construction contracts exceeding $2,000 to pay laborers and mechanics no less than the prevailing wage rates for the classification of work in the area. Davis-Bacon wage determinations are organized by state, county, and type of construction (building, heavy, highway, or residential). These rates significantly impact construction contract pricing.
Both types of wage determinations are incorporated into solicitations and resulting contracts by the contracting officer. Understanding the applicable wage rates is essential for accurate pricing. Failure to comply with wage determination requirements can result in contract termination, debarment, and civil or criminal penalties.
7. SAM.gov vs Bureauify
SAM.gov is the authoritative government platform and is essential for registration and compliance. Bureauify complements SAM.gov by providing enhanced search, analytics, and competitive intelligence that SAM.gov does not offer. Here is how they compare:
| Feature | SAM.gov | Bureauify |
|---|---|---|
| Entity Registration | Required — official platform | N/A (use SAM.gov) |
| Contract Search | Keyword-based, text matching only | Semantic search across 4 federal data sources |
| Data Sources | SAM.gov opportunities only | SAM.gov + USAspending + FPDS + Grants.gov |
| Historical Award Data | Not available | Full award history and spending trends |
| Competitive Intelligence | Not available | Incumbent analysis, win rates, competitor tracking |
| Win Probability | Not available | Fit scoring based on company profile |
| Pipeline Management | Basic follow/unfollow | Full Kanban pipeline with stages and notes |
| Saved Search Alerts | Daily email digest | Real-time alerts with intelligent matching |
| Exclusions Check | Official source | Integrated exclusion data |
| Cost | Free | Free tier + paid plans |
The bottom line: SAM.gov is where you register and where the government officially posts opportunities. Bureauify is where you find the best opportunities faster, understand the competitive landscape, and manage your pursuit pipeline. Most successful contractors use both. Learn more about how Bureauify compares to SAM.gov.
8. Common Issues and Troubleshooting
SAM.gov registration and usage can be frustrating due to system complexity and validation requirements. Here are the most common issues and how to resolve them.
IRS TIN Validation Failure
The most common registration blocker is TIN validation failure. SAM.gov validates your Taxpayer Identification Number against IRS records, and the legal business name and address must match exactly. If validation fails, check that your business name matches your IRS CP 575 or SS-4 confirmation letter exactly — including capitalization, punctuation, and abbreviations. You may need to contact the IRS to verify your records.
CAGE Code Delays
CAGE code assignment or validation can sometimes delay registration by several days. If your registration is pending CAGE validation for more than 10 business days, contact the DLA CAGE team at cage.dla.mil.
Login.gov Account Issues
SAM.gov uses Login.gov for authentication. If you cannot access your SAM.gov account, the issue may be with your Login.gov credentials. Ensure you have set up multi-factor authentication and that your email address is current. Login.gov has a separate help desk from SAM.gov.
Expired Registration
If your registration expires, you will need to go through the renewal process, which requires re-validating all entity data. During the period your registration is expired, you cannot receive new awards or payments. Set calendar reminders for 60 days before expiration to begin the renewal process early.
Entity Administrator Role
Only the designated Entity Administrator can make changes to a SAM.gov registration. If your Entity Administrator has left the organization, you will need to go through the entity administrator reassignment process, which requires notarized documentation. This process can take several weeks.
Getting Help
The Federal Service Desk (FSD.gov) provides support for SAM.gov issues. You can also contact your local PTAC/APEX center for free assistance with SAM.gov registration and troubleshooting. PTAC counselors help businesses with registration issues every day and can often resolve problems faster than navigating the help desk system.
9. Next Steps
Now that you understand SAM.gov, here are the recommended next steps to advance your government contracting journey:
Register on SAM.gov
Step-by-step registration walkthrough with screenshots and tips.
SAM Registration Checklist
Everything you need to gather before starting your registration.
USAspending.gov Guide
Learn to use historical award data for competitive intelligence.
FPDS Guide
Dive into detailed procurement data for competitor research.
Government Contracting Guide
The comprehensive guide to winning federal contracts.
Proposal Writing Guide
Master the art of writing winning government proposals.
Go Beyond SAM.gov
Bureauify searches SAM.gov, USAspending, FPDS, and Grants.gov simultaneously with intelligent matching — so you find the right opportunities faster.
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