The Unique Entity ID is here! Here’s What You Need to Know

As of yesterday, April 4, the Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov is now the authoritative identifier for those doing business with the federal government.  The DUNS Number is no longer valid for federal award identification.   

All of the Integrated Award Environment (IAE) systems — SAM.gov, eSRS, FSRS, FPDS, FAPIIS, and CPARS, as well as all other GSA systems — are now only using the Unique Entity ID to identify entities.

The Unique Entity ID is generated in SAM.gov.  If you are registered in SAM.gov (active or not), you already have a Unique Entity ID.  It is viewable at SAM.gov.  If you are new to SAM.gov and will be registering for the first time, you will get your Unique Entity ID (SAM) during registration.  

 Here is a snapshot of what’s new at SAM.gov as of April 4, 2022: 

• The DUNS Number has been removed and the Unique Entity ID is now the identifier of record for all entities in IAE systems.
• SAM.gov generates the Unique Entity ID, which will be used in federal award systems.
• SAM.gov searches, contract data, ad hoc reports, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and extracts use the Unique Entity ID. You will no longer find the DUNS number in any SAM.gov searches, views, or extracts.
• Entities now make updates to their legal business name and physical address through SAM.gov. Once you select “Create Incident'' through the update entity information workflow, you will monitor the status of your ticket in your SAM.gov Workspace or in the Federal Service Desk (FSD.gov) instead of going to Dun & Bradstreet.
• Entities registering for the first time will be assigned a Unique Entity ID as part of the registration process.

Here is what you can do now that the Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov is authoritative.

Keep reading for more detail based on the type of work you do in SAM.gov. 

For Non-Federal Users: 

Entities now update their entity information for federal award purposes through their SAM.gov Workspace.  You will need to validate your entity information in SAM.gov when renewing your registration or changing your legal business name or address. Learn how to update your entity information here.

Entities that are prime awardees reporting on sub-awardees in FSRS should use the sub-awardee’s Unique Entity ID . You can search SAM.gov for another entity’s information. 

Those new to SAM.gov can register their entity or just get a Unique Entity ID by signing in to SAM.gov and selecting Get Started. If you want to bid directly on contracts or grants from the federal government, choose “Register Entity.” If you are a sub-awardee that just needs a Unique Entity ID for subaward reporting, choose “Get Unique Entity ID.” 

Remember, the transition from DUNS Number to Unique Entity ID does not affect CAGE codes.

For Federal Users Managing Federal Entities: 

Federal entities registering in SAM.gov for the first time will get a Unique Entity ID during their registration process. Do not go to Dun & Bradstreet to update your federal entity information.

For Federal Awarding Officials: 

To search for an entity in SAM.gov, you can use the entity’s legal business name, CAGE code, or Unique Entity ID. You can no longer use the DUNS Number to search entities or exclusions.

For Federal and Non-Federal Users who Use SAM.gov data:

SAM.gov APIs and extracts will now use the Unique Entity ID. If they contain the fields for DUNS Numbers, but the fields will be empty. 

If you discover your saved searches aren’t returning information as expected, please make sure you have replaced your DUNS Number fields with Unique Entity ID fields.  

If your contract data ad hoc reports do not work as expected, please make sure you have replaced your DUNS Number fields with the Unique Entity ID fields. 

Additional Resources

Don’t have a Unique Entity ID yet? Here’s how to get one.

Learn more about the Unique Entity ID here.