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7 of the Most Common SAM Registration Mistakes – and How to Avoid Them

by Jason Bortz | May 10, 2021 | Press , SAM Registration

Avoid being among the 120,000 businesses with SAM.gov registration issues.

You must register your company with the federal government’s vendor database to get government contracts. It is called the System for Award Management (SAM). Registration is free. You do not need help to register, but many choose to get assistance to avoid mistakes and better position themselves to market to government customers.

SAM.gov registration issues are much more common than you might think. Shockingly, an analysis from Georgia Tech found that 1 in 5 registrations within SAM contain errors. The university’s research revealed that an estimated 120,000 companies’ records had mistakes. (Keep in mind that figure only relates to live registrations, not including ones that are flagged for review by the government.)

This piece looks at some of the most common mistakes.

Top SAM Registration Issues to Avoid

Mistake #1: thinking user account creation amounts to registration.

Registration is not on an individual basis but on an entity basis. However, an individual must first create a user account to register an entity in SAM.

Typically when new contractors think they are registered but are irretrievable via public search, they have not registered. They have simply created a user account and thought the process was complete.

Mistake #2: Incorrectly identifying the company as disadvantaged

One of the two most problematic SAM.gov registration issues is errant self-certification as a Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB). Regardless if you register this way in error, it is considered misrepresentation and carries penalties. Unfortunately, it is also easy to make this mistake.

Your business must be owned 51 percent or more by economically and socially disadvantaged people to be classified as an SDB. Five percent or more of federal contract money is to go to Small Disadvantaged Businesses, per government objectives.

It is incredibly common for business owners to register incorrectly as SDBs, per the Montana Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) . Be careful, advises PTAC, because the design of the registration confuses many registrants into accidentally stating that they are disadvantaged.

Mistake #3: When entering the number of employees and total receipts, failing to include affiliates

Many companies are small and do not have affiliated businesses, so this concern is irrelevant. However, if you are larger, this miscalculation is the other of the SAM.gov registration issues (along with Mistake #2) that can be the most problematic.

It is also extremely common . In fact, it might even be more likely than not that a company will make this SAM registration mistake. If you are a large business, even if via affiliation, you need to be clear that you are not a small business – as indicated by your staff and receipt numbers.

If you are unsure if you should count another organization as an affiliate, you can look over the Small Business Administration’s rules on the subject.

Mistake #4: Not using the legal business name to register

A DBA (“doing business as”), fictitious name, or trade name is an assumed business name rather than a legal name. That distinction is important because SAM registration can only be completed with your legal business name – so that the contract is valid.

The federal government verifies that your legal business name is correct via the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) record from Dun & Bradstreet. Make certain your D&B record is accurate before SAM registration. If it needs correction in D&B, you will have to wait 1-2 business days to register to avoid problems.

Note that sole proprietors should enter their legal business name in the format “[last name], [first name] [middle initial].”

Mistake #5: Failing to respond rapidly and accurately to the CAGE code office

Various SAM.gov registration issues can trigger an email from the Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code office. The subject line of the email will start out “RESPONSE REQUIRED” and include your DUNS number.

This email could arise because a previous building tenant has a registration with a matching physical address or because another company has a similar name to yours. Whatever the case, you must follow the instructions within the CAGE office email exactly – and you have just three business days to do so.

Mistake #6: Incorrect completion of the Automated Clearing House (ACH) “U.S. Phone” field

Of all the SAM.gov registration issues, this one may occur more often than any other.

People incorrectly put in their number, whether for their personal or business phone, rather than for their bank. It is important to input a number for your bank – specifically for its ACH department or coordinator – rather than entering your phone number. This number is necessary so that the government can resolve any problems that might occur during EFT transfer (so you can get paid).

Mistake #7: Following submission, not following up with an authorized administrator letter

Physical letters that have been officially notarized are now part of the registration process. Since this requirement has only been around since March 2018, neglecting to send the letter is one of the most frequent SAM.gov registration issues.

A partner, officer, executive, or another individual with signatory authority must sign the letter and send it to the Federal Service Desk (FSD) . The letter designates the individual who will be the SAM authorized administrator. Once your registration is active, this letter must be received by the FSD within 60 days.

Getting The Help You Need

If you want to form a business relationship with the federal government and secure contracts, the first step is correct SAM registration. While you can complete the registration yourself, it often results in errors such as the above. That’s why a consultant can be invaluable. At Select GCR, our strategic involvement simplifies the overall process and allows business owners to focus efforts on their principal business activities. Contact us today to discover how we can help you.

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Tips for SAM.gov Entity Validation Support

On April 4, 2022, the federal government implemented a new process in SAM.gov to validate entities as a first step in requesting a Unique Entity ID and for completing a SAM.gov entity registration. This entity validation process includes checking that your entity name and address match. 

If your entity name and address match what is displayed in sam.gov, you can continue to request a unique entity id and, if needed, complete an entity registration. , if you do not get a name and address match , then you must create an incident (which is basically a help ticket) directly from sam.gov and attach the documents required to prove the information you entered is correct.  , we review these entity validation help tickets in the order they were received. due to extremely high demand, it is taking longer than anticipated to complete this review. we will respond through the ticket if we have any questions. , you can help. please only update your entity registration if you need to change information.  very few entities with existing registrations actually need to go through this entity validation process right now. , remember, you   do not need to update your entity registration to get a unique entity id. it is already assigned and part of your entity registration. follow these steps if you need help finding your unique entity id., here are answers to some of your questions and a few useful tips about the new process:.

Do I need to update my entity registration and go through this new entity validation right now? No. If you have an active entity registration, you will validate your name and address in SAM.gov when you go through the annual renewal process. Unless your registration is expiring soon, you most likely do not need to update your entity registration.  You can locate your expiration date by searching for your entity registration in SAM.gov or viewing it from your Workspace.  

What do I need to do if there is no match? If you receive a no match message on the Validate Entity Information step, that means you must use the Create Incident button directly in SAM.gov to request entity validation support and attach the required documentation which proves your entity’s legal business name and physical address.  

What documentation is required for entity name or address validation?  

When you create the incident, fully describe your problem in the text box and attach one or more documents that prove your entity’s legal business name and physical address to validate your entity information. The supporting documents can be:

Do I need to create an incident in SAM.gov if my legal business name or physical address do not match what is displayed in SAM.gov?  Yes. You will need to use the Create Incident button on the Validate Entity Information page to create an incident through SAM.gov to update that information. Here are some helpful hints to get the best results:

• Always include the required documentation.   We cannot process your ticket without the required documentation.  Make sure that the documentation submitted supports your requested change.  Any tickets submitted without documentation will be closed and you will be required  to create a new incident with documentation.  
• Only create one incident .  Creating multiple incidents does not expedite our handling of your issue and actually slows down the overall process.  If you received a ticket number, which will look like INC-GSAFSD1234567, you should not create another incident in SAM.gov.  
• Only create entity validation tickets through SAM.gov. Do not use the Create Incident button in SAM.gov for any issue not related to your entity name and address validation.  If you need assistance with any other part of the SAM.gov entity registration process, go to our supporting service desk at FSD.gov to search for answers or create a ticket. 
• Do not attach entity validation documents to an FSD.gov ticket. Remember, this entity validation process goes through SAM.gov. You provide the name and address documentation, as required, to the ticket in SAM.gov. Do not, under any circumstances, attach name and address-related documentation to a regular FSD.gov ticket. If a service desk agent sees additional documentation is required, the agent will tell you how to attach the documentation in SAM.gov.  

What can I expect once I submit an entity validation ticket?   Given the current volume of requests, your ticket will take at least several days to process. Tickets are handled in the order received. Contacting the Federal Service Desk (FSD) via phone or chat or creating another incident in SAM.gov will not make the review go faster. Service desk agents cannot expedite your ticket review or provide you more information than you can see in the ticket.  Follow these instructions to check your ticket status or view processing notes.

Remember, just because the government is now using the Unique Entity ID does not mean you need to update your entity registration. An active registration is valid until it expires. You can help others who are just getting started, or who do need to update their information, by waiting until your renewal is required.

As always, we invite you to learn more about the Unique Entity ID transition by reviewing our available resources.

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By: Stephanie Hagan on July 1st, 2022

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7 Tips for Successful Entity Validation in SAM

GSA Schedule | 5 Min Read

While going through the GSA Schedule offer process  there are several documents to submit and the requirements can vary depending on what solutions you plan to offer, if you’re offering products or services, and if you’re a small or large business, but one thing is for certain—no GSA Schedule offer can be completed without registering in the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is an official U.S. government website where you can register your entity, search for contract opportunities, and run reports, making it a key website for GSA contractors.

You don’t want your GSA Schedule acquisition process to get slowed down by SAM registration, so you should get started right away. There have been some instances where a company tries to validate their entity through SAM and their documents get rejected, slowing down the time it takes to get registered in SAM and receive a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Here are 7 tips to avoid getting your validation documents rejected and to make sure your SAM registration process goes smoothly.

What is the Entity Validation Process in SAM.gov?

If you want to register your entity in SAM.gov or just get a Unique Entity ID (UEI), you need to validate your entity information with the System for Award Management’s new Entity Validation Service Provider (EVS). If your entity information does not match the information in SAM.gov or there is no match at all, you will need to create an incident and attach the proper documentation to verify your entity’s:

• Legal business name
• Physical address
• Date of incorporation
• State of incorporation or national identifier

However, there are some instances when your entity validation documents get rejected. We’ll review 7 scenarios below so you can avoid them and have a relatively painless registration process.

1. Explicitly State the Reason for Your Entity Validation Request in the Ticket

If your entity information does not match the information in SAM or you cannot find your entity at all and you create a ticket in SAM.gov, be specific. Don’t just attach the proper documents and say “see attached,” or “system didn’t find me,” tell them what you’re submitting the ticket for and what each document is for.

2. Make Sure Any Document You Attach for Your SAM Entity Validation is Current 

If you submit a document that is generated on a monthly or annual basis like a bank or utility statement, you must provide one from the last 5 years. Anything older than that will not be accepted. However, if it’s a one-time foundational document like articles of incorporation, you can use it no matter how old it is, as long as the information hasn’t changed since the entity was established. If your articles of incorporation has an outdated address, include a secondary document that has a current physical address. You should also make sure your legal business name and any doing-business-as information are correct and exactly the same on the documents.

3. Make Sure All Documents Have the Correct Information

This might seem like a given, but can be easily overlooked. Don’t provide documents that don’t match what you entered as your business information. For example, if you want to update your legal name to ABC Company, make sure your business license reflects that and doesn’t say something slightly different like ABC, Inc. Same thing with suite numbers—if you enter your address change with a suite number, make sure it’s included in the document you provide.

4. Don’t Use a P.O. Box to Demonstrate Your Physical Address in SAM.gov

If you use a P.O. box to validate your physical address, it will be rejected every time. P.O. boxes or mail service addresses are not considered physical addresses in the eyes of the federal government. You can request to change your legal business name or physical address, but you must use a physical address.

5. Attach a Certified English Translation to Any Non-English Documents

If you are sending over documents that are in a different language, here’s what you need to do:

• Include a separate document that translates the original content line by line (unless your government’s custom is to provide certified translation in-line with the document text).
• Ensure the document includes a statement of certification by the translator.

6. Don’t Attach Original Applications or Forms, Only Processed Documents

Original forms and applications you submitted to a local, state, federal, or national authority (including tax applications like W-9 forms) will never be accepted. Only processed forms and applications will be considered. You should also never include screenshots or exports of any federal website record.

Instead, you should attach:

• A screenshot or printout of your business’s record in your state’s business registry from an official state website, such as your secretary of state’s site. Note: these screenshots must show the record of the search and the URL and not a form that you are filling out on the website that has not been submitted. 
• Processed applications, evidenced by seals, signatures, and stamps from the processing authorities. 

7. Attach Only High-Quality Documents On SAM.gov

Handwritten documents, low contrast scans, and documents with cut-off information will generally be rejected if the quality is poor. Make sure you are attaching documents in your SAM entity validation that are clear, and any seals, stamps, or signatures are visible. If you redact any information that is not relevant to your entity validation, make sure to do it neatly.

Making a Smooth SAM Registration Process

In addition to validating your entity, there are a few other steps to take to complete your SAM registration. Then, you’ll be on your way to submitting your GSA Schedule offer! If you have more questions about the SAM registration process and what else you need to complete, check out our blog on SAM.gov Registration FAQs. For more information on entity validation on SAM, you can read this article from the Federal Service Desk .

We know the GSA Schedule acquisition process isn’t easy or fast. If you have more questions about getting a GSA Schedule, or you need help navigating the process, we would be happy to help you .

About Stephanie Hagan

Stephanie Hagan is the Training and Communications Manager for Winvale. Stephanie grew up in Sarasota, Florida, and earned her Bachelor's of Arts in Journalism and Rhetoric/Communications from the University of Richmond.

3951 Westerre Parkway, Suite 250 Richmond, VA 23233 Email: [email protected] Phone: (202) 296-5505 Fax: (202) 296-5506

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4 Instances When You Need To Update SAM Registration

If you want to do business with the federal government, you must complete SAM registration, and while we can help you with this arduous process, it’s important to understand that there will be occasions when it’s essential to update SAM registration to ensure that government agencies can work with your company. Here’s a quick look at when you need to make changes.

1. Update SAM Registration Before It Expires SAM registration expires every year, which means that SAM renewal is crucial. We typically recommend that you complete the SAM renewal process several months before your expiration dates, and there are a few reasons to consider early renewal.

The Federal Service Desk (FSD) is the agency or government office tasked with SAM registration approval and renewals. It can take the Federal Service Desk several weeks to approve your SAM renewal, which is why you need to update SAM registration several weeks or months ahead of the expiration date. This is especially true during the current pandemic, as the FSD has had a high volume of new registrations during these last few months, and this high volume can slow down the approval process.

Additionally, if a government agency studies your SAM registration and sees that you are close to your expiration date, they may skip over your company and select another company Most federal agencies can only do business with government contractors that have active SAM registrations, and if your registration expires in the middle of a contract, the agency cannot work with you until your registration is active again. This puts them in the lurch, so to speak, so they may be wary about selecting contractors that are a couple of months or just weeks from expiration. Whether you want to work as a FEMA contractor , a DOD contractor or just about any agency, an active SAM registration is crucial.

We can help with SAM renewals as well as with initial SAM registrations. SAM renewals, while not as complex as that first registration, can be quite time consuming and difficult, and we can quickly and accurately complete your renewal and ensure that your registration doesn’t expire.

2. Address & Phone Number Changes Covid-19 has changed everything, and it has forced many employers to switch to a remote-work format. In some cases, companies still maintain their current offices and phone numbers, but if your company addresses or phone numbers have changed, you will need to update SAM registration to include these numbers.

Of course, pandemic or no pandemic, any time the physical address, mailing address or phone numbers of your business changes, it is important to update your SAM registration and ensure that everything is current. Additionally, physical address changes might impact some of your small business designations. For instance, if you have moved in or out of a HUB Zone, this could impact your contracting opportunities.

3. Personnel Changes If your company has changed officers, this will need to be updated, but you also need to make updates if you add or reduce staff. In many cases, the addition of two or three employees or the reduction of just a few employees isn’t critical in regards to SAM. However, if you add or reduce many employees, this could affect your standing as a small business.

Designated small businesses, as per the Small Business Administration (SBA) have some advantages in government contracting because agencies are required to set aside a portion of their business exclusively for small businesses. Your business qualifies if it meets certain size standards, and adding many new employees could impact your status as a small business. SBA government contracting can be lucrative, but you must continue to qualify as a small business in order to bid on small business contracting opportunities.

4. Changes In Goods & Services Within your SAM registration, there is a section where you list your North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes. These are codes that describe precisely what types of goods or services are provided by your company. Government agency representatives often will search for contractors using these codes, so it is important that your codes are as up-to-date as possible.

If you add services or expand the types of goods you can provide, be sure to update SAM registration and add any new application NAICS codes to your SAM listing. Likewise, if you no longer provide some type of good or service, be sure to update your listing and remove what you no longer can provide to the government.

SAM Registrations & Renewals: Let Us Help! In general, minor changes are fairly easy to handle yourself. First-time registration and renewals are trickier, which is why it often makes sense to pay a third party, such as Federal Contractor Registry , to handle these services.

The government does not charge you to register, renew or update SAM registration, but registration and renewals can take many hours and, especially with your initial registration, this can 10 or more hours to complete and can be quite confusing and frustrating.

Many people simply hire us to complete the process, as we are highly experienced and can quickly and accurately complete your SAM registration or SAM renewal . It’s a bit like hiring an accountant to handle your taxes. You could fill out tax forms for free, but the tax code is confusing and if mistakes are made on your tax forms, there can be serious consequences, which is why it makes sense to hire a tax expert.

The same is true when it comes to SAM registration. If mistakes are made on your initial registration or on your renewal, this can cause your SAM approval to be delayed, which means you could miss out on some lucrative government contracting opportunities.

If you need your initial SAM registration or a SAM renewal, you can click on the registration or renewal tabs on our homepage. If you aren’t sure whether or not your SAM registration has expired, you also can do a quick free status check via our website. If you have any questions about SAM registration or how to update SAM registration, feel free to contact us at any time.

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Information about SAM.GOV and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Requirements

The process to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and initial SAM.gov registration, as well as maintain the annual registration is entirely FREE.  EXIM offers assistance to our customers with this process as a service at no charge.

About SAM.gov and the Unique Entity Identifier

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced that all firms seeking federal financial assistance (FFA) from the U.S. Government are required to obtain an active SAM.gov registration including the issuance of a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).  For GSA, the 12-digit UEI number replaces the 9-digit DUNS number provided by Dun & Bradstreet which were previously used by the agency to uniquely identify organizations receiving FFA.  The only method of getting a free UEI number is directly through the official government website SAM.gov (SAM is abbreviated for System for Award Management).

Unique Entity Identifier Q&A

Who needs a uei and active sam.gov registration at exim.

• Insurance products – the insured needs a UEI and active gov registration
• For Working Capital Guarantees – the guaranteed lender needs a UEI and active gov registration
• For Loan Guarantees – the guaranteed lender/facility agent needs a UEI and active SAM.gov registration
• For Direct Loans – the borrower, or special purpose vehicle (SPV) or special purpose company (SPC), needs a UEI and active gov registration

What do I need to know before I apply for a UEI and active SAM.gov registration?

It is the customer’s responsibility to visit the SAM.gov website (https://sam.gov) , create and maintain a user account, and apply for a UEI and SAM.gov registration.  Registration is for Federal Financial Assistance Award only.

The name and address associated with your account should match your EXIM transaction(s). The UEI and SAM.gov registration is unique to an entity at a specific address.

Review the EXIM Bank Client Workbook to understand the required information for obtaining a UEI and completing the registration process.

What’s the application process to obtain a UEI and SAM.gov registration?

The following is an overview of the process for U.S. and Non-U.S. entities.

• The first time SAM.gov is accessed, the user must select “Sign In” and they will be taken to the Login.gov account page and “Create an account”.
• Login.gov (https://login.gov/) allows an individual to create login credentials (email, password, and 2-factor authentication method) that they can use to sign into multiple U.S. government websites such as SAM.gov and the Federal Service Desk (FSD.gov)
• Once back in SAM.gov, the user profile needs to be completed
• The person who will be acting as your Entity Administrator is the one who should create these login credentials.
• Do not proceed until you complete this step.
• You must have completed the previous step to get a SAM.gov login and have a profile.
• Though it is possible to request a Unique Entity ID without doing the full SAM.gov registration, EXIM applicants/participants are required to do the full registration.
• After selecting “Get Started” from the home page, select “Create New Entity” on the next page
• “I want to do business”… “Directly with the U.S. federal government”
• “Select the answer the best fits your intentions today:” – “Apply for federal financial assistance”
• Federal government
• 083 – EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE U.S.
• Select “Financial Assistance”
• If your business intends to bid on federal government contracts to provide goods and/or services, you must Select “All Awards”
• Since the registration involves multiple steps/screens, it is ok to save work in progress and come back to complete it in another session. Your registration data entry is completed when you “Submit”.
• When you have an Active registration (UEI and annual registration expiration date), please email the information to [email protected] so we may record it in your EXIM account record.
• The Entity Administrator is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of an entity registration in SAM. An entity registration must be renewed every 365 days in order to remain active and will expire if it is not updated in a timely manner.  An expired registration may affect the ability to do business with the Federal government.

Can I see my Entity Status in SAM.gov?

The Entity Administrator can select “Workspace” in the menu bar (next to “Sign Out”) and the various UEI/Registration statuses are shown.  These are shown as widgets/bubbles and a “1” indicates the entity status.

• Active Registration – A UEI has been assigned and the registration process has been completed, and the expiration date is one year after the date the registration was submitted
• ID Assigned – A UEI has been assigned, but the registration process has not been started
• Inactive Registration – A UEI has been assigned and there was an active registration, but it has expired and must be renewed
• Pending ID Assignment – The entity is in the Entity Validation process and a Federal Service Desk (FSD) incident is being reviewed
• Work in Progress Registration – The registration process has been started but additional information must be provided
• Submitted Registration – All the required registration information has been entered and the final validations are being done

My UEI has been assigned.  Do I need to do anything else?

You must complete the SAM.gov Registration Process (registration for Federal Financial Assistance Award only).

To complete the registration process after your UEI is assigned, proceed with the following steps:

• In your SAM.gov workspace, select “ID Assigned”. Click on the “1” in the “ID Assigned” widget/bubble.
• Select “Register” from the entity’s actions menu (the three vertical dots) in your Entity’s workspace.
• Complete the required sections of the registration Select “Submit”.

Once the registration application is submitted, it can take up to 10 business days for your registration to become active. An email will be sent to confirm an active registration.  You can also track the status of your registration by clicking “Check Entity Status” on the SAM.gov home page.  You will be required to enter your UEI to obtain your status.

I submitted my SAM.gov registration.  What happens next?  

Once the registration is submitted, the SAM.gov system will perform two additional validations:  IRS verification and CAGE Code validation (for “All Awards” only).  After those validations are completed, the SAM registration will be activated. 

It can take up to ten business days from submission for a company’s registration to be activated.  To check registration status, log into SAM.gov and click on “Check Entity Status” on the SAM.gov homepage. 

If the registration is stopped by the IRS and/or CAGE code validations:

• For an IRS discrepancy, the validation is checking to ensure that the taxpayer EIN, company name and address provided in the “IRS Consent” section of the registration matches the taxpayer EIN, company name and address provided on your recent tax returns. You will have to return to SAM.gov to update your “Work In Progress” registration and change the information to match exactly what is listed on your company’s most recent tax return.
• For CAGE code discrepancies, the SAM.gov system is verifying that the company name and address provided on your SAM registration matches the address listed with the Department of Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). You might receive an email from the CAGE system with a request for information or validation. It is essential that you act on this email within 3 calendar days. For questions related to this situation, please contact (877) 352-2255.  You may be required to return to SAM.gov to update your “Work In Progress” registration.

Does my UEI and/or SAM.gov registration expire?

An assigned UEI does not expire. A SAM.gov registration is valid for 1 year after the registration submission date. A UEI without an Active SAM.gov registration is not acceptable to do business with EXIM.

You can view your entity’s registration activation and expiration dates through the SAM.gov website.

The Entity Administrator will receive emails from SAM.gov at 60 days, 30 days, and 15 days prior to the expiration date reminding them to select to renew your registration. Renewal is an active process; the entity administrator must login to their SAM.gov account, select “Renew Entity”, and follow the steps to submit your renewal request.

As of September 2023, EXIM will also send reminder emails to the primary policy/guarantee contact at 45 days, 20 days, and 10 days prior to the expiration date.

I have a UEI but my SAM.gov registration is expired.  What should I do?

If you are the Entity Administrator, log in to your SAM.gov account and select the “Inactive Registration” in your workspace. Click on the “1” in the “Inactive Registration” widget/bubble.

Select “Update” from the entity’s actions menu (the three vertical dots) in your Entity’s Workspace.

Provide the required information to re-validate and re-register your Entity.

If you are not the Entity Administrator for your company’s SAM.gov account, you will need to coordinate with the Entity Administrator to gain access to get the registration reactivated.

I cannot identify our company’s Entity Administrator.  What should I do?

SAM.gov requires an entity administrator to handle the maintenance of a company’s registration. If the entity administrator is unknown or no longer with the company, a notarized letter is required to update the assignment of the entity administrator. Select this GSAFSD Tier 0 Knowledge Base - How can I become the new administrator for our entity registration? to navigate to FSD.gov for the steps required to request an update to the entity administrator’s designation. The necessary form to complete is also included with the link provided above.  Template 1 – Single Entity will meet the needs of most EXIM customers.

My policy is up for renewal.  Do I need a UEI and active SAM.gov registration?

Yes. You must maintain an active SAM.gov registration through the life of your transaction with EXIM.

I need to amend my transaction.  Do I need a UEI and active SAM.gov registration?

What is the federal service desk (fsd).

It is a website for those who make, receive, and manage federal awards.  It provides support for government-wide systems required by federal policy.

For EXIM customer purposes, this site is where you can track any FSD tickets that are generated as part of obtaining a UEI or managing your SAM.gov registration.  The login credentials for accessing FSD.gov are the same as those used to log in to SAM.gov. 

FSD tickets will be created for two reasons:

• To validate your entity if matching information is not found in the Entity Validation Database. This requires the uploading of documentation to show your entity’s legal name at the physical address you entered and/or the date and state of your entity’s incorporation.
• To request the designation of a new Entity Administrator.   

What do I do if I have a pending Federal Service Desk (FSD) ticket?

You will receive email updates, such as notifications about what the issue is, how to resolve it, and when it is resolved. For more information, refer to the FSD.gov gsafsd_kb_category - GSA Federal Service Desk Service Portal

Who do I call if I need further assistance with my FSD ticket?

The FSD Help Desk number is (866) 606-8220. When you reach the FSD Help Desk, you will be asked to provide the email address and/or phone number associated with your user account. Be sure to have this information available.

Another way to obtain status of your ticket is to log into FSD.gov, select “My Incidents” in the upper right-hand corner and view the status of your ticket.

I received an email that my FSD ticket has been resolved.  Now what do I do?

The FSD ticket resolution does not update your entity’s information. You must login to SAM.gov and restart from the step where the ticket was issued. See below for common touchpoints where ticket resolution occurs:

• Entity Verification has been completed – Log in to SAM.gov and select “Get Started” to reinitiate the UEI assignment/registration process.
• Entity Administrator assignment has been completed – Log in to SAM.gov and select the “Inactive Registration” in your workspace. Click on the “1” in the “Inactive Registration” widget/bubble. Select “Update” from the entity’s actions menu (the three vertical dots) in your Entity’s Workspace.  Provide the required information to re-validate and re-register your Entity.

Are there companies who provide SAM.gov registration services assistance? 

If you are located in the U.S. and its outlying areas, you can get FREE support from your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), an official resource for government contracting assistance.  Go to http://www.aptac-us.org/ to find your closes PTAC.

There are vendors who provide support for obtaining the UEI and initial registration, as well as the annual registration renewal for a fee.  Please see the Client Workbook/Resources to Help section. 

I would like to make an appointment with a member of the EXIM UEI Assistance Support Team.  How do I do that?

Please click on the link below to make an appointment:

• https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/[email protected]/bookings/

The UEI Assistance Support Team works with EXIM customers by utilizing the Microsoft Teams Screen Share functionality and “sitting with” the customer as they go through the SAM.gov process together.

Do I still need a DUNS Number?  

Yes.  A DUNS number is required for the underwriting credit check.

While in SAM.gov and working  on my UEI/SAM.gov registration  I was presented with a screen and/or pop-up that concerned me.   What should I do?   

If you can, take a screen shot and then contact the UEI Assistance Support Team.  Or, schedule an appointment and have a member of the team sitting with you as you repeat the steps.

I don’t see my questions answered here.  Who do I contact for additional information?

Please contact the EXIM UEI Assistance Support Team:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: (800) 565-3946 / (202) 565-3946 / TDD (202) 565-3377 – Option #4
• Appointment: See previous FAQ