SAM.gov Registration is a Must for Federal Contracting

January 12, 2016

SAM.gov registration is free, and help with SAM is free, too

Source: Georgia Tech PTAC, November 11, 2013

Businesses interested in Federal contracting must, as an initial step, register in the Government’s vendor database known as System for Award Management (SAM).   Registration at the official SAM web site — www.sam.gov – is free.

The good news is that SAM registration is something that any vendor can take care of by themselves.  And if any vendor needs instruction, help is readily available at no charge.

Here are three important tips:

  1. Don’t be confused by look-alike web sites.  There is only one SAM database, and it’s a secure web site operated by the Federal Government.  It’s located at https://www.sam.gov.  You also can navigate to SAM by simply typing sam.gov or www.sam.gov in your web browser.  Either of these variations will redirect to SAM’s secure web site.  The key thing to know is that the official Federal SAM website is a “.gov” website, not a commercial website, so SAM.com is not an option if you’re trying to navigate to a Government web site.
  2. There are helpful videos now available on-line to help you with the SAM registration process.  If your business previously had a file set-up in Central Contractor Registration (CCR), you’ll need to migrate your old vendor record over to SAM; for instruction on how to do this, view this instructional video.    If your business was never registered in CCR, then your starting point is instructional video.
  3. If you need advice on how to organize your records in order to register in SAM — or you need help with the SAM registration process itself – expert assistance is available free of charge to all vendors, small and large.  Just contact the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) nearest you.  PTACs have produced a SAM instructional video, too, and it’s available here:  APTAC’s SAM Registration Tips.  A complete list of all PTACs across the nation is available at https://www.aptac-us.org/contracting-assistance-for-business/find-your-ptac/.     

Remember, SAM registration is necessary if you want to do business with Federal agencies. Remember, too, SAM registration is something you can tackle yourself.

There is never a charge to register at sam.gov.    Help with the SAM registration process is readily available, at no charge, from your nearest PTAC.

 

Keep up to date follow us on Twitter, LinkedIN or Facebook!


 For help with Government Contracting: contact your nearest Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Funded through Cooperative Agreements between the U.S. Department of Defense and state and local governments/institutions, PTACs provide free and low-cost assistance in virtually all areas of government contracting.