System for Award Management (SAM)

A SAM registration is required for any entity to bid on and get paid for federal contracts or to receive federal funds. These include for-profit businesses, nonprofits, government contractors, government subcontractors, state governments, and local municipalities. The SAM registration is valid for one year from the date the registration is complete and must be renewed before 60 days of expiration to avoid potential penalties.
 

 

 

 

Sam.gov - This government site is maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and is used to register a business with the U.S. government, update or renew an entity registration, check the status of an entity registration, and search for registration and exclusion records. The government will not help with SAM registrations or help a business do federal contracting.

 

Grants.gov - A grant is a way the government funds ideas and projects to provide public services and stimulate the economy. Grants support critical recovery initiatives, innovative research, and many other programs listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA). Grants.gov is used to find grant and cooperative agreement opportunities from federal agencies that award grants.

 

 

Federal Contract Management (FCM) is one of the most trusted SAM assistance companies. We also provide set-aside registrations and certifications, including women-owned, veteran-owned, HUBZone, 8(a) Business Development Program, and other federal contracting services.

 

 

A SAM registration is required to work as a federal contractor or subcontractor, and for nonprofits to receive grants. The registration process can be confusing, time-consuming, and frustrating, even though it is the first step to working with the U.S. government. For this reason, and because FCM provides additional value to the SAM registration process, many businesses and nonprofit entities use our registration services.

 

 

If you’ve completed your SAM Registration and are competing for federal contracts and funding, you’ll need to have your registration renewed and revalidated at least annually to avoid its expiration. Think of it as a 365-day countdown since you last renewed or updated your business’ information. If your information changes during that time period, you should revalidate and update your SAM registration as soon as possible, which also resets the countdown.
While setting an annual reminder might seem like enough, agencies looking for contractors might be cautious of a business that has less than two months until its SAM Registration expires. If you’re in the middle of a contract when it expires, the government isn’t authorized to do business with you anymore. This means you should ideally be renewing every nine or ten months to be safe and avoid this risk.

 

 

The renewal process is necessary for continued membership in the federal marketplace and failing to do so will prohibit your participation and access to federal benefits. However, the renewal process can be frustrating, time-consuming, and has to be completed in one computer session. On top of that, any mistakes or errors can lead to delays that risk you losing contracts due to registration expiration.