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Codes, numbers and registration

What is a UEI number?

Unique Entity ID

The Unique Entity ID is the twelve-character alphanumeric identifier the government assigns to an entity in SAM.gov, and it replaced the DUNS number as the federal government's entity identifier in April 2022.

Also written as: unique entity identifier, UEI number, SAM UEI, replaced DUNS.

You get a UEI by registering — or at minimum by validating your entity — in SAM.gov, and it is free. There is no third party to pay and no expedited tier to buy. It identifies your organisation across federal award systems: solicitations, contracts, sub-awards and the public award record.

The replacement of DUNS matters for anyone reading older material. Guidance that instructs you to obtain a DUNS number from a commercial provider is obsolete, and any service offering to sell you a UEI is selling you something the government issues at no charge.

The UEI is not a CAGE code, an EIN or a tax ID. Each is issued by a different body for a different purpose, and a full federal registration involves more than one of them.

What this means when you bid

The UEI is free and comes from SAM.gov. If somebody is charging you for one, that is the whole of the transaction.

UEI compared with the terms it gets confused with

UEI vs CAGE code

The UEI is assigned in SAM.gov and identifies the entity for federal award systems; the CAGE code is assigned by the Defense Logistics Agency and identifies a specific facility or location.

What CAGE codemeans →

Where this definition comes from

Federal contracting is one of the few fields where the authoritative answer is free, public and one click away. These are the sources this page is built from — go and read them.

  • SAM.gov→

    The official federal registration and solicitation system. Free.

  • FAR 4.1102→

    Policy — SAM registration.

This page explains a term in plain English and cites the authority it comes from. It is not legal advice, and the regulation governs where this page and the regulation differ.

Free tools for government contractors

Knowing the term is one thing. These free tools do something with a UEI. No login, no credit card.

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UEI— common questions

What is a UEI number?
The Unique Entity ID is the twelve-character alphanumeric identifier the government assigns to an entity in SAM.gov, and it replaced the DUNS number as the federal government's entity identifier in April 2022.
What is the difference between UEI and CAGE code?
The UEI is assigned in SAM.gov and identifies the entity for federal award systems; the CAGE code is assigned by the Defense Logistics Agency and identifies a specific facility or location.
Why does a UEI matter when you are bidding?
The UEI is free and comes from SAM.gov. If somebody is charging you for one, that is the whole of the transaction.

Related terms

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