System for Award Management (SAM)
Overview and guidance for this database. Use SecureEPLS to screen quickly and confidently.
The System for Award Management (SAM) combines the federal procurement systems and the Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance into one new database. This database currently includes:
- Excluded Parties List System (EPLS)
- Central Contractor Registry (CCR)
- Federal Agency Registration (Fedreg)
- Online Representations and Certifications Application
- Why it matters: Contracting with an excluded/debarred entity can invalidate awards, trigger
False Claims exposure, and lead to fines or loss of eligibility for federal funding.
- What to verify: Legal name and aliases, UEI,
CAGE (if present), prior DUNS numbers, exclusion type/status, and effective/expiration dates.
- Update cadence: SAM.gov refreshes frequently (often daily). Screen at onboarding and at
least weekly for active vendors or before each award.
- Compliance tips:
- Automate vendor‑master scrubs against SAM and archive dated CSV/PDF evidence.
- Capture vendor attestations and flow‑down clauses for primes and subcontractors.
- Normalize punctuation/abbreviations to reduce false negatives; escalate near‑matches for human review.
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