Updated: A few years ago, GSA announced they would move away from the proprietary Dun & Bradstreet’s Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) in favor of an internally developed and managed Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).  The date for the transition is April 4, 2022. For updated  information on how to get an UEI or where to find yours, visit our “Government Transitions to UEI” post.

GSA has been extracting itself from commercial proprietary handcuffs over the years, beginning with the Open Ratings requirement, which is now only necessary when a company lacks sufficient CPARS. These moves provide GSA with greater control across all agencies and will allow vendors to compete to provide the entity validation services, rather than provide a direct award to D&B. GSA’s plan is to phase the release of the UEI through December 2020.

Beginning December 2020, Federal contractors will obtain UEI through beta.sam.gov (or sam.gov by that time) registrations and annual maintenance. The new UEI will be twelve characters long and assigned based to separate legal entities or separate physical addresses. All contractors currently registered in SAM will automatically be assigned an UEI by December 2020.

Since 2011, Coley GCS has provided  assistance to government contractor get on GSA Schedule an other contracting vehicles, ensure compliance and help our clients stay up to date on contracting issues that impact their business. Sign up to receive our posts in your inbox when they publish.