Federal contracting · answer
What is a UEI (Unique Entity ID)?
A Unique Entity ID (UEI) is the 12-character alphanumeric code SAM.gov assigns to every entity registered to do business with the U.S. federal government. It replaced the proprietary DUNS number as the official identifier in April 2022.
The facts
A Unique Entity ID (UEI) is a 12-character alphanumeric identifier issued through SAM.gov to each entity registered to do business with the federal government. It is generated and managed within SAM.gov rather than by a third party.
On April 4, 2022, the UEI replaced the DUNS number as the official entity identifier across federal awards. The change moved the identifier from a proprietary, externally-licensed number to one the government controls — which is also why public award data (USASpending) keys cleanly on the UEI and why Fonteum joins exclusions to awards on it.
Because a UEI is stable and unique to one registered entity, it is the right key for checking a contractor — far more reliable than a company name, which can repeat across unrelated firms or change over time. Issued and managed inside SAM.gov, the UEI also threads across the federal datasets that reference it — entity registration, prime award transactions on USASpending, and many exclusion records — which is what lets those systems be joined on one confirmed key rather than on fuzzy name matching.
Source: SAM.gov entity registration (U.S. General Services Administration). Confirm current status at SAM.gov →
Statutory basis
The federal government stopped using the DUNS number and adopted the SAM.gov-issued 12-character UEI as the official entity identifier for registration and awards.
Go to the source
- Look up an entity on SAM.gov →official source
- What is a CAGE code? →
Related questions
Did the UEI replace the DUNS number?
Yes. As of April 4, 2022, the federal government retired the DUNS number and adopted the SAM.gov-issued 12-character Unique Entity ID as the official identifier for entity registration and federal awards.
Where do I find an entity's UEI?
On SAM.gov. An entity's registration record lists its UEI; it also appears on the entity's prime award records in USASpending.gov, which keys on the UEI.