Federal contracting · exclusions
The SAM exclusion list, explained — and how to check it
At a glance
Source: SAM.gov Exclusions extract, queried 2026-06-20 (aggregate counts derived from the Federal Suspension & Debarment Scorecard snapshot). Confirm current status at SAM.gov →
What the list is
The SAM exclusion list— formerly the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) — is the federal government's registry of individuals and businesses barred from receiving federal contracts, grants, loans, or other assistance. An exclusion can be a suspension (temporary, pending an investigation) or a debarment (for a fixed term), and it is added by the agency that took the action. Federal agencies are required to check the list before making an award, which is what makes it the operative gate in federal contracting.
How to check the list
- Open the SAM.gov exclusions search. Go to sam.gov/content/exclusions — the official, free federal exclusion registry and system of record.
- Search by name, UEI, or CAGE code. Enter the party's legal name, 12-character Unique Entity ID (UEI), or CAGE code. Use the identifier rather than the name where you can — names vary and an identifier is exact.
- Read the exclusion details and dates. Confirm the exclusion type, the excluding agency, and the activation/termination dates. An exclusion is time-bounded — always read the active window, not just the presence of a record.
The active-window nuance
SAM.gov publishes only the currently-activeregistry — terminated exclusions age off the public file, so every published record reads status “Active.” Two consequences: the list tells you who is excluded now, not who ever was; and an exclusion is time-bounded, so a contract signed before an exclusion activated, or after it terminated, is not within the active window. Reading the dates — not just the presence of a record — is the whole game.
Screen a contractor against the whole list
To check one party, SAM.gov is the system of record. To work at scale — match a roster or a UEI/CAGE list against the full registry and keep a dated, source-stamped result — Fonteum's procurement surface reconciles a contractor to its entity record and returns the exclusion and award facts on file, each pointing back to SAM.gov.
SAM exclusion list — common questions
What is the SAM exclusion list?
The SAM exclusion list (formerly the EPLS) is the federal government's registry of individuals and businesses excluded — suspended, debarred, or otherwise barred — from receiving federal contracts, grants, or other assistance. It is published free at sam.gov/content/exclusions and is the system of record agencies must check before making an award. As of 2026-06-20, it held 324,126 active records.
How do I check if a company is on the SAM exclusion list?
Search the exclusions area of SAM.gov (sam.gov/content/exclusions) by the party's name, Unique Entity ID (UEI), or CAGE code. SAM.gov returns any active exclusion, its type, the excluding agency, and the dates. The check is free and is the authoritative system of record.
What does an 'active' exclusion mean — are lifted exclusions shown?
SAM.gov publishes only the currently-active registry. Once an exclusion is terminated it ages off the public list, so every record on the public file carries status 'Active'. That means the list shows who is excluded now, not a historical archive of every exclusion ever issued.
Who can be on the exclusion list, and which agencies add to it?
Both individuals and businesses can be excluded, and many federal agencies contribute records. The registry is concentrated: in the extract Fonteum holds, the top three excluding agencies account for 90.15% of all active records. The Federal Suspension & Debarment Scorecard breaks the registry down by agency, type, and classification.
Can an excluded company still win a federal contract?
It should not. Agencies are required to check SAM.gov before awarding, and an active exclusion bars new awards. In practice, awards do occasionally reach excluded parties — Fonteum's Leakage Report reconstructs the active exclusion window for each entity and finds prime awards whose signed date fell inside it, stated strictly as dated facts.
Go to the source
- SAM.gov — federal exclusions search →official source
- SAM.gov — home →official source
Reviewed by the Fonteum Government Contracts Desk
This page reports what the SAM exclusion list is and how to check it; the aggregate counts are derived from the SAM.gov Exclusions extract queried 2026-06-20. It names no excluded party and makes no determination about anyone. Exclusion status changes over time — always confirm a specific party's current status at sam.gov/content/exclusions. Published 2026-06-20. Part of Fonteum (fonteum.com).