Requestor’s SAM Registration Guidance
What is SAM? The General Service Administration’s (GSA) Office of Government-wide Policy consolidated the government-wide acquisition and award support systems into one new system — the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM combines federal procurement systems and the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance into one new system. SAM streamlines processes; eliminates the need to enter the same data multiple times; and consolidates hosting to make the process of doing business with the government more efficient. This consolidation into SAM includes the functionality from the following systems:
Central Contractor Registry (CCR)
Federal Agency Registration (FedReg)
Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA)
Excluded Parties List System (EPLS)
Who should register in SAM?
You must register in SAM, if:
You would like to be eligible to be awarded contracts by the Federal Government; and
You have been otherwise directed to register by a government official.
NOTE: Registration is FREE, but DOES NOT guarantee business with the Federal Government.
What are the expectations with reference to registering in SAM?
Your expert will need a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun and Bradstreet (1-2 days after request)
Your expert will need a Tax Identification Number (TIN)/Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Social Security Number (SSN) – If the expert does not want to use their SSN, activating a new EIN with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) takes 2-5 weeks. Be advised – Use of any SSN will not be treated as Privacy Act information in SAM.
Register in SAM:
o Create an individual account and log-in;
o Complete Core Data [Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS); business information; Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code; general information; financial information; executive compensation; proceedings details; etc.]
o Complete assertions [North American Industry Classification System (NAICS); Product and Service Code (PSC); size metrics; Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) information; disaster relief information; etc.]
o Complete Representations and Certifications [Reps and Certs]
How long shall it take any potential expert to complete the SAM registration process?
That depends. In order to expedite the registration process as much as possible, experts should ensure that they have all the documentation readily available to complete the registration process. Please provide any potential expert the “Expert Witness SAM Registration Guidance”. Please have them read through the entire Guidance document as well as the “Quick Start Guide for Contract Registrants” prior to starting the registration process. If the expert is well prepared to begin the registration process, it is estimated that time required to input information during the registration process should not take more than 3-6 hours. Note that this estimated timeframe does not include required validations that other Government systems/organizations must complete (i.e., IRS, Dun and Bradstreet, etc.).
What is the timeframe the Expert Witness can expect that their registration will become active after the completion of the registration process?
After completing the registration process, registration of the expert should become active after 3-5 days when the IRS validates your TIN information. Please allow up to 10 business days after you submit your registration for it to become active in SAM.