Da 22-371

DA 22-371
Released: April 6, 2022
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TRANSITION FROM THE DATA UNIVERSAL
NUMBERING SYSTEM NUMBER TO A NEW UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER FOR
SAM.GOV AS OF APRIL 4, 2022
As of April 4, 2022, the Federal Government is no longer using the Data Universal Numbering
System (DUNS) number to uniquely identify entities registered in the U.S. General Services
Administration’s (GSA) System for Award Management (SAM) 1 and is instead using the Unique Entity
Identifier (UEI) generated directly in SAM.gov, in accordance with 2 CFR Part 25.2 In support of Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) programs that currently utilize SAM.gov registration, including the
Affordable Connectivity Program, COVID-19 Telehealth Program, Emergency Connectivity Fund, and
the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, as well as FCC programs
that will now utilize SAM.gov registration, including all of the Universal Service Fund programs, we
provide an explanation of the transition from DUNS numbering to UEI numbering below.
Previously, entities seeking to register on SAM.gov were required to obtain a nine-digit unique
DUNS number through the Dun & Bradstreet website.3 Only after a DUNS number was assigned, was an
entity able to register on SAM.gov. Effective immediately, entities can now go directly to SAM.gov to
request a UEI and no longer need a DUNS number to register. Thus, entities may go directly to SAM.gov
to:




Register their entity and request a UEI;
Make any updates to their legal business name and physical address associated with the UEI; and
Find customer support at a single support center for all UEI and entity registration issues.

1

SAM is the official site for registering to do business with the Federal Government. See SAM.gov,
https://sam.gov/content/home. As of April 4, 2022, the Integrated Award Environment (IAE) systems (i.e.,
SAM.gov, Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS), Federal
Funding Accountability and Transparency Act Subaward Reporting System (FSRS), Federal Awardee Performance
and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), and Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS))
are complying with the Federal Government’s requirement to stop using the DUNS number for Federal award
management. See also U.S. General Services Administration, Unique Entity Identifier Update, The New Unique
Entity Identifier is Here, https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systemsmanagement/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-systems-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update.
2

See 2 CFR Part 25 (Universal Identifier and System for Award Management). The requirement for a unique
identifier for entities derives from the requirement in section 2(b)(1)(E) of the Federal Funding Accountability and
Transparency Act of 2006, Pub. L. No 109-282, (2006) that USASpending.gov include a “unique identifier of the
entity receiving the [federal financial] award and of the parent entity of the recipient, should the entity be owned by
another entity.”
3

See Dun & Bradstreet, Welcome to the D&B D-U-N-S Request Service for US Federal Government Contractors
and Assistance Awardees, https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do.

Federal Communications Commission

DA 22-371

If your organization is currently registered in SAM.gov with either an active or inactive
registration, you have already been assigned a UEI and can view it within SAM.gov. Entities who are not
registered in SAM.gov will be assigned a UEI when they register. While you can acquire a UEI for your
organization without having to complete a full entity registration in SAM.gov, please note that to receive
payments from the FCC, full entity SAM.gov registration is required. Therefore, we recommend
completing full entity registration in all instances at this time.
The transition from using DUNS numbers to using UEIs does not impact your entity’s SAM.gov
expiration date or when you need to renew your registration. Once an entity is assigned a UEI through
SAM.gov, the UEI will never expire. Entities’ registrations in SAM.gov, however, require annual
renewal, or the accounts are deactivated. Therefore, please ensure that your organization renews its
SAM.gov registration prior to the expiration date listed in your entity’s record in SAM.gov. It is
extremely important that you keep your information current in SAM.gov because payments may not be
able to be processed if the SAM.gov registration is not updated and/or has expired.
For Universal Service Fund recipients, the FCC is working with the Universal Service
Administrative Company (USAC) to complete a full transition to the collection of UEIs and the use of
SAM.gov for the collection of payment information from Universal Service Fund recipients.4 Additional
details will be forthcoming from USAC as this transition progresses.
For additional more detailed information regarding the transition from a DUNS number to a UEI,
please see SAM.gov at DUNS to UEI Transition. Additionally, the Federal Service Desk, available at
FSD.gov, is the support center for all IAE systems. FSD.gov also includes resources that address the UEI
transition, available at Frequently Asked Questions. For further information about UEIs or the UEI
transition, you may also contact FSD.gov at 866-606-8220.
For any other questions concerning this Public Notice, please contact Nelson Davis, at (202) 4181979 or by email at [email protected].

- FCC -

4

If you are an E-Rate or Emergency Connectivity Fund program participant and only use the service provider
invoicing (SPI) method and do not receive any direct payments or disbursements, you are not required to register in
SAM.gov to obtain a UEI. Similarly, if you are a health care provider in the Rural Health Care program and do not
receive any direct payments or disbursements, you are also not required to register in SAM.gov to obtain a UEI.
However, if you are an E-Rate or Emergency Connectivity Fund program participant and use the Billed Entity
Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR) invoicing method, you are required to register in SAM.gov and obtain a UEI.

2