Getting Started

Registration, UEI, CAGE, entity validation, set-asides. The paperwork you have to get right before you can bid at all. Start here if you have not registered yet, or if something in SAM.gov is stuck.

The shortest sensible route

Do these in order.

Registration has dependencies. Skipping ahead usually sends you back to the same missing record.

01How to Register on SAM.gov: A Step-by-Step GuideThe eight things you need before you start, the order SAM.gov actually processes them in, and the one mistake that turns a 10-day registration into a 5-week one.02What Is a UEI Number? (And Why It Replaced the DUNS Number)The UEI is the 12-character ID that replaced DUNS in SAM.gov. Here is what it does, where it comes from, and why the old number stopped working.03How to Get a CAGE Code (Without Paying Anyone)A CAGE code is free and assigned automatically when you register on SAM.gov. Here is how the assignment actually works, why some sites charge for it anyway, and what to do if yours is stuck.04How Long Does SAM.gov Registration Take in 2026?GSA states up to 10 business days for a clean registration. Here's why some registrations take that long, why others take weeks, and the one rule change that matters if your registration lapses mid-bid.

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