Federal Business Registrations
To sell to the government, you'll need to register with a variety of databases.
Employer Identification Number: EIN, also referred to as Federal Tax Identification Numbers (TIN), is a nine-digit number issued by the IRS that is used to identify a business entity. If you have questions relating to EIN, including whether you should apply for a number or not, visit the EIN section on the IRS website. You may apply for an EIN in various ways, including online.
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): For years, the unique identifier for a business was the DUNS number assigned by Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number was required before the business could register in SAM.gov, which is a requirement for federal contracting. SAM.gov has transitioned away from relying on the DUNS number and is now directly assigning a Unique Entity Identifier, or UEI. The DUNS number will no longer be required in advance of a SAM Registration.
With the transition, businesses will go to a single website, SAM.gov, to register the entity and make any updates to the legal business name and address.
All entities registered in SAM, whether Active or expired, have already been assigned a UEI. To find yours, log in to your SAM.gov. account, or email us for assistance.
System for Award Management (SAM): To do business with any department of the federal government, you must first register in SAM. The Procurement Technical Assistance Center staff are available to provide assistance with SAM questions and issues.
SAM registrations must be renewed annually. This registration provides government contractors with a profile of your company and required banking information so that you can be paid electronically. It also includes a mandatory compilation of standard contract certifications and terms & conditions that are required in almost all Federal contracts. Upon completion of this registration, small businesses are also provided a link to register on Dynamic Small Business Search, see below.
Dynamic Small Business Search: This SBA-operated, self-certifying database is used by contracting officers and others to find information on small businesses.
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS Codes) are numerical codes creating uniform descriptions of small business types.. Size standards, for determination of whether or not a business is small, are keyed to NAICS codes. You can look up NAICS Codes online. You can download Small Business Size Standards that are matched to the NAICS Codes.
Product Service Codes (PSC) and Federal Supply Codes (FSC) are alpha-numerical codes designed by the government to create descriptions for products and services. They are not specific to small businesses and do not describe business size. A-Z are for services and 10-99 are for products. You can look up PSC and FSC Codes online.
For more information about the Procurement Technical Assistance Center please review
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This APEX Accelerator (f/k/a PTAC) is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense. We are also funded by the NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs, and we operate as a program within the Division of Economic Development.