Unique Entity ID (UEI)
Also called: UEI, unique entity identifier, entity ID, SAM UEI
The Unique Entity ID is the twelve-character identifier SAM.gov assigns to a registered entity. It replaced the DUNS number in April 2022 and is the number agencies use to identify you in awards and payments.
The UEI is defined in FAR 2.101 (unique entity identifier) and is issued by SAM.gov itself, so there is no outside company to go through. You can get a UEI without a full SAM registration (for grants or subcontract reporting), but a full registration is needed to receive a federal contract award.
What to check: that the UEI on your proposal, your invoices in WAWF or PIEE, and your subcontract reporting match the entity that will sign the contract. Firms with several legal entities or locations may need several UEIs. Keep the UEI off public marketing material where it would not help you; it is not secret, but it is not a credential either.
What it is not: a CAGE code (issued by DLA for the same registration), a tax ID, or proof of anything beyond the registration record.
See also: SAM.gov, CAGE code, WAWF and PIEE, NAICS code, SAM entity registration
Questions that use this term
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