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A county form still asks for a DUNS number. Do I write my UEI there, and is my EIN the same thing?

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I'm trying to register as a vendor with Duval County for grounds maintenance contracts, NAICS 561730, and their online form has a required field for a DUNS number. I thought DUNS was replaced by the Unique Entity ID (UEI). Do I just put my UEI in the DUNS field? The state procurement portal also asks for a tax ID and then a separate "entity number." Is my EIN my tax ID, and is the entity number just another name for the UEI? I'm not sure how local government buyers would even verify a UEI if they aren't using SAM.gov directly. Is there a way for them to look it up?

asked Jordan P. First-year bidder, landscaping and grounds · Jacksonville, FL · 311 rep

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Put your UEI in that field. The DUNS number stopped being the federal entity identifier when SAM.gov switched to the UEI, which SAM.gov generates itself, so a county form asking for DUNS is just an old label nobody updated. If the field rejects it, that's because it was built for digits only and the UEI has letters. Email the county's purchasing office and ask how they want it entered. Our county vendor form had the same leftover field and purchasing told us to type the UEI in and move on.

Your EIN is your tax ID. The IRS issues it, and SAM.gov checks it against IRS records when you register, so the legal name and EIN you give the state portal need to match what the IRS has on file, character for character.

The entity number isn't the UEI. SAM.gov gives you the UEI and the CAGE code and nothing else, so any other number on a state portal belongs to the state: either a vendor number the portal assigns after you register, or your business filing number from the Florida Division of Corporations. The field's help text or the portal's vendor guide says which one it wants.

Local buyers check a UEI on SAM.gov without an account. The public entity search shows the legal name, UEI, CAGE code, registration status and expiration date, so a county buyer can confirm you in a minute.

answered Femi A. Co-owner, two-person IT consultancy · Columbia, MD · 22 rep

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