Federal

Doing Business with the Federal Government

As the largest public purchasing entity in Pierce County and the Puget Sound area (Army, Air Force, Navy, Corp of Engineers, SBA, etc.), the federal government offers local companies an opportunity to sell goods and services.

To win an award you must be prepared and patient. Setting the stage for success is crucial.

Basic Requirements
To do business with the Federal Government each business must satisfy the following basic requirements:

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

• Beginning April 4, 2022, the Unique Entity ID (UEI) from SAM.gov is now the authoritative identifier for those doing business with the federal government. The DUNS Number is no longer valid for federal award identification.
• All of the Integrated Award Environment (IAE) systems—SAM.gov, eSRS, FSRS, FPDS, FAPIIS, and CPARS—as well as all other GSA systems, are now only using the Unique Entity ID to identify entities.
• The Unique Entity ID is generated in SAM.gov. If you are registered in SAM.gov (active or not prior to April 4, 2022), you already have a Unique Entity ID. It is viewable at SAM.gov. If you are new to SAM.gov and will be registering for the first time, you will get your Unique Entity ID (SAM) during registration.

System for Award Management (SAM)

Go to www.SAM.gov for additional information and instructions on how to register. SAM is free. Do not pay to get into www.SAM.gov.

Note: Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC), APEX Accelerators, help companies win government contracts. Currently, the Pierce County PTAC contact is Maryam Lynch-Tate or you can phone her at P: 253-257-5528. You can find more information about the PTAC program online.
 
Need to contact a federal purchasing official?