If you started government contracting before 2022, your SAM registration listed a DUNS number as your primary identifier. That number is gone now — replaced by the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Here is exactly what happened and what you actually need to do about it today.
What Was a DUNS Number?
DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) was a 9-digit identifier assigned by Dun & Bradstreet. The federal government used it for decades as the primary way to identify vendors in procurement systems. If you wanted to register in SAM.gov (or its predecessor CCR), you had to get a DUNS number first — which meant going to Dun & Bradstreet, a private company.
The problem: Dun & Bradstreet charged fees for certain services related to DUNS numbers and collected business data that the government could not independently verify. Critics argued it created unnecessary friction and cost for small businesses.
The April 2022 Transition
On April 4, 2022, the federal government officially cut ties with Dun & Bradstreet as the entity identifier provider. SAM.gov now assigns UEIs directly — at no cost, instantly, as part of the registration process.
If you had a DUNS number and an active SAM registration before the cutover, SAM.gov automatically generated a UEI for your entity and mapped it to your existing record. The transition was largely invisible for active registrants.
UEI Format
A UEI is a 12-character alphanumeric identifier (letters and numbers, no special characters). It looks nothing like a DUNS number. Example format: `G1KMZUL5KA82`.
Your UEI is permanent and unique to your legal entity. It does not change when you renew your SAM registration or update your record.
What About CAGE Codes?
CAGE codes are separate from both DUNS and UEI. They are assigned by the Defense Logistics Agency and used primarily by DoD. The DUNS-to-UEI transition did not affect CAGE codes — yours stayed the same.
What This Means If You Are Registering Today
Simple: there is no DUNS number anymore. When you register at SAM.gov, you will receive a UEI as part of the process. That is your vendor identifier for all federal procurement. Use it on proposals, capability statements, and invoices.
Do not go to Dun & Bradstreet to get a number for federal contracting purposes. D&B still assigns DUNS numbers for credit and commercial purposes, but those numbers are no longer used in federal procurement.
Updating Old Proposals and Templates
If you have proposal templates, capability statements, or contract management tools with a DUNS field, update them to UEI. Contracting officers should not be seeing DUNS numbers on new proposals — it signals that your templates are out of date.