What Is SAM.gov? A Plain-English Guide for Business Owners

SAM.gov is the federal government's official website for doing business with it. SAM stands for System for Award Management, and the site is run by the General Services Administration (GSA). It's free to use. It's where you register your business to get federal contracts and where agencies post what they want to buy, and those two parts are all most small business owners ever need.

What is SAM.gov used for?

SAM.gov pulls several government systems into one site. It replaced seven older websites, including FedBizOpps (the old contract listings site) and FPDS.gov (contract award data). Here's what it does today, in plain English:

Two of these deserve a line each. The exclusions list names firms that are debarred or suspended; they can't receive contracts, and contracting officers check the list before they award. Wage determinations are set by the Department of Labor, and SAM.gov is where they're published.

Contract award search moved from FPDS.gov into SAM.gov on February 24, 2026. You now need a free account to search it, but no special role.

The two parts a small business actually uses

Nearly everything a small business does on SAM.gov falls into two jobs.

Entity registration

Registration is how the government knows who you are and where to send your money. You enter your legal business name, physical address, taxpayer ID, bank account details for electronic payment, the NAICS codes that describe your work, and a set of representations and certifications.

In return, your business gets a Unique Entity ID, a 12-character ID that never expires. If you register to bid on contracts, the Defense Logistics Agency also assigns a five-character CAGE code at no cost.

A few rules to know before you start:

• Full registration vs. "UEI only." A full registration lets you bid on federal contracts as a prime contractor. The UEI-only option is for organizations with limited dealings, such as reporting as a sub-awardee, and it doesn't let you apply directly for federal awards.
• Renew every 365 days. If you don't, your status becomes inactive, and no awards or payments can be processed until you renew.
• Allow time. Plan on at least 10 business days after you submit, and longer if your name or address needs a manual review.

Our step-by-step guide to registering on SAM.gov covers what to gather and each section of the form.

Contract Opportunities

This is the listings side of SAM.gov. Agencies post notices here, from early market research through the final award. The notice types you'll see most:

• Sources Sought: the agency is doing market research and wants to hear from capable businesses.
• Presolicitation: advance notice that a solicitation is coming.
• Solicitation and Combined Synopsis/Solicitation: the actual request for bids or quotes. The combined version puts the announcement and the request in one notice.
• Special Notice: announcements that don't fit the other types.
• Award Notice: who won and, usually, for how much.

On September 25, 2026, FedReady's search of SAM.gov data showed about 11,100 open opportunities. About 4,700 were combined synopsis/solicitations, about 2,500 were solicitations, and about 750 were sources sought notices.

SAM.gov puts it plainly: "Anyone may search contract opportunities without an account." A free account adds the ability to save searches, follow changes to notices, and join interested vendor lists.

What SAM.gov isn't

SAM.gov vs. Grants.gov

SAM.gov handles contracts: the government buys a product or service from you. Grants.gov is where agencies post grant opportunities, which fund projects that serve a public purpose. SAM.gov sends grant seekers to its "partner site at grants.gov."

The two meet in one place. Organizations that apply for federal grants register in SAM.gov too, and they can choose a lighter registration for financial assistance (grants and loans) only. If you want contracts, you need the "All Awards" option.

Not a store, a certification or a guarantee

• It isn't a store or a marketplace. You can't buy anything on SAM.gov, and you don't list products for sale there. Each solicitation tells you how and where to submit your offer.
• It isn't a certification. Registering gives you an active status, not a certificate. Programs such as 8(a), HUBZone, women-owned small business (WOSB) and service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) are certified separately by the Small Business Administration (SBA), for free, at MySBA Certifications.
• It isn't a guarantee of work. Registering makes you eligible. You still have to find opportunities and win them.

Do you need a SAM.gov account?

It depends on what you want to do:

• Browse contract opportunities: no account needed.
• Save searches, follow notices or join interested vendor lists: a free account.
• Search past contract awards: a free account.
• Register your business: a free account. The first person to register an entity becomes its Entity Administrator.
• Bid as a prime contractor: an active, full registration, both when you submit your offer and when the contract is awarded.

Fixing SAM.gov login problems

SAM.gov has no password of its own. You sign in through Login.gov, a separate government sign-in service. Login.gov is "for secure sign in only," and it has no information about your SAM.gov registration, status or eligibility. Most sign-in trouble comes from a few things:

• A different email address. Use the same email for Login.gov that's on your SAM.gov profile. If you sign in with a different one, you can't reach your existing records. You can add your SAM.gov email to an existing Login.gov account.
• Shared accounts. Each person needs their own Login.gov account. Never share yours with an employee or a bookkeeper. If you hire help, keep the Entity Administrator role yourself; paid registration services may not hold it.
• Setup steps. Follow the Login.gov prompts when you create your account, and use Login.gov's own help pages for problems with the Login.gov account itself.

For anything about your SAM.gov account, registration or roles, go to the Federal Service Desk (FSD) at fsd.gov. It's SAM.gov's free help desk: you can search its answers, chat with an agent or submit a web form, and its current phone number and hours are listed there.

Is SAM.gov legit, and is it free?

Yes on both counts. SAM.gov is an official U.S. government website run by GSA, so always check that the address ends in .gov. SAM.gov's registration checklist says "SAM.gov is FREE to use," with no charge to get a UEI, register, or keep your registration active. GSA puts it just as directly: "Registration in SAM.gov is always free."

That hasn't stopped people from charging for it. Some paid services are legitimate but unnecessary. Others are scams dressed up as the government.

Why does SAM.gov feel so hard to use?

SAM.gov serves everyone involved in federal awards: agencies posting notices, contracting officers checking bidders, grant applicants, prime contractors filing reports, and researchers pulling award data. It also absorbed seven older websites, each with its own terms. The result is a site built around government processes, not around a business owner asking, "What can I sell?"

A little history helps when you read older advice:

• FedBizOpps (FBO.gov) was retired in 2019. Its listings moved to SAM.gov Contract Opportunities.
• The DUNS number was retired on April 4, 2022. The UEI, issued in SAM.gov, replaced it.
• FPDS.gov's award search moved into SAM.gov on February 24, 2026.
• The registration screens were redesigned in phases between June 2025 and March 2026, so older screenshots may not match what you see.

If a guide or an email sends you to one of those old sites, it's out of date, or it's not legitimate.

Tips for searching SAM.gov without getting lost

1. Search by NAICS code, not just keywords. Agencies describe work in their own words, such as "grounds maintenance" instead of "lawn care." Your NAICS code catches notices your keywords miss.
2. Filter by set-aside and place of performance. That hides contracts reserved for other groups and work in places you can't reach.
3. Open the attachments. The notice page is a summary. The statement of work, pricing sheet and instructions are usually in the attached files.
4. Start with sources sought notices. Responding puts your business in front of the contracting officer before the solicitation is written.
5. Save your searches. With a free account, changes to the notices you follow come to you.

If SAM.gov's search still feels like a maze, FedReady's free search lets you filter the same notices by set-aside, NAICS code, state and notice type. Our guide on how to find government contracts goes deeper on notice types and a weekly routine.

Next steps

Now that you know what SAM.gov is, the next move is to register your business on SAM.gov. Before you do, read up on SAM.gov registration scams so no one talks you into paying for it. For quick definitions of SAM.gov and the other terms you'll meet, keep the government contracting glossary handy.

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules and thresholds change, so confirm details on SAM.gov and the official agency sites linked above before you act. FedReady is an independent company and is not affiliated with any government agency.