Note: If you already have a certificate, skip to step 3 mentioned below. Otherwise, continue
reading.
To get a SAM.gov or SBA profile, you first need to identify your industry codes and your
D-U-N-S® (Data Universal Numbering System) number. Once you have completed these tasks, you
can log in to the Seller Central Certifications page to claim your Diversity
certification(s).
For details on how to complete each of these tasks and list your diversity certifications,
follow these steps:
Step 1: Identify your industry
codes
Search the North American Industry Classification System to identify your six-digit
industry code. These codes are used to classify business establishments for the purpose
of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. economy.
NAICS codes are also used to provide small and large businesses standard determinations
for specific industries.
To identify your NAICS code(s), go to http://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics:
-
In the search box on the top left side of
the page, type the category that corresponds to your business.
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Click Search to display a
list of matching NAICS codes.
-
Choose the code(s) that best describes
your business.
Step 2: Get Your DUNS Number
The D-U-N-S® (Data Universal Numbering System) number is a unique nine-digit
identification number provided by the company Dun & Bradstreet (D&B).
D&B assigns a D-U-N-S® number for each physical location of a business. The process
to request a D-U-N-S® number takes about 10 minutes. The D-U-N-S® number is free for all
entities required to register with the federal government by a regulatory agency. This
includes federal contractors, prospective government vendors and applicants, and
recipients of federal grants. Under normal circumstances, when using the online D&B
process, you can expect to receive a D-U-N-S® number within 1-2 business days.
Obtain a D-U-N-S® number here: http://www.dnb.com/government/duns-request/duns-request-guide.html
Or call: (866) 794-1577
Step 3: Register in SAM
Registering in the System for Award Management (SAM) will allow you to create a profile
for your company that will appear on both the SAM.gov website as well as the Small
Business Administration's Dynamic Small Business Database (DSBS). Amazon Business relies
on these sources to verify your status as a certified business. If you have all the
necessary information on hand, online registration takes approximately one hour to
complete.
Note: You must have access to an email
address to create a SAM User Account.
To create your user account go to www.SAM.gov:
-
Click on Create a User Account.
-
Choose Account Type:
-
Create an Individual User Account
to perform tasks such as register/update your entity or create and manage
records.
-
Create a System User Account if
you need system-to-system communication or if performing data transfer from SAM
to your government database system.
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Complete the requested information,
and click Submit.
-
Click DONE on the
confirmation page. You will receive an email confirming you have created a user
account in SAM.
-
Click the validation link in the email that
contains the activation code within 48 hours to activate your user account. If the
email link is not hyperlinked (that is, underlined or appearing in a different
color), please copy the validation link and paste it into the browser address bar.
You can now register an entity.
-
If you are a designated government
official you can search For Official Use Only (FOUO) information and enter
exclusions into the system.
Note: Creating an user account
does not create a registration in SAM, nor will it update/renew an existing
registration in SAM.
If you are an organization, business, government agency or grantee (known in SAM as an
"entity"), you must also register your entity in SAM. Log in to SAM with your user ID
and password, and follow these steps:
-
Gather all of the required information
needed to complete your registration.
-
D-U-N-S®
-
NAICS code
-
Business information such as address
and phone
-
Employment Identification number
(EIN) or Taxpayer Identification number (TIN)
-
Click on Register/Update Entity
from the navigation panel.
-
Click Register/Update
Entity near the bottom of the registration overview page.
-
Complete and submit the online
registration.
-
It will take approximately 45 minutes
to complete registration if you already have all the necessary information in
hand depending upon the size and complexity of your entity.
-
You will be presented with
disclaimers followed by a questionnaire determining the purpose of your
registration.
-
To move forward with the SAM.gov
registration, answer yes
to the question Do you want
to bid on government contracts. This is a precondition to setting up a
profile on SAM.gov.
-
Go through and update each section of
the SAM registration process. You have to go through each section of the SAM
registration process from the beginning.
Note: Make sure you fill out the
Core Data located in the General Information Section where you can
self-identify as a Woman owning a Small Business. Make sure to authorize
your entity's information to be displayed in SAM's public search.
-
After your registration is successfully
submitted, you will receive a Congratulations message from SAM.gov and an email confirming that your
registration is in process.
Step 4 (Optional): Fill out a
Supplemental SBA Profile
If the NAICS code(s) you provided qualifies you as a small business by SBA standards,
you will see a button that says Register or Update SBA
Profile near the end of the SAM.gov registration process. Click that
button to be directed to the Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) Database.
As with SAM, you will populate each section and hit the Save and Continue button
on each page until you are looped around to where you started. This means that you have
completed the Small Business Administration (SBA) portion of your profile.
Note: The SBA Profile is not required for
validation of your certifications on Seller Central.
If a Register or Update SBA Profile button does not appear in SAM.gov, Small Businesses
can access DSBS via SBA's Global Login System (GLS). To update your SBA Supplemental
Pages via SBA's GLS:
-
Go to https://eweb.sba.gov/gls/dsp_login.cfm.
-
You have to register and set up an account
in the GLS system if you haven't already.
-
In GLS, you request access to PRO-NET/DSBS
and click SBA Supplemental Pages.
-
Once you are granted access to
PRO-NET/DSBS, you can click the link to update your SBA Supplemental Pages in
DSBS.
SAM User Guide: https://www.sam.gov/sam/SAM_Guide/SAM_User_Guide.htm#_Toc330768974
FAQ
- 1. What does it cost to register a user account in SAM?
- Because SAM is a federally mandated and funded program, there is no cost to
obtain a user account.
- 2. How do I change the information on my SAM User Account?
- To change user profile information for an Individual User Account:
-
Log in to SAM with your username
and password.
-
Select My Account
Settings.
-
Select Edit User
Information.
To change profile information for a System Account:
-
Log in to SAM with the username
and password.
-
Select System Account
Settings.
-
Select System
Profile.
Note: Users cannot change the
username on an account.
- 3. How do I register to be eligible for contracts or Intra-Governmental
transactions?
- If you are registering on SAM.gov to be eligible for contracts or
Intra-Governmental Transactions, enter your NAICS codes within the Assertions
section of your entity registration on the Goods and Services page. In the
Glossary on this page, you will find a link to the NAICS search page on the Census
Bureau's website, or by using the keyword "NAICS" in the search box at the top of
the Census.gov homepage.
- 4. What are Representations and Certifications?
- Representations and Certifications are Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
requirements that anyone wanting to apply for federal contracts must complete. The
provisions require entities to represent or certify to a variety of statements
ranging from environmental rule compliance to entity size representation.
- 5. How can I have my business included in the Dynamic Small Business Search
(DSBS)?
- At the end of your SAM entity management registration, if SBA's size standard
indicator displays that your industry falls within the Small Business
classification, a link to SBA's Supplemental page will be shown on the screen. If
you click the link, you can enter your Small Business profile information on that
page. This data will automatically populate the SBA database where your business
information can be readily accessed through the Dynamic Small Business Search
function.
- 6. I started a registration a long time ago but did not complete it. Do I need
to start over?
- Incomplete registrations (that is, registrations that have not been submitted)
will be deleted from the system if 90 days have passed since you last updated your
details. If your registration is deleted because of inactivity, you have to begin
the entity registration process again.
- 7. How long does it take my SAM.gov profile to show up, or for changes to be
processed?
- It could take up to two weeks to process.
- 8. How do I know which data fields are mandatory in SAM?
- Fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory in SAM.
- 9. How do I know if an entity is an 8(A) firm? Where is the Small Business 8(a)
flag?
- If SAM receives an affirmative response from the SBA confirming that the entity
is an 8(a) firm, the certification will appear on the entity registration.
To
view the SBA Certification search for the entity registration in SAM:
-
Click the View Details
button from the entity's Search result.
-
Click Core Data
under Entity
Record.
-
Scroll down to the General
Information section.
Note: If the firm is not 8(a)
certified, then you will not see that certification listed in the General
information section.