GSA’s transition to new unique entity identifier delayed
The Office of Management and Budget extended the deadline for transitioning to a new unique entity identifier (UEI) for organizations doing business with the federal government to April 2022.
The General Services Administration intends to continue using the proprietary, nine-digit Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number supplied by Dun & Bradstreet, citing a need for “full continuity of services.”
Originally the transition to a UEI generated directly by the System for Award Management (SAM) website, begun in July 2019, was supposed to take 18 months, but the coronavirus pandemic has forced the shifting of some timelines.
GSA selected Ernst & Young to supply non-proprietary UEIs via SAM.gov, as opposed to a third-party website. The UEIs are 12-character alpha-numeric values with all letters capitalized and O and I excluded to avoid confusion.
Who receives UEIs hasn’t changed, and they’ll be automatically assigned to existing entities and automatically generated for first-time registrants on SAM.gov.
