What is SAM.gov?
SAM.gov is the System for Award Management — the federal government's consolidated portal where vendors register to do business with federal agencies, where federal contract opportunities are published, and where award histories are recorded.
SAM.gov is the System for Award Management, run by the US General Services Administration. It consolidates several older systems (CCR, FedReg, and FBO.gov) into a single portal.
For vendors, SAM.gov registration is required to bid on most federal contracts and to receive federal grants. Registration is free, takes a few weeks the first time, and must be renewed annually. The registration captures legal entity information, banking details, NAICS codes, and small-business certifications, and assigns a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) that replaced the older DUNS number system.
For contract opportunities, SAM.gov publishes every federal solicitation above the simplified acquisition threshold. The opportunity feed is searchable by NAICS code, agency, set-aside, and keyword. Many vendors set up SAM.gov saved searches with email alerts.
For award histories and ownership, SAM.gov publishes detailed contract award records back to 2008 — useful for past-performance research and to identify incumbent vendors.
ProcureTap pulls SAM.gov data and presents it alongside state and local opportunities so vendors who bid at multiple levels can search them in one place.