Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code
A CAGE code is the identifier the Defense Logistics Agency assigns to a specific entity location doing business with the federal government. FAR 4.1802 requires offerors to provide one before award of any action above the micro-purchase threshold that requires SAM registration or a unique entity identifier.
Domestic entities get a CAGE code through SAM registration, and DLA assigns it to a physical location rather than to the company, so each site doing government work carries its own. Entities outside the United States use an NCAGE code assigned by a NATO member's codification bureau, which DLA records in the same system.
The clause structure parallels UEI maintenance. FAR 52.204-16 collects the code with the offer, 52.204-17 ties ownership-of-offeror data to it, and 52.204-18 obligates the contractor to keep the code current for the life of the contract and report any change to the contracting officer within 30 days. Contracting officers verify the code against the entity's active SAM registration under FAR 4.1803.
The location-specific design is what bites. A move, merger, or new facility changes the code, and SAM, the contract file, and payment records all have to agree before the next action clears — the reason 52.204-18 pairs the maintenance duty with the 30-day report.
Regulatory Reference
FAR Subpart 4.18; FAR 52.204-16; FAR 52.204-17; FAR 52.204-18
RFO Status
The Part 4 model deviation moves CAGE policy under contractor identification at 4.305, keeping the life-of-contract maintenance duty and the 30-day change report, and Part 4 is in the June 23, 2026 proposed rule, which folds CAGE collection into a consolidated offeror-identification provision.
Category
Documents & Artifacts
How AcqBot Helps
AcqBot checks the CAGE code on every offer against the live SAM registration, flags mismatches between the code, the legal name, and the place of performance, and tracks the 30-day reporting clock when a contractor reports a move or ownership change mid-performance.
Related glossary entries
Justification & Approval (J&A)
A Justification & Approval (J&A) is the formal document required by FAR 6.303 to justify awarding a federal contract without full and open competition, citing one of seven statutory exceptions and approved at thresholds based on dollar value.
Performance Work Statement (PWS)
A Performance Work Statement (PWS) describes required outcomes and measurable performance standards for a services acquisition rather than prescribing how the work must be done, enabling contractors to propose their own methods under performance-based acquisition.
Statement of Work (SOW)
A Statement of Work (SOW) is the contract document that prescribes, in specific and directive terms, the tasks a contractor must perform, the deliverables due, and the schedule — placing responsibility for the approach on the government.
Statement of Objectives (SOO)
A Statement of Objectives (SOO) is a brief government document stating top-level acquisition objectives and desired outcomes, leaving offerors free to propose their own technical approach and performance work statement in response.