Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)
The Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is the 12-character alphanumeric ID that SAM.gov generates for every entity doing business with the federal government. Owned and issued by the government, it replaced the proprietary DUNS number on April 4, 2022.
SAM.gov assigns the UEI during entity registration, and an organization that needs only the identifier can request a UEI without completing full registration. The government owns and manages the number itself, which is the point of the April 2022 switch from Dun & Bradstreet's D-U-N-S Number: the government now controls its own entity identifier instead of licensing one.
On offers, FAR 52.204-6 requires the offeror to state its UEI with a legal name and address that match the registration behind it. After award, FAR 52.204-13 requires notice to the contracting officer within 30 days of any change to the identifier, and name changes on at least one business day's written notice.
A UEI proves identity, not eligibility — holding one does not make an entity registered in SAM or eligible for award. The transition also left CAGE codes untouched, so defense work still runs on both identifiers.
Regulatory Reference
FAR 52.204-6; FAR 52.204-13
RFO Status
The Part 4 model deviation keeps the identifier under contractor identification at 4.305 — UEI and CAGE code maintained for the life of the contract, changes reported within 30 days — and Part 4 is in the June 23, 2026 first-batch proposed rules.
Category
Documents & Artifacts
How AcqBot Helps
AcqBot pulls the SAM record behind every UEI on an offer, checks that the legal name and address match what 52.204-6 requires, and flags stale or mismatched identifiers at receipt rather than at award.
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.