One thing I always recommend to clients is that they perform a double check on their sam.gov Registration on a periodic basis. This is because it is a good idea to verify that your sam.gov registration is and continues to be accurate before you begin marketing, and while you are marketing, to the federal government, to keep you from creating more time intensive issues for your firm down the road. 

Timeframe: 30 minutes (provided your sam.gov registration is already completed)   

Key Items to Double Check:

Capabilities Statement:  At first, many do a poor job of putting together their capabilities statement. Making sure this statement is accurate and easy to read will make a federal buyer’s job easier when they look up your company. Additionally, one way your firm’s capabilities are established with the federal government is by providing the firm’s last three-year average of gross revenue. This number must match the company’s tax returns for the same years. Federal buyers use these numbers to help them gauge a firm’s capabilities so updating these revenue numbers is very important.

HAZMAT Capabilities:  Sam.gov has capabilities for ORCA which stands for Online Representations and Certifications Application. It’s a good idea to look this over to make sure your firm is listing all of your HAZMAT Capabilities that are needed in your industry, or you could get disqualified for work.   

Credit Card Acceptance:  If your firm can accept credit cards, this is also important information to be on sam.gov. The ability to accept government purchase credit cards is critical for sales that are less than $3,500. If you don’t have this capability, I recommend that you work on rectifying this.   

NAICS Codes:  Your firm will also have to categorize itself into the type of goods and services it will perform. The North American Industry Classification System (or NAICS Codes) is the system the government uses to accomplish this. The best way to determine which industries your firm participates is to go to census.gov. There in the menu header is “Find a Code”, and then go to NAICS Code lookup. Once on that page, it is best to enter a single word search in the field. Write down every code you qualify for, but it is unadvisable to enter codes in your Sam profile in which you do not perform. A lot of times firms only have some or the wrong NAICS codes listed, and this can create a logic issue when you go to bid on work down the road.  

Other Documents to Do a Quick Check:  

Basic Information:  Firm’s Legal and Trade Name, telephone number, email, address of the company, account(s) receivable, past performance information, and a government point of contact.

Tax Identification Number:  Your business entity will be required to have an EIN number (Employer Identification Number), or a Social Security number for sole-proprietorships and partnerships.  

Legal Entity Type:  Your business should have already been formed. The form your business takes, whether it be a Sole-proprietorship, LLC, Corporation, Partnership or an S-Corp, does not matter. What does matter is that the entity has been established with the IRS.

Bank Account:  The federal government stopped paying by check several years ago. As a result, your firm must have a bank account setup specifically for your business. The information with regard to the establishment of your bank account will be a Bank Account Number and a Routing Number, Bank Phone Number and Fax Number.  

Not Barred from Federal Work:  Your firm will also have to verify that your firm is not present on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS), which for most firms is not an issue.  

Remember you must re-register every year, and you should always keep your same profile up to date. Therefore, this double check should be done at least once per year, however we recommend this is performed on a six-month interval.

If you have any questions or need assistance with the sam.gov process, or anything else related to federal contracting, the 8(a) Certification, GSA Schedule, etc., I always recommend contacting an industry expert such as ez8a, Advance GSA or Fedvital. None charge for an initial consultation.