The federal government recently issued a rule to clarify that an offeror must register in the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting an offer in response to a solicitation. In the past, the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) permitted a contractor to register any time prior to award. No more.
SAM is the government-wide acquisition and award support systems. It is intended to eliminate the need for a contractor to enter the same data multiple times and consolidate hosting to make the process of doing business with the government more efficient.
Registration is available free of charge: https://www.sam.gov/SAM/
As always, contact an experienced government contracts attorney for assistance with FAR compliance, subcontract and teaming agreements, bid protests, and contract claims.
