Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Fact Sheet

Updated April 25, 2022

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Acquisition and Grants Administration

Grants Policy and Training Division

The Federal Government has transitioned from the use of the DUNS Number to the Unique Entity

Identifier (UEI) as the primary means of entity identification for Federal awards government-wide. UEIs

are required in accordance with 2 CFR Part 25, and the t

ransition from DUNS to UEI has resulted in the

UEI being issued by the Federal Government in SAM.gov. This means entities no longer rely on a third-

party to obtain an identifier (i.e., a DUNS issued by Dun and Bradstreet). This change streamlines the

entity identification and validation process, making it easier and less burdensome for entities to do

business with the Federal Government. Information addressing the reasons for this transition is

available at

The N

ew Unique Entity Identifier is Here and at Why has SAM.gov changed from the DUNS

Number to the Unique Entity ID?.

Here is what you need to know about this recent transition:

1. Direct Grant Recipients and Grant Applicants

a. If your organization is currently registered in SAM.gov

with ei

ther an active or inactive

registration, you have already been assigned a UEI. Your UEI is viewable on your entity’s

registration record in SAM.gov. To learn how to view your UEI, see this guide: How can I view my

Unique Entity ID?.

b. On April 4, 2022, the Integrated Award Environment (IAE) systems (i.e., SAM.gov, FPDS,

eSRS,FSRS, FAPIIS, and CPARS) complied with the Federal Government’s requirement to end use

of the DUNS Number for Federal award management.

The U.S. Department of Education’s

Grants Management System (G5) implemented this transition on April 4, 2022.

c. If you have an inactive registration or need to update your registration, you must ensure that

your renewal or updates occur on time and as required, but this does not affect whether you

have been assigned a UEI. If you have a registration, you already have a UEI. If your registration

has expired, you have been assigned a UEI, but you will need to renew your registration. You

SAM.gov – Or the System for Awards Management is the official site for registering to do business with the Federal

Government.

FPDS.gov – Or th

e Federal Procurement Data System is the official site for reporting contracts whose estimated value is $10K or

more.

eSRS.gov –

Or the Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System is the official site for reporting subcontracts. FSRS.gov – Or the

Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) is the official reporting site that Federal

prime awardees (i.e., prime contractors and prime grants recipients) use to capture and report subaward and executive

compensation data regarding their first-tier subawards.

FAPIIS.gov – O

r the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System is the official site in which records are

entered and searchable related to Administrative Agreements, Defective Pricing, DoD Determination of Contractor Fault, Non-

Responsibility Determination, Recipient Not-Qualified Determination, Termination for Cause, Termination for Default,

Termination for Material Failure to Comply, Suspension/Debarment information if the entity has any of these records, and

Administrative Proceedings information.

CPARS.gov – Or the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System is the official site in which Federal agencies can

create and measure the quality and timely reporting of contractor performance information, and where contractors can review

this information and provide comment

Updated April 25, 2022

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Acquisition and Grants Administration

Grants Policy and Training Division

can access instructions addressing how to renew your entity registration at: How to Renew or

Update an Entity.

d. If you are not registered in SAM.gov, create a n

ew registration by clicking on the “Get Started”

link under the “Register Your Entity…” heading in SAM.gov. Grantees, and other entities wanting

to do business with the U.S. Department of Education (e.g., entities applying for a grant), that are

not already registered in SAM.gov must complete the fu

ll “Register Entity” registration option

and NOT the abbreviated “Get a Unique Entity ID” option. The “Get a Unique Entity ID” option,

which is not a full registration, is only available to entities that are not grantees (i.e., direct

recipients of a U.S. Department of Education grant) and to entities that do not wish to apply for

a Federal grant. Failing to complete the “Register Entity” option may result in loss of funding,

loss of applicant eligibility, and/or delays in receiving a grant award.

e. On

ce assigned, the UEI number will never expire; however, entity registrations do expire annually

and require annual renewal. Please ensure that your organization renews its registration prior to

the expiration date. The expiration date is listed in your entity record in SAM.gov.

2. Subrecipients

a. S

ubrecipients must have a UEI; however, the U.S. Department of Education does not require

subrecipients under its grants to register their UEIs in SAM.gov. Unless item 2(b) applies,

subrecipients that do not have a UEI may complete the abbreviated “Get a Unique Entity ID”

option and NOT the full “Register Entity” registration option to obtain a UEI. Since the UEI

validates the subrecipient’s legal business name and address, subrecipients must update this

information when changes occur. For information about how to obtain a UEI without

registering an entity, and the difference between only getting a UEI and registering an entity,

view the How to get a Unique Entity ID video.

b. The following exception to item 2(a) applies to subrecipients. When subrecipients under U.S.

Department of Education grants are also direct recipients of U.S. Department of Education

grants and/or direct recipients of other Federal agency grants, and/or they wish to apply for a

Federal grant as a direct recipient, these subrecipients must have an active UEI registration in

SAM.gov. Subrecipients that are currently registered in SAM.gov

ith either an active or

inactive registration have been assigned their UEI. If a subrecipient’s registration has expired, it

has been assigned a UEI, but it will need to renew its registration. Registrations expire annually

and require annual renewal. To renew expired registrations, these entities may follow the

instructions at: How to Renew or Update an Entity.

Subrecipients without a registration that are

also direct grant recipients under other Federal awards, and/or that wish to apply for a Federal

grant as a direct recipient, must register by clicking on the “Get Started” link under the “Register

Your Entity…” heading in

SAM.gov and c

omplete the full “Register Entity” registration option.

3. Where to get help

a. The Federal Service Desk, available at FSD.gov

, is the help desk that has been established for all

IAE systems. FSD.gov includes resources that address the recent UEI transition and these

resources are available at: Help for the Transition from DUNS to Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

Updated April 25, 2022

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Acquisition and Grants Administration

Grants Policy and Training Division

There are resources available for grantees, subrecipients, contractors, subcontractors, and

Federal employees who use SAM.gov, and for individuals who search for entities on SAM.gov.

For example, there are

FAQs available that are organized by how an individual uses

SAM.gov

based on their roles and

responsibilities (FAQs and Resources Based on What You Do in

SAM.gov) that are particularly helpful.

b. If you have questions about UEIs or the recent UEI transition that are not answered in the FAQs

or in other resources available at FSD.gov, you may contact the FSD.gov

by c

alling, or by choosing

“Create an Incident” or engaging in a “Live Chat.”

c. Fo

r other questions related to your grant, please contact your Education Program Contact listed

in box 3 of your Grant Award Notification, or as identified in any other applicable documentation

provided by the U.S. Department of Education.