CAGE codes and UEI explained

Two identifiers, two jobs

Every federal vendor carries two codes. The Unique Entity ID, or UEI, is a twelve character string that SAM.gov assigns. It identifies your legal entity in the government's records. The CAGE code, short for Commercial and Government Entity code, is a five character code assigned by the Defense Logistics Agency. It identifies a specific facility at a specific address.

The distinction matters. A company with one legal entity and two plants can have one UEI and two CAGE codes. Engineers, drawings, and DLA buyers use the CAGE. Award records and payment systems use both. You need both.

The UEI replaced the older DUNS number as the government identifier. If an old form, drawing, or database asks for a DUNS number, the UEI is the current answer for federal work.

The Unique Entity ID

The UEI is created in SAM.gov. You get one in two ways. If you complete a full entity registration, a UEI is assigned during the process. If you only need an identifier, for example to be reported as a subcontractor on a grant, you can request a UEI without registering. That short path still validates your legal name and address.

For contract work, get the full registration. A UEI alone does not let a contracting officer award to you or pay you.

The UEI is free and it does not expire on its own. It is tied to the legal entity, so a merger, a sale, or a new legal name can mean a documented change. If only your address changes, you update SAM.gov and the UEI stays the same in most cases.

You will use the UEI in SAM.gov, on award records in FPDS and USAspending, in some grant systems, and in prime contractor portals that ask for it.

The CAGE code

The CAGE code comes from the DLA CAGE Program. For a company in the United States you do not apply directly. Submitting a SAM.gov registration triggers the request. DLA reviews the legal name and address, checks that no CAGE already exists for that location, and assigns one. Foreign companies get an NCAGE code from their country's codification bureau, or from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, before they register in SAM.

A CAGE is address specific. Each physical location that will receive contracts, ship parts, or hold approved source status gets its own code. When you move, you update SAM.gov and DLA updates the CAGE record. The code itself usually stays the same.

In defense manufacturing the CAGE does extra work. Source control drawings list approved suppliers by CAGE. The DLA bid board, DIBBS, identifies you by CAGE. Packaging labels, first article reports, and certificates of conformance carry it. When a buyer talks about the incumbent on a part, they often mean a CAGE, not a company name.

The CAGE record has a status, and that status follows your SAM registration. When SAM lapses, the CAGE can be marked inactive. Renew SAM on time and the CAGE stays clean.

Keeping them current

Both identifiers depend on an active SAM.gov registration. Renew it every year. Update the record promptly whenever your legal name, address, ownership, or points of contact change. Name and address changes go back through entity validation, so have your documents ready.

Check the public CAGE record on the DLA CAGE search site once in a while. Confirm the name, address, and status match what you expect. A typo there follows you onto drawings and award records.

If you open a second plant, ask the Federal Service Desk how to register the new location before you create anything. Duplicate records are hard to clean up and can confuse buyers who are trying to award to you.

Common problems and fixes

• No match at validation. The legal name or address differs from your documents. Fix the spelling to match, or upload proof through fsd.gov.
• Two CAGE codes for one location. Usually left over from an old registration. Ask DLA through the Federal Service Desk to merge or retire one.
• Inactive CAGE on a drawing you are approved on. The SAM registration lapsed. Renew SAM and the status follows.
• A prime portal rejects your UEI. The portal often checks against SAM.gov public data. Make sure public search is enabled on your record.
• Your name is wrong on an award record. Award data comes from the SAM record at the time of award. Fix SAM first, then ask the contracting office to correct the action if it matters.