Federal Construction Contracting Blog : Federal Construction Contracting Law Firm : Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC : Construction Law, Dredging and Claims

By: Edward T. DeLisle & Maria L. Panichelli

The federal government’s much-anticipated new contractor registration system, “SAM” was launched on July 30, 2012. SAM (short for System for Award Management) replaces the former Central Contractor Registration (CCR) system, and will ultimately integrate eight federal procurement systems (CCR, FedReg, ORCA, EPLS, CFDA, eSRS, FBO, FPDS-NG, FSRS, PPIRS, WDOL), along with the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, into a new, streamlined system.

Eventually, contractors will be able to use one set of log in information to access everything that was once spread out over eight sites. Once SAM reaches that stage, there should be more consistency in the information found on-line, as contractors will no longer have to keep track of, or update, information on several different websites – one update on SAM, and you are set. Contractors will be able to register, file certifications, and search for contracting opportunities, in one place.

Steps for registering your business on SAM can be found in the User Guide posted on the SAM website. A quick start guide is also available. If you have further questions, or experience any difficulties, you can contact the Federal Service Desk’s Answer Center. We do understand that contractors have been having difficulty accessing the system, which is not entirely surprising at this point. If we receive any information addressing these accessibility problems, or any other issues of import regarding SAM, we will pass along that information to you.

Edward T. DeLisle is a Partner in the firm and a member of the Federal Contracting Practice Group. Maria L. Panichelli is an Associate in the firm’s Federal Practice Group.

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 By: Joseph A. Hackenbracht

Federal contractors need to prepare for another change in the online environment. Currently scheduled to take place in late July of this year, the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) system will no longer exist. The Federal government is starting a new registration system called the System for Award Management, or SAM [Uncle, get it?] for short. In addition to replacing CCR, SAM will incorporate the Federal Agency Registration [FedReg], the Online Representations and Certifications Application [ORCA], and the Excluded Parties List System [EPLS]. For all those contractors already registered in CCR and ORCA, you can breathe a sigh of relief; the Federal government is going to transfer your information into the new system. Although some of the terminology is changing, enough has remained the same that SAM should be familiar, so when the time comes for a contractor to renew its registration, it will not have too much trouble. For more information, go to the website.  A quick introduction to the new system is attached.

The government, however, is not through with its centralization of procurement information. Contractors familiar with the FedBizOpps system for reviewing solicitations, amendments, and other procurement actions can look forward to it being incorporated into SAM, along with the PPIRS, Past Performance Information Retrieval System, and many other data sites.

That’s life in the digital age, changing so quickly that it is hard to know whether you’re coming or going.

Joseph A. Hackenbracht is a Partner in the firm and a member of the Federal Contracting Practice Group.
 

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