The government has changed their minds before and while they might do it again, the DUNS to UEI Transition is set to take place on April 4, 2022. The Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is replacing DUNS as part of the System for Award Management (SAM) registration process.

Dunn & Bradstreet’s DUNS number has been used to verify name and address data of organizations and businesses as a precursor to their identification in their SAM registration for quite some time now, dating back to the days of the Central Contracting Registry (CCR), which was phased out in 2012 in favor of SAM.

Dunn & Bradstreet’s DUNS number will remain the “keeper” of your business information for commercial purposes, much in the same way Equifax or TransUnion are to your personal credit. So, if you’re in an industry like construction – DUNS will still very much play a role in being verified for things like bonding capacity and credit, among others. It’s also recommended that you keep it on your capability statement during this transition period, but be sure to add your UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) as your business ID for government contracting purposes.

Ultimately, there’s nothing at all you need to do if you’re already registered in SAM, newly registered or renewing, your UEI has been automatically assigned in SAM to your profile. This change is being implemented to streamline the registration validation process without having to go through a third party.

To find your UEI and review your business profile, go to https://fedbizconnect.com/Search to claim your free profile by entering your CAGE Code (from the “Search by” drop down menu select “CAGE Code” and enter your CAGE Code to find your business).