Capabilities - System for Award Management (SAM)

In 2012, GSA consolidated several federal procurement and award systems into 1 new system—the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM streamlined processes, improved data quality by eliminating the need to enter the same data multiple times, and consolidated hosting to save taxpayer money.

The current SAM system includes the capabilities found previously in Central Contractor Registration (CCR), Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), and the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS). This integration of capabilities streamlines the process of entity (e.g., vendors and grantees) registration and gives contracting and grants staff a single-source picture of who is eligible for awards

Beginning in 2018, GSA continued this consolidation with the creation of beta.SAM. beta.SAM is intended to incorporate the functions found today in other federal procurement systems. When consolidation is complete, the new system will have the following capability areas:

  • Entity Information (legacy SAM, Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS), Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), and Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS))
  • Contract Award Data (Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), and Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS)/FFATA Subaward Reporting System (FSRS)
  • Contract Opportunities (Federal Business Opportunities (FBO))
  • Assistance Listings (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA))
  • Wage Determinations (Wage Determinations On Line (WDOL))
  • Federal Hierarchy

The consolidation of these capabilities will further streamline processes for both government and awardees.

The Department of Defense has allowed for the extension of the FY 2024 Service Contract Reporting (SCR) submission date in SAM. For FY 2024 data reporting, the annual SCR submission date of October 31 is extended through January 31, 2025, to align with federal agencies open reporting period. For more information see the memorandum “Fiscal Year 2024 Reporting Period Extended for Contractor Service Contract Reporting in the System for Award Management.”

For more information about legacy SAM, including user guides, see the DoD Procurement Toolbox at https://dodprocurementtoolbox.com/site-pages/samgov, or visit the SAM website.

For information on the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) integration with SAM, see the memorandum “Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System Integrates with the System for Award Management,” dated December 13, 2022.