Registration Policy

Central Contractor Registration (CCR) Policy

• According to the FAR 4.11, prospective vendors must be registered in CCR prior to the award of a contract; basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchase agreement.
• According to FAR 52.204-7, to register in CCR, a firm must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. The DUNS Number is assigned by Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. (D&B) to identify unique business entities.
• EFT and assignment of claims as stated FAR 52.232-33 Para. G.: "EFT and assignment of claims. If the Contractor assigns the proceeds of this contract as provided for in the assignment of claims terms of this contract, the Contractor shall require as a condition of any such assignment, that the assignee shall register in the CCR database and shall be paid by EFT in accordance with the terms of this clause. In all respects, the requirements of this clause shall apply to the assignee as if it were the Contractor. EFT information that shows the ultimate recipient of the transfer to be other than the Contractor, in the absence of a proper assignment of claims acceptable to the Government, is incorrect EFT information within the meaning of paragraph (d) of this clause."

Federal Agency Registration (FedReg) Policy

• OMB Memorandum M-03-01 and the Treasury Financial Manual Bulletin No. 2007-03, Intergovernmental Business Rules, require all federal agencies that engage in buying or selling goods/services to other federal agencies to register in the Federal Agency Registration database (FedReg).
• At a minimum, this registration must be at the major component level. Registration at the major component level will assist agencies in identifying intragovernmental transactions below the Department level.
• In the near future, the registration data will be used to route intragovernmental transactions electronically through the Intragovernmental Transaction Portal (IGTP), currently being tested, and to facilitate automated settlement through Treasury's IPAC system.

Exceptions to the CCR registration requirement

The FAR policy requiring registration in CCR applies to all types of awards except the following:

• Purchases that use a Government wide commercial purchase card as both the purchasing and payment mechanism, as opposed to using the purchase card only as a payment method;
• Classified contracts (see 2.101) when registration in the CCR database, or use of CCR data, could compromise the safeguarding of classified information or national security;
• Contracts awarded by-
• Deployed contracting officers in the course of military operations, including, but not limited to, contingency operations as defined in 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13) or humanitarian or peacekeeping operations as defined in 10 U.S.C. 2302(7); or
• Contracting officers in the conduct of emergency operations, such as responses to natural or environmental disasters or national or civil emergencies, e.g., Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121);
• Contracts to support unusual or compelling needs (see 6.302-2);
• Awards made to foreign vendors for work performed outside the United States, if it is impractical to obtain CCR registration; and
• Micro-purchases that do not use the electronic funds transfer (EFT) method for payment and are not required to be reported (see Subpart 4.6).

Background

Central Contractor Registration (CCR) is the primary registrant database for the U.S. Federal Government. CCR collects, validates, stores, and disseminates data in support of agency acquisition missions, including Federal agency contract and assistance awards. Please note that the term "assistance awards" includes grants, cooperative agreements and other forms of federal assistance. Whether applying for assistance awards, contracts, or other business opportunities, all entities are considered "registrants".

Both current and potential federal government registrants are required to register in CCR in order to be awarded contracts by the federal government. Registrants are required to complete a one-time registration to provide basic information relevant to procurement and financial transactions. Registrants must update or renew their registration at least once per year to maintain an active status. In addition, entities (private non-profits, educational organizations, state and regional agencies, etc.) that apply for assistance awards from the Federal Government through Grants.gov must now register with CCR as well. However, registration in no way guarantees that a contract or assistance award will be awarded.

CCR validates the registrant information and electronically shares the secure and encrypted data with the federal agencies’ finance offices to facilitate paperless payments through electronic funds transfer (EFT). Additionally, CCR shares the data with federal government procurement and electronic business systems.

Please note that any information provided in your registration may be shared with authorized federal government offices. However, registration does not guarantee business with the federal government.

Grants Policy

Grants.gov was born as a governmental resource named the E-Grants Initiative, part of the President’s 2002 Fiscal Year Management Agenda to improve government services to the public:

"Agencies will allow applicants for Federal Grants to apply for and ultimately manage grant funds online through a common web site, simplifying grants management and eliminating redundancies."

The concept has its origins in the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999, also known as Public Law 106-107. P.L. 106-107 was enacted in November of that year and the purposes are to:

1. Improve the effectiveness and performance of Federal financial assistance programs.
2. Simplify Federal assistance application and reporting requirements.
3. Improve the delivery of services to the public.
4. Facilitate greater coordination among those responsible for delivering the services.

The 26 Federal agencies that award grants and cooperative agreements are actively implementing P.L. 106-107 through interagency work groups, developing common data elements, electronic processes and uniform administrative rules across agencies.