In an effort to improve the federal government contracting process for small business owners, the System for Award Management (SAM) was created. Phase 1 of SAM services combines several procurement systems - including the Central Contractor Registration (CCR), Federal Agency Registration (FedReg) and the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) - into one, easy-to-use website.

SAM, which was scheduled to launch on May 29, 2012 has been postponed.  The new launch date will be July 29, 2012.  SAM will serve as a government-contracting portal and enable small business owners to register to do business with the federal government, and represent/self-certify as a small business all in one place. This streamlined, integrated approach will eliminate data redundancies, improve capabilities of the government-contracting workforce and save taxpayers money by reducing costs. SAM will be managed by the General Service Administration (GSA). If you or your customers require any assistance (troubleshooting, data concerns, general information, etc.) with SAM contact the Federal Service Desk at fsd.gov or by telephone at 1-866-606-8220.

For more information, please visit SAM.gov.