GSA’s System for Award Management (SAM) will consolidate eight (8) federal procurement systems and the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance into one new system.  The consolidation of these systems provides several benefits to both Government and industry users:

1. One login!  By consolidating these systems, users will only need to manage one set of login credentials — username and password.
   
   
2. One process!  SAM integrates registrations with representations and certifications to create a single, simplified, and streamlined process by dividing data in to three groupings
   1. Core data — contact information, organization type, and financial data
   2. Assertions — NAICS codes, size metrics, proceedings, and disaster relief information
   3. Reps & Certs — FAR questionnaire
   
   
3. One reporting location!  The highlight of SAM is that it keeps all of your information in one place, eliminating the need to enter the same or similar information in multiple locations and limiting data conflicts.

For industry partners, SAM allows them to register to do business with the government, represent/self-certify as a small business, view business opportunities in one location, with one login.

SAM enables government users to determine appropriate wages and wage types, post a solicitation, easily identify excluded parties, verify contractor eligibility, and evaluate contractor/sub-contractor performance.  This consolidated system will simplify data entry/review while also enhancing reporting capabilities and reducing the time required to complete a procurement.

So when does all of this go in to effect?  Phase one of SAM, including the integration of the CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS, is slated for launch in July 2012.  SAM is recommending that all industry users update their entries in these systems prior to the launch date.  For users whose entries expire after the launch date you will simply need to create a SAM account and follow the update process.  Have questions?  Contact SAM support or check out the SAM website for up-to-date information!