The Wyoming Entrepreneur PTAC’s Checklist for CompletingGovernment Contracting Registrations

Step One: Obtain your D-U-N-S Number

Dun & Bradstreet(D&B) provides a free, unique, 9-digit identification number for each physical location of your business. Call 1-866-705-5711 to obtain a number or to check to see if you already have a number. You can also submit an online request but we actually recommend calling instead. They will ask you for address and contact information. Verify it, to the letter. The reason you need this information is that it will be pulled into the System for Award Management (SAM) and forms the basis for your record in that database. If you are just registering with D&B for the first time, or if you needed to update any of your information, you will have a 24 - 48 hour activation period before you can proceed with registering in SAM. Please be aware that you do not need anything that D&B sells for government contracting purposes – everything you need to register in SAM is free. If you find you already have a DUNS number, and no update is needed,you are ready to register in SAM.

Sole Proprietors – you must register with Dun & Bradstreet with a Doing Business As (DBA) name. Your legal business name is YOUR NAME, your business name is the DBA. Sole Proprietors use Schedule C’s to report their business income taxes.

For example, Susan Jones is a sole proprietor and owns a marketing consulting business she calls SJ Marketing:

  • The legal business name is Susan Jones
  • The DBA is SJ Marketing

This is an important distinction to get right because if something is incorrect in D&B, it will carry over and also be incorrect in SAM. If you discover the mistake when registering in SAM, you have to start over with D&B before you can proceed. Getting it right from the beginning saves you a lot of time. Sole Proprietors use Schedule C’s to report their business income taxes.

Business Address - Also, when registering your address with D&B, pay attention to exactly how they enter your address because it will need to exactly match what you put in SAM.

For example, 123 North Main Street in D&B does not match 123 N. Main St. in SAM. These differences seem minor but will cause delays if they don’t match and the D&B information has to be changed.

Again, this can all be done by calling Dun & Bradstreet (1-866-705-5711), but the PTAC is always available to assist you with the process so don’t hesitate to contact us with questions.

Step Two:Register in the System for Award Management (SAM) and receive a CAGE Code

SAM is the System for Award Management – a database in which all entities that wish to do business with the federal government must register. It replaced the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) system in the summer of 2012 and now incorporates other systems like the Online Certifications and Representations Application (ORCA). Most importantly for business owners is the fact that you cannot be paid for contract work without a SAM registration.

  1. First, make sure you register on the correct site ( There are many businesses that set up websites that look very similar to the official SAM site, but will ask you to pay them hundreds of dollars to register in SAM. Again, DO NOT pay for any of these services. No payment is required to get into SAM and the PTAC will assist you free of charge.
  1. Second, set up your basic user account by using the “Create User Account” in the lefthand box on the main page. This account is not specifically attached to your business - it’s just your personal account in the case that you end up registering more than one business. Think of it like setting up an account on Amazon – your user account is just a way for SAM to identify you as an individual.
  1. Third, determine whether your business was previously registered in CCR. If you were, the SAM registration process is a bit simpler because you only need to “migrate” your previous CCR account and double-check the information to make sure it’s still accurate. If you weren’t in CCR and this is the first time you’re registering your business for government contracting, you don’t have to worry about any migration and can simply start by registering a new “entity” (SAM’s term for a business or organization).
  1. Fourth, you’ll need to gather information about your business. Some of the information you will need to register in SAM includes:
  • DUNS number
  • Legal business name and structure (corporation, LLC, etc.)
  • Tax Identification Number (TIN) which is either an Employer Identification Number (EIN) assigned by the IRS or a Social Security Number (for sole proprietors)
  • Business start date
  • Fiscal year end date
  • 3-year average annual revenues
  • Average number of employees
  • NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes
  • Bank account information (account number and routing number)
  • Bonding information (if applicable)

If you want to try the process yourself, go to . After you create your user account, you will be taken to your “user dashboard” and can complete the registration process by either migrating from CCR (Manage My User Roles – Migrate Legacy System Account) or registering a new entity (Register/Update Entity).

However, if you find the registration process daunting (and it certainly can be!) in any way – call the PTAC team and schedule a free one-on-one meeting. If needed, we can meet you in person or schedule a GoTo Meeting session with you where we can view your computer screen and walk through the process with you step-by-step.

Step Three:Complete an SBAProfile

This is actually the last part of a SAM registration but isn’t required to activate your SAM account. However, don’t be fooled because it isn’t required. It’s every bit as important (or more so) as SAM.

Also commonly referred to as Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS), the benefit of this database is that contracting officers and members of the general public can use it to find more useful information your business than you provide in SAM. In SAM, a contracting officer can’t search by a NAICS code and can only find your business if they know your name or your DUNS number. The DSBS website, on the other hand, can be searched by geographic location, NAICS codes, and keywords. So, for example, a contracting officer can search for NAICS code 238220 (Plumbing and Heating Contractors) in Wyoming and get a list of results that match that search and review each profile to make the best choice. SAM functions like a phone book where the SBA Profile is more of a marketing brochure.

In your business’s profile, you can enter a capabilities statement, keywords, and references to help market your business. Also, unlike SAM, this database is only for small businesses. To prepare to complete your SBA Profile:

  1. Come up with a brief capabilities statement for your business – a unique selling proposition – to include in your profile. You don’t have much room – about three sentences at the most. Highlight things like years of experience, any past government work you’ve done, and your core competencies as a business.
  1. Identify 10-20 keywords that contracting officers might use to find your business. Approach it as if somebody doesn’t know your business’s name and is just going to use a Google search to try to find you.
  1. Gather information about your references to enter on your profile. You will be allowed to enter references from all areas of service; ex. Federal Agencies, City, State, County, private companies, other customers. You will need the names of the agencies or companies that you have worked for along with the names of the contracts or jobsdone (ie., Cattle Guard Replacement, PO # 000, or Open Purchase, Credit Card Purchase, etc). You will also need the dollar amount of the contract or work, the start and end dates for the contract, the agencies contact person’s name and a phone number to be able to contact that person.We also encourage you to verify with the person that they can give you a “positive, unqualified reference” and that they are comfortable with putting their contact information online.
  1. If you want to try this yourself, it may be helpful to know that the only “doorway” that you can enter to update your record is through SAM. To get into this database, first log into your SAM record, use the “Register/Update Entity” option and save all pages of your SAM registration until you reach the SBA Profile section at the end.

Again, the PTAC team can assist you step-by-step with completing your SBA profile and can also give you pointers on maximizing its effectiveness.

Wyoming Entrepreneur PTAC Offices

Central Wyoming

Brett Housholder

Program Manager

300 South Wolcott, Suite 300

Casper, Wyoming 82601

307.234.3203

Email Brett

Eastern Wyoming

Andi Lewis

Procurement Specialist

1400 E. College Dr.

Cheyenne, WY 82007

307.637.5029

Email Andi

Western Wyoming

Alyssa Lozier

Procurement Specialist

213 W. Main Street, Suite C

Riverton, WY 82501

307.240.7453

Email Alyssa

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