Federal Contracting Acronym
UEI
Unique Entity Identifier
Plain-English definition
The Unique Entity Identifier replaced DUNS for federal awards and is assigned when an entity registers in SAM.gov. UEIs appear on contracts, grants, and payment systems. Offerors must match the UEI on their proposal to the active registration the government will verify at award. UEIs link to CAGE codes and legal business names in federal datasets.
Why it matters
UEI mismatches between proposals, subcontracts, and SAM records delay awards and break downstream reporting.
Where you will see it
SAM profiles, solicitation forms, USAspending, and contractor directory pages.
Example in context
A teaming partner provides its UEI for a subcontract agreement; the prime verifies active SAM status before finalizing the proposal.