The short answer
The Unique Entity ID (UEI) is the 12-character identifier the US federal government assigns, through SAM.gov, to entities that do business with it. It replaced the DUNS number as the official federal identifier in April 2022.
At a glance
- Term
- Unique Entity ID (UEI)
- Also known as
- UEI · SAM UEI · DUNS replacement
- Category
- Registers & filings
- Where it matters
- Company and founder due diligence
Unique Entity ID in practice
UEIs appear on federal awards in USASpending.gov and on entity registrations in SAM.gov, which makes them a reliable way to tie a contract to the right company.
Registering in SAM.gov, which issues the UEI, is required to bid on and receive most federal contracts and many grants, and registrations have to be renewed every year.
Why Unique Entity ID matters
- Exact identity for federal contractors and grant recipients.
- Links awards to registrations, exclusions and company websites.
Unique Entity ID in MarketPrior
MarketPrior uses UEI (and legacy DUNS) identity from USASpending recipient profiles to attach federal awards to companies, reads the SAM.gov Entity API for websites and SAM.gov exclusions for debarment screening.