The document summarizes key information and responses from a March 16, 2021, U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) webinar, held in collaboration with the Council on Government Relations, regarding the upcoming integration of SAM.gov and beta.SAM.gov. The integration, scheduled for May 24, 2021, aims to streamline federal award and entity registration systems by consolidating them into a unified online environment. The webinar addressed participant questions on topics such as user authentication (confirming continued use of login.gov and multi-factor authentication), access to public entity registration data (which will now require user sign-in for tailored and secure information views), and the transition from the proprietary DUNS number to a new Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in 2022.
Additionally, the event clarified that while the manner of downloading data files will change, the underlying API structure and data extracts for SAM.gov will remain consistent, and SOAP services will be replaced by REST APIs. Integration with external platforms such as USAspending.gov will be unaffected, and users will still need to log in separately to FSD.gov, though unified sign-on is planned for the future. Other topics covered included procedures for administrator roles, the continuity of CFDA numbering, and the temporary data freeze during migration. The GSA emphasized the continuity of service and security while encouraging proactive preparation for users, with additional resources available through the Federal Service Desk and open.gsa.gov.
