How to Verify a Government Contractor

What 'verify' actually means

Verifying a contractor can mean several different things: confirming the business exists and is registered to do federal work, confirming it has actually been awarded contracts, or confirming the details of a specific award. Each uses different public signals, so decide which question you are answering first.

Step 1 — Match the entity to a UEI

The Unique Entity ID (UEI) is the federal government's primary identifier for an entity. It replaced the older DUNS number. A legitimate federal contractor will have a UEI. Matching a company name to a specific UEI is the single most reliable verification step, because names are ambiguous and UEIs are not.

Step 2 — Check the CAGE code where available

A CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) code is a five-character identifier tied to a specific business location. Not every public award record exposes a CAGE code — award-reporting systems often omit it — so its absence on an award page does not mean the contractor is illegitimate. When present, it is another data point that should be consistent across records.

Step 3 — Review public award history

Real contractors have award records. Review the awarding agencies, the industry codes (NAICS) and product/service codes (PSC), the dollar amounts, and the dates. A pattern of awards from agencies that match the company's stated line of business is a strong signal. A company that claims extensive federal work but shows no public awards warrants more scrutiny.

Step 4 — Confirm in the official systems

• SAM.gov — the official System for Award Management, where entities register and receive a UEI. This is the system of record for registration status.
• USAspending.gov — the official open data source for federal award and spending records. This is where to confirm specific award facts.

Red flags and limits

Be cautious with companies that cannot provide a UEI, whose name does not match any registered entity, or whose claimed contracts do not appear in public award data. At the same time, remember the limits of public data: it is summarized, it can lag, and a missing CAGE code or a thin award history is not by itself proof of wrongdoing. Treat public data as a starting point for diligence, not a final judgment.

A practical verification workflow

A repeatable workflow keeps verification honest. First, capture the exact legal name and any UEI or CAGE the business provides. Second, confirm the UEI maps to a single registered entity and that the name matches. Third, review the public award history: count the awards, look at the awarding agencies, and note the date range and the dollar amounts — focusing on obligated amounts rather than ceilings. Fourth, check whether the work the company claims lines up with the industries (NAICS) and products or services (PSC) on its awards. Fifth, for anything material, open the official source records and confirm the specific figures.

Document what you checked and what you could not confirm. Verification is as much about recording the limits of your confidence as it is about the facts you established.

Glossary for verification

• Registered entity — an organization with an active record in SAM.gov.
• UEI — the 12-character identifier that uniquely names that entity.
• CAGE code — a 5-character code for a specific business location.
• Prime award — a contract awarded directly to a company by an agency.
• Awarding agency — the department or command that issued the award.
• Obligated amount — funds committed, the most grounded measure of scale.

Common verification mistakes

• Accepting a company name without confirming a matching UEI.
• Reading a large potential ceiling as proof of large actual revenue.
• Concluding wrongdoing from a missing CAGE code or a short award history.
• Confusing federal award totals with the company's total revenue (which includes commercial and subcontract work not shown here).
• Skipping the official source check on the figures that matter most.

How deep to go

Match your depth to the stakes. A quick sales-qualification check might end at confirming a UEI and a recent award. A lending, underwriting, or compliance review should go further: confirm identity, review concentration across agencies and contracts, and corroborate the key figures at the source. Public data is an efficient first pass, but it is one input among several, not a substitute for the documentation your process requires.

Documenting what you verified

Good verification is auditable. Record the UEI you confirmed, the source records you opened, the date you checked, and which claims you could and could not corroborate. If a figure could not be confirmed, write that down rather than letting an assumption fill the gap. A short, honest verification note — 'confirmed UEI and three recent awards in the source on this date; could not confirm total revenue from public data' — is more useful to a colleague or an auditor than a confident summary that hides its uncertainty.

Frequently asked questions