UEI Explained
What a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is, why federal vendors need one, and how it appears on public contractor profiles.
Updated 2026-07-27 · Independent educational content
What a UEI is
A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is a 12-character alphanumeric ID assigned in SAM.gov. It replaced DUNS for federal awards and entity identification.
GovVendorFinder uses UEI as a primary join key when mapping SAM and USAspending public records to vendor profiles.
How to use UEI in research
Search by UEI to find the canonical legal entity and avoid confusing similarly named companies. Always confirm the UEI on SAM.gov for official transactions.
FAQ
Is a UEI the same as a CAGE code? No. UEI identifies the entity in SAM. CAGE is a separate five-character code used in logistics and some contracting contexts.