Story excerpt provided by Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute
If your business is registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) – or you plan to register – there are some things you need to do NOW to protect your data security.
SAM is the federal government’s vendor database that consolidates what used to be know as Central Contractor Registration (CCR), along with Online Representations and Certifications Applications (ORCA) and the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS). Future phases of SAM will add the capabilities of other systems used in federal contracts.
On March 22, 2018, the General Services Administration (GSA), the federal agency that oversees SAM’s operation, reported an “active investigation” is being conducted into alleged, third party fraudulent activity involving SAM. GSA says it is in the process of notifying those that may have been impacted and has indicated that it will deactivate “any entity registrations that appeared to have been affected.” GSA further stated that the deactivated “entities are being advised to validate their registration information in SAM, particularly their financial information and points of contact.”
GSA’s recent statements may have implications for all businesses, institutions, and individuals registered in SAM. The Ohio Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC) is providing the following advice to all clients.
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Final Words of Advice
Remember, there is no cost to register in SAM — it is free. If your business is located in Ohio, assistance with the SAM registration process is available at no cost. To locate a PTAC counselor, see our team’s directory at: https://find.govcontracts.ohio.gov/contact/.
Businesses located outside the state of Ohio may contact the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) in their state. A directory is at: http://www.aptac-us.org/find-a-ptac.