[citation needed] The Central Contractor Registration (CCR) was the primary supplier database for the U.S. Federal government until July 30, 2012.
To this end, the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), Subpart 204.7300, required contractors to register in the CCR to conduct business with the DoD.
Their migration to SAM is being conducted in phases:[2] Phase I of SAM includes the functionality from the entity management systems - Central Contractor Registry (CCR), Federal Agency Registration (Fedreg), Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) - and the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS).
[5] In 2021, SAM.gov merged with beta.SAM.gov to form a complete redesign as well as new user experience and closure of the popular government run FEDBIZOPPS site.
Many users are experiencing difficulty simply finding their entity in order to validate ownership - a burdensome new requirement once unnecessary due to prior issuance of a DUNS number.
Due to the complexity and time required to register a new CAGE Code, many small businesses are resorting to online paid registration services.