Terms of Use
SAM.gov is a federal government website. When you use this site, you must follow these terms. If you do not, you may lose access to SAM.gov and we may take other legal action.
All of the terms apply to you, even if they cover activities you don’t currently do or data you don’t currently use.
There are seven sets of terms.
- Changing Site Data
- Data Access
- Sensitive Data
- Privacy Policy
- Restricted Data Use
- Non-Federal Administrator Roles
- Signing in to SAM.gov
We explain the terms and provide any legal language.
When you agree to the terms, you agree to both the explanations and the legal language.
Changing Site Data
Do not try to upload or change data on SAM.gov without permission. Do not upload viruses or other data that could cause damage. We don’t allow it, and it may be against the law.
Full Legal Language
For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, our web servers use industry-standard methods to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage by automated accesses.
Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this service are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act. General Services Administration / Federal Acquisition Services/Technology Transformation Services will enforce the law to its greatest extent to any individual who tampers with information made available on this site.
Data Access
- Do not use bots to download or copy restricted or sensitive data from SAM.gov.
- Do not use your SAM.gov login for data mining, bots, or other data gathering and extraction tools.
- With permission, you may use software to connect to some SAM.gov data.
- You may also download some SAM.gov data.
- Only access data you are allowed to access.
System Accounts and API Keys
- Update your API key and system account password every 90 days.
- Do not share your individual account API key with anyone.
- Do not share your system account API key or password with anyone except people from the organization associated with your system account.
- You are responsible for making sure everyone who uses APIs via your system account follows these terms.
- If you want to share data publicly, only share data from public versions of APIs.
- The terms for sensitive data apply to sensitive data you submit and receive via API.
Full Legal Language
SAM.gov makes certain data available via APIs and extracts with URLs “https://open.gsa.gov/api/” and “https://sam.gov/data-services.” Automated data gathering, web scraping tools are prohibited and, if detected, will result in the associated account(s) being denied access to SAM.gov via Login.gov.
I accept the responsibility for the information and U.S. Federal Government system to which I am granted access and will not exceed my authorization level of system access. I understand that my access may be revoked or terminated for non-compliance with Government security policies. I accept responsibility to safeguard the information contained in these systems from unauthorized or inadvertent modification, disclosure, destruction, and use. I understand and accept that my use of the system and any API calls with my system account API key may be monitored as part of managing the system, protecting against unauthorized access and verifying security problems. I agree to notify the appropriate organization that issued my account(s) when access is no longer required.
For Official Use Only (FOUO) Information
You are allowed to use the Federal Hierarchy FOUO API for internal, U.S. Government business purposes. You are not allowed to display or disseminate outside the U.S. Government any values received in a Federal Hierarchy FOUO API response unless that value is directly associated with a Federal award record.
For financial assistance awards only, you are allowed to use the awarding and funding Activity Address Codes (AACs) submitted in association with a financial assistance award to derive the respective Office Name, Sub-Tier Agency Code, Sub-Tier Agency Name, Department/Independent Agency Code, and Department/Independent Agency Name from the Federal Hierarchy FOUO API. You may publicly display and disseminate the awarding and funding AACs, and the five specified Federal Hierarchy FOUO API-derived values from those AACs, in connection with the financial assistance awards.
You may not use the Federal Hierarchy FOUO API to build out a public view of either the partial or complete Federal Hierarchy. You must use the Federal Hierarchy Public API if you wish to display or disseminate the public-facing Department and Sub-Tier information.
You may not use the Entity Management FOUO API to build out a public view of the data. You must use the public version of any API if you wish to display or disseminate the public-facing data.
You agree to be bound by these Terms of Use when you submit any SAM FOUO API request as well as when you receive any SAM FOUO API response.
Sensitive Information
You are allowed to use the Contract Opportunities and Entity Management APIs for internal, U.S. Government business purposes. You are not allowed to display or disseminate outside the U.S. Government any values received in a sensitive API response.
You may not use any sensitive API to build out a public view of any SAM data. You must use the public version of any API if you wish to display or disseminate the public-facing data.
You agree to be bound by these Terms of Use when you submit a sensitive API request as well as when you receive a sensitive API response.
Confirmation of Agency Policy
User affirms compliance with agency annual privacy and information security training.
Sensitive Data
Some information in SAM.gov is sensitive. Public exposure of sensitive information could harm individual people, the U.S. government, national security, or all of these.
Viewing and using sensitive data
Protect any sensitive data you view, download, or copy from SAM.gov.
When you delete or discard downloaded or copied data or printouts, make sure no one can access the deleted data and shred the paper.
Do not enter or upload classified information in the system.
If you put sensitive information where SAM.gov doesn’t ask for it, you are responsible for any public exposure of the information.
If you enter any sensitive information where it can be seen publicly, contact the Federal Service Desk immediately. If you are a federal user, also contact your own agency.
For Official Use Only (FOUO) and Sensitive Information
If you are a federal user who can view FOUO and sensitive data
- You may only use this data for your job.
- If you no longer need access to the data, tell your agency to remove your role.
- Only share this data with others who are also allowed to view and use it.
- Do not share this data with contractors unless they have a written agreement as part of their active contract that allows them to view and use this data.
- Comply with your agency’s privacy and information security training requirements.
Federal agencies that receive FOUO and sensitive data from SAM.gov may only put that data in systems that are compliant with the FISMA moderate standard.
Full Legal Language
This system contains Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Individuals entering data into this system must only enter PII and/or CUI when it is specifically requested. Exposure of PII and/or CUI as a result of an individual inadvertently entering PII and/or CUI into a public data field where it is not required is the sole responsibility of the individual entering the data. Failure to follow these instructions may result in your record being deactivated. Individuals viewing, reproducing or disposing of this information are required to protect it in accordance with 32 CFR Part 2002 and GSA Order CIO 2103.2 CUI Policy.
Rules of Behavior
Classified information may never be submitted into the system under any circumstances. In such cases that classified information is submitted, IAE and IAE security must immediately be notified and an incident file opened.
Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) may only be submitted as non-public information. In such case that CUI is submitted incorrectly, IAE must be notified immediately.
No submissions to SAM shall include malicious files, viruses, executable files, or any other code that would cause damage to SAM or other users who obtain data from SAM.
I understand that my system is only given access only to those domains to which my system require access in the performance of official duties. My system will not attempt to access areas of SAM my system is not authorized to access.
I will update my system account password and API key every 90 days in accordance with GSA security policy. Under no circumstances will I share my system account password or API key with other users or systems.
Non-Disclosure Agreement
- To carry out the duties as the information dissemination (ID) source for the System for Award Management (SAM), the General Services Administration (GSA) may disclose information to authorized representatives of the United States (U.S.) Government. These authorized representatives are known as Data Receivers and their agencies as the Receiving Agency.
- This Non-Disclosure Agreement ("Agreement") covers information provided to the U.S. Government under a mandate for federal contractors as described in 48 CFR, Parts 204, 212, and 252 and the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, Public Law 104-134 and for federal assistance recipients under 2 CFR Part 180 and 2 CFR, Subtitle A, Chapter I, & Part 25. The disclosure of such information to the public, or those outside of the Government, shall be in accordance with all conditions and limitations set forth herein.
- The Data Receiver has a requirement(s) for such data to perform certain tasks on behalf of the U. S. Federal Government. Because of this requirement(s), the Data Receiver is considered "authorized" for the purpose of this Agreement.
- GSA hereby determines that disclosure of information is necessary so that the Data Receiver may perform the duties required of them by the U. S. Federal Government.
- GSA shall grant access to the information described for each year that a completed Non-Disclosure Agreement form is filled out, submitted, and approved. The Data Receiver may request termination of access or GSA may terminate access. This Non-Disclosure Agreement must be renewed each year.
- The Data Receiver accepts the obligations contained in this Agreement in consideration of being granted access to Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). The Data Receiver acknowledges that all obligations imposed by this Agreement concerning the use and disclosure of such information apply for the duration of the requirement and at all times thereafter.
- The Data Receiver agrees that it shall use the information obtained from SAM for the purpose of the work required by the U. S. Federal Government and shall not use such data for commercial purposes not covered by the terms of this Agreement.
- The Data Receiver agrees it shall not disclose or provide access to information obtained from SAM to anyone unless it has verified that the recipient has been properly authorized to receive such information, e.g., employees of the Data Receiver or contractors who have signed Employee/Sub-contractor Non-Disclosure Agreements pursuant to this Agreement.
- The Data Receiver agrees to adopt operating procedures and physical security measures to properly safeguard such information from unauthorized use and from disclosure or release to unauthorized third parties.
- The Data Receiver agrees to return to GSA all copies of any abstracts or extracts of data, of which it has possession pursuant to this Agreement, upon request of GSA or the completion or termination of the tasks set forth by the U.S. Federal Government, whichever comes first.
- The Data Receiver agrees to obtain a written agreement to honor the terms of the Agreement from each contractor, sub-contractor and employee of the contractor or subcontractor who will have access to such information before the contractor, sub-contractor or employee is allowed such access.
- The Data Receiver hereby acknowledges that no contractor, sub-contractor, consultant or employee who will have access to such information is debarred, suspended or otherwise ineligible to perform on an U. S. Federal Government contract.
- The Data Receiver hereby acknowledges that any violation or breach of this Agreement on the part of a contractor, sub-contractor, consultant or any employee of a contractor or sub-contractor shall constitute grounds for termination of access to such information; suit for damages; suit to enforce the Agreement, including but not limited to, application for a court order prohibiting disclosure or use of information in violation or breach of this Agreement; and or suit for civil fines or penalties. The Data Receiver further acknowledges that the unauthorized use, disclosure or retention of the information may constitute a violation of the U.S. criminal laws, including provisions of sections 641, 793, 794, and 1905, title 18 U. S. Code, and that nothing in this Agreement constitutes a waiver by the U. S. of the right to prosecute for any statutory violation.
Privacy Policy
GSA will collect no personal information about you other than statistical information that can be used to make the site more effective.
Information We Gather
We use Google Analytics to collect and store information about your visit to our site. This information includes:
- Environmental information such as the location of your IP address, the language you are browsing in, and the technical specifications of the device and browser you are using;
- Behavioral information such as the date and time of your visit, the pages you visit, links you clicked on the site, and the name of the domain from which you access the Internet (i.e., DHS.gov if you are connecting from a DHS account, or GMU.edu if you are connecting from George Mason University’s domain); and
- Acquisition information such as the Internet address of the website you came from if it linked you directly to SAM.gov and search terms that you enter into the SAM.gov search tool.
If your browser accepts cookies, we may use a session cookie to learn how many different visitors come to SAM.gov. We use this information for statistical purposes and to help us make our site more useful. We do not collect personally identifiable information nor do we sell this data to anyone.
Learn more about how Google Analytics safeguards data.
Cookies and SAM.gov
Use of Cookies on SAM.gov: GSA creates a session cookie when you visit and destroys it as soon as you close your browser. Google Analytics as configured on SAM.gov also uses first-party (persistent) cookies to:
- Distinguish unique users (last for up to 2 years if you never clear your cookies)
- Throttle the request rate (last for up to 1 minute)
If you don’t want to accept cookies, you can edit your browser’s options to stop accepting persistent cookies or to prompt you before accepting a cookie from the websites you visit. Here’s how you can disable cookies and/or Google Demographic and Interests reports.
Although using persistent cookies allows us to deliver a better experience for you, this site will also work without them.
For more information on privacy and security, see our Privacy and Security Policy.
Information You Send Us
When you send us personal information (e.g., in an electronic mail message containing a question or comment) or by filling out a form that email us this information, we only use this information to respond to your request. Such application information is carefully protected by the agency and not available in or retained by web tracking software. We may forward your email to the government employee who can best answer your questions. We do not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information about our visitors, unless required for law enforcement or statute.
We want to make it clear that we will not obtain personally identifying information about you when you visit our site, unless you choose to provide that information to us. Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, or as otherwise required by law, we do not share any information we receive with anyone else.
Security
For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, our web servers use industry-standard methods to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on GSA servers are strictly prohibited and may be punishable by law, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.
The Vulnerability Disclosure Policy describes what systems and types of research are covered under this policy, how to send vulnerability reports, and how long we ask security researchers to wait before publicly disclosing vulnerabilities.
Reuse and Copyright
Most material on our site is free of copyright and may be copied and distributed without permission. Works produced by federal government employees in the course of their employment are generally not protected by copyright and are in the public domain in the U.S. Citation of the GSA site and a link back is much appreciated.
We sometimes use photos or graphics that we licensed or that are restricted. Check to see if there is a copyright or photo credit. You should determine for yourself whether or not an item is protected by copyright or in the public domain, and then satisfy any copyright or use restrictions when publishing or distributing materials from our website. You need to request permission from the original source to use those materials. Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond what is allowed by fair use or other exemptions requires written permission from the copyright holder.
If you have any questions about these policies, please contact us.
Restricted Data Use
SAM.gov has data supplied by Dun and Bradstreet (D&B). D&B owns this data and restricts its use. Some entities in SAM.gov have “D&B Open Data,” which includes
- Legal business name
- Street address
- City name
- State or province name
- State or province code
- State or province abbreviation
- Country name
- County code
- ZIP or postal code
D&B Open Data may be in entity registration records last updated before April 4, 2022, and exclusion records created before April 4, 2022.
Entity registration records with D&B data show that data source in APIs and extracts.
You may use D&B Open Data with these limits:
- You must state in writing that D&B is the data source.
- You may not share D&B Open Data in bulk (that is, enough records that someone could use them as an original data source or a substitute for getting data from D&B).
You may use all D&B data with these limits:
- You may not use D&B data (except for D&B Open Data) for commercial, resale, or marketing purposes.
- Federal agencies may use D&B data (including subcontractor data) from the point of establishing agency needs for contract support through contract closeout and for reporting about federal awards.
- There is no warranty for D&B data.
- D&B and any third-party information suppliers are not liable for how others use D&B data.
Full Legal Language
D&B Limitation Terms
The System for Award Management contains data supplied by third party information suppliers, one of which is Dun & Bradstreet. In order to frame the terms of permissible use, these definitions are used in this section:
Acquisition
‘Acquisition’ as used in the term Acquisition purposes is defined in FAR Subpart 2.1, and "... means the acquiring by contract with appropriated funds of supplies or services (including construction) by and for the use of the Federal Government through purchase or lease, whether the supplies or services are already in existence or must be created, developed, demonstrated, and evaluated. Acquisition begins at the point when agency needs are established and includes the description of requirements to satisfy agency needs, solicitation and selection of sources, award of contracts, contract financing, contract performance, contract administration, and those technical and management functions directly related to the process of fulfilling agency needs by contract."
Federal Award
‘Federal Award’ as used herein is defined as either a contract (an acquisition award) or a Federal Financial Assistance Award, including both ARRA awards and Federal Awards as defined under Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (FFATA), 31 U.S.C. 6101, Note §2(a)(4).
Federal Award Management
‘Federal Award Management’ as used herein is defined as the activities supporting agency requirements for acquisition (as defined in FAR Subpart 2.1) purposes and the parallel functions for grants and loans awards.
Federal Financial Assistance Award
‘Federal Financial Assistance Award’ as used herein is defined under 2 CFR 25.305 as an award of Federal financial assistance that a non-Federal entity described in § 25.110(a) receives or administers in the form of a grant; a cooperative agreement (which does not include a cooperative research and development agreement pursuant to the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986, as amended (15 U.S.C. 3710a)); a loan; a loan guarantee; a subsidy; insurance; food commodities; a direct appropriation; assessed or voluntary contributions; or any other financial assistance transaction that authorizes the non-Federal entity's expenditure of Federal funds, and includes Federal financial assistance and expenditures as defined in FFATA, 31 U.S.C. 6101, Note §2(a)(4)(A).
Limitation on Permissible Use of Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. Data
This website has data supplied by third party information suppliers, including Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). For the purposes of the following limitation on permissible use of D&B data, which includes each entity's DUNS Number and its associated business information, "D&B Open Data" is defined as the following data elements: Legal Business Name, Street Address, City Name, State/Province Name, Country Name, County Code, State/Province Code, State/Province Abbreviation, ZIP/Postal Code, Country Name and Country Code. Entity registration, exclusion, or contract award records in SAM may contain D&B-supplied data. Applicable records containing D&B data include all entity registration records with a last updated date earlier than 4/4/2022, all exclusions records with a created date earlier than 4/4/2022, and all base award notices with an award date earlier than 4/4/2022. These records show D&B as the Entity Validation Service (EVS) Source in records with D&B data.
D&B hereby grants you, the user, a license for a limited, non-exclusive right to use D&B Open Data within the limitations set forth herein. By using this website you agree that you shall not use D&B Open Data without giving written attribution to the source of such data (i.e., D&B) and shall not access, use or disseminate D&B Open Data in bulk (i.e., in amounts sufficient for use as an original source or as a substitute for the product and/or service being licensed hereunder).
Except for data elements identified above as D&B Open Data, under no circumstances are you authorized to use any other D&B data for commercial, resale or marketing purposes (e.g., identifying, quantifying, segmenting and/or analyzing customers and prospective customers). Systematic access (electronic harvesting) or extraction of content from the website, including the use of "bots" or "spiders," is prohibited. Federal government entities are authorized to use the D&B data for purposes of acquisition as defined in FAR 2.101 and for the purpose of managing Federal awards, including sub-awards, or reporting Federal award information.
GSA assumes no liability for the use of the D&B data once it is downloaded or accessed. D&B data is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. The D&B data is the intellectual property of D&B. In no event will D&B or any third party information supplier be liable in any way with regard to the use of the D&B data. For more information about the scope of permissible use of D&B data licensed hereunder, please contact D&B at datause_govt@dnb.com.
Non-Federal Administrator Roles
If you have any administrator role with an entity that is not part of the U.S. federal government, you may not assign an administrator role (for entity registration, entity reporting, or contract opportunities) to someone who is not directly connected to your entity like an officer, board member, or employee.
You may not use an Entity Administrator Appointment Letter to assign an Entity Administrator role to someone who is not directly connected to your entity.
If you are not directly connected to an entity, you may not seek or accept an administrator role for the entity. If you are not directly connected to an entity and you have an administrator role, you may not keep it. You must immediately contact the entity and the Federal Service Desk and ask them to remove the role.
Signing in to SAM.gov
SAM.gov accounts are for individual people, not groups. Do not share email addresses to sign in.