The General Services Administration (GSA) has been trying to improve the procurement process over the past few years by making a handful of changes. The newest change is the system they use to track which companies are eligible to sell to the Federal Government. Ernst and Young will be replacing Dun and Bradstreet at the end of their current contract. The change is coming months after the GSA announced they will be consolidating the twenty-four current schedules into one. Sales reporting is also transitioning into a new system, which will officially begin in July 2019. Read more about the reporting changes in our previous blog.
Obtaining a DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) number is one of the first steps to be able to sell to the Federal Government. DUNS numbers help the government keep track of who they are doing business with. Dun & Bradstreet has been providing validation through this system for over twenty years. This is now coming to an end after the GSA has been looking for a replacement the past two years.
The GSA has awarded Ernst and Young LLP a $41 million contract for up to five years of entity validation services through GSA’s System for Award Management (SAM). The agency said the new contract will reduce duplication and simplify the verification process. Although Dun & Bradstreet is being replaced, they will still take a part in assisting the government by maintaining award reporting.
Ernst and Young will use SAM Managed Identifier (SAMMI) instead of the old DUNS number moving forward. The GSA is excited to make this change as they believe it’ll make the application process go a lot smoother. It has yet to be announced when the transition will happen, but it is believed to be completed by the new fiscal year.
