December, 2021
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Mandate- ARC Implementation
Who
The System for Award Management (SAM.gov)
What
The federal government will transition away from the use of the DUNS Number and toward the new Unique Entity ID (UEI) as the primary means of entity identification for federal awards government-wide.
When
After April 4, 2022, UEI will replace DUNS as the primary identifier
What does this mandate mean for Oracle?
A new field will exist at the Supplier Site level in Oracle that will house the Unique Entity Identifier, which will be the UEI SAM (12 characters) + the Entity EFT Identifier (4 characters). Many of our interfaces make use of Supplier data from SAM and will be affected by this process (e.g., SAM to Supplier, PRISM, HHS GrantSolutions, IPP-Purchase Orders, IPP-Suppliers, Supplier Interface, etc.).
When is the planned implementation date for Oracle?
The planned implementation date for Oracle to populate the UEI field at the Supplier Site level and for the UEI to be used as the Supplier Number for new suppliers is February 27, 2022.
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Frequently Asked Questions
Can you provide examples of DUNS, DUNS+4, and UEI?
Example DUNS (9-character numeric string)
- 123456789
Example DUNS+4 (13- character numeric string)
- 1234567891111
Example UEI (12- character alpha numeric string)
- NULZLK2E52L5
What is the Entity EFT Indicator?
The EFT Indicator is used to identify additional bank accounts associated with a single supplier. It will replace the DUNS+4 in SAM. When ARC sets up a supplier in Oracle that has an EFT Indicator the Supplier Number will be the UEI+EFT Indicator. The Supplier site number can only be 15 characters and will be the UEI+the last 3 digits of the EFT Indicator. The UEI field on the supplier site will be populated with the 16 character UEI+EFT Indicator.
The vast majority of suppliers in Oracle do NOT have an EFT Indicator (previously DUNS+4).
What purpose will the DUNS number serve in the future?
The DUNS number will not be retained in SAM.
How will the mandate affect existing suppliers?
Existing suppliers added before the proposed implementation date will keep their existing Supplier Number (DUNS) and will have the UEI populated on the supplier site in Oracle.
How will the mandate affect new suppliers?
New suppliers added to Oracle after the proposed implementation date will be set up with the UEI as the Supplier Number and will also have the UEI populated on the supplier site.
What do I do about internal systems that contain DUNS?
Systems should be updated to accommodate a 12 or 16 digit UEI or UEI + EFT Indicator (if applicable). ARC's interfaces key on the Supplier Number and supplier site number which will not change for existing suppliers in Oracle. The length of the Supplier Number and supplier site number in Oracle are not changing. All of the existing suppliers with DUNS as the Supplier Number will not have the Supplier Number changed, and the DUNS will be used until the proposed Oracle implementation date. After the proposed implementation date, new suppliers will be added with UEI as the Supplier Number.
How can I crosswalk DUNS to UEI?
Users can run the SAR SC ACTIVE SUPPLIERS & ADDRESSES report to crosswalk the Supplier Number in Oracle, which is the DUNS Number for existing suppliers, to UEI. The supplier site UEI field in Oracle will be added to the report. The SAR SC OU FOR SELECTED SUPPLIER will also be updated to add the UEI.
Will my business process change to set up vendors as of April 4, 2022?
When checking to see if a SAM supplier exists for your Operating Unit in Oracle, users should check the Supplier Number and the UEI fields in the SAR SC ACTIVE SUPPLIERS & ADDRESSES or the SAR SC OU FOR SELECTED SUPPLIER reports to see if the requested UEI already exists. If the UEI exists in either field, it does not need to be added.
If needed, entities can request a UEI in SAM.gov, at no cost, even without registering in SAM.gov. Entities registered in SAM currently, already have a UEI assigned and available in their SAM.gov records. Fiscal Service is prepared for this transition. The DUNS Number will continue to be used though the Oracle proposed implementation date. Our Customer's current suppliers who are registered in SAM will automatically be updated in the Oracle Accounting System with the UEI.
A new supplier request form will be available on the Customer Access pages with the DUNs field renamed UEI. New suppliers requested after the proposed Oracle Implementation date will need to supply a UEI.
We urge Customers to share this information with new suppliers. A quick start guide to obtain a UEI can be found at: GSAFSD_kb_articles - GSA Federal Service Desk Service Portal.
What changes will occur in the SAM to Oracle Supplier Update Interface?
A new field will be included in the SAM to Oracle Supplier Interface for the UEI at the supplier site level. The field will house the UEI SAM + the Entity EFT Indicator. The interface will have the ability to populate the UEI field on existing supplier sites.
How will existing supplier sites be updated that are not updated by the SAM to Oracle Supplier Update Interface?
A script has been developed by ARC to provide an automated way to populate the UEI on existing supplier sites.
What changes will occur in the CCR SAM File?
The CCR SAM File will capture the new UEI SAM field and the relabeled Entity EFT Indicator (previously DUNS+4) and concatenate the two fields in the generation and output of the comparison reports. The File will have the capability to compare records by the Oracle Supplier Number or the UEI at the supplier site level. Additionally, the New Customer Comparison process will include UEI. The UEI SAM and the Entity EFT Indicator will also be added to the New Vendor Search Query.
What changes will occur in the Supplier Interface?
The DUNS data element will be renamed at the supplier site level to UEI. The UEI field will have a 12 or 16-character validation. The Supplier Number in the interface template will increase from a character validation of 13 to 16. The supplier site number can only be 15 characters and will be the UEI + the last 3 digits of the EFT Indicator.
What changes will occur in the IPP Supplier Interface?
A new tag, <siteuei>, has been added to capture characters 1-12 of the UEI from the supplier site. The existing <siteduns> is an existing tag that will now capture the Entity EFT Indicator, which is characters 13-16 of the UEI at the supplier site in Oracle.
How will HHS GrantSolutions handle Supplier lookup?
HHS GrantSolutions users will now enter UEI SAM or UEI SAM + Entity EFT Indicator, instead of the DUNS Number. The interface will look up the Supplier in Oracle by the UEI at the supplier site level for the org code provided in the web service request and will return active supplier site addresses for the operating unit associated with the org code set up in GrantSolutions. If the supplier does not exist or is inactive, then no addresses will be returned, and a request should be sent to ARC to add the grantee as a supplier.
PRISM Users
How will the mandate affect existing Vendors in PRISM?
Existing Vendors and Vendors added to PRISM prior to the planned implementation date will keep their current Vendor code (DUNS) and will have the UEI populated on the Vendor page in PRISM.
How will the mandate affect new Vendors added after the planned implementation date?
New Vendors added after the planned implementation date will have the UEI as their Vendor code and will have the UEI populated on the Vendor page in PRISM.
How will UEI be stored in PRISM?
In PRISM, there will be two separate fields, one for UEI that will be 12 characters and one for the Entity EFT Indicator that will be four characters.