Transition to Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

This page was made available on June 11, 2021.

Overview
The federal government is moving away from using the DUNS number and is replacing it with a new non-proprietary identifier, the Unique Entity Identifier, UEI. By April of 2022, the federal government will stop using the DUNS number to uniquely identify entities registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). At that point, entities doing business with the federal government will use a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) created in SAM.gov. For details on why this transition is happening, please refer to the GSA website, gsa.gov/entityid. To support this transition, HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) are being updated to enhance all fields that are labeled as DUNS number fields to UEI fields and are updating the associated processes, such as organization registration pages.
What is the UEI?
The Unique Entity Identifier is the new 12-digit alphanumeric identifier that will be provided by SAM.gov registration to all entities who register to do business with the federal government (including the existing entities). This is the identifier which is replacing the use of the DUNS.
What does this mean for me?
There is no action needed on your behalf. The UEI will be automatically generated by SAM.gov and imported into the EHBs. During the transition, you can search for your organization using either the DUNS or UEI. However, on all updated fields you will see the UEI listed. The EHBs updates will be rolling out in phases. The first phase is rolling out in two parts on June 10, 2021 and October 21, 2021, and the second phase is forthcoming in late 2021/2022 and will include updates to all remaining pages that mention the DUNS. Note: In the event the UEI is not available, the DUNS number will still appear in the EHBs.
What pages are being updated?
June 2021: Application Tracker Widget, Organization Registration, Grantee My Portfolio pages October 2021: EHBs Applications, Grants.gov Applications, Smart Assist

On this page

Examples of the UEI Change
EHBs Registration to an Organization
When you register to an organization, you will see the DUNS search field updated to UEI. You can search by UEI or DUNS to find the organization. The tooltip next to UEI provides helpful information about the new field: You may use this option if you know your organization's Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) or DUNS Number. The system will automatically search for the organization in SAM if it is not found in EHBs.
After successfully searching for the organization, using either the UEI or DUNS number, you will see the UEI displayed on the list page.
As you continue through the registration process, you will see the UEI listed in the organization details section.
Once you have registered to an organization, the My Registered Organizations – List page displays a column for UEI.
My Grant Portfolio List
From your My Grant Portfolio list, you can view the UEI from the My Grant Portfolio – List page. Click on the arrow next to the Grant Number to expand the row and see additional details, including the UEI for that grant.
You can also use the UEI to search for your grant. Click Search on the top right of the My Grant Portfolio – List page, and then Expand the Advanced Search Parameters section to see the UEI search option. Please note, during the transition, you can search by UEI or DUNS in this field.
Application Tracker
The HRSA Application Tracker is also updated with the UEI information, so you can track the status of your grant application by UEI or DUNS. The Note provides helpful information about the new field: Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is a 12-character alphanumeric identifier provided by SAM.gov.