About beta.SAM.gov

The Integrated Award Environment (IAE) facilitates the federal awards processes in multiple online systems, including the System for Award Management, or SAM. Those systems are used for registering to do business with the federal government, listing contract opportunities, capturing contractor performance, viewing contract data, searching assistance listings, reporting subcontracts, and more.

Image of IAE Systems logos depicting their state of transition in to beta.SAM.gov.

Currently, there are two sites with very similar names: SAM.gov and beta.SAM.gov. What is known today as beta.SAM.gov will eventually become the new SAM.gov and will offer a single login to navigate the federal award lifecycle. The system is called “beta.SAM.gov” not because it is a traditional beta system, but rather so that it can be differentiated from the current SAM.gov.

The following legacy systems have been decommissioned and their functionalities successfully transitioned to beta.SAM.gov:

  • Federal Business Opportunities (legacy FBO.gov)
  • Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (legacy CFDA.gov)
  • Wage Determination Online (legacy WDOL.gov)
  • Federal Procurement Data System Reports* (legacy FPDS.gov)
    *Only contract data reports transitioned to beta.SAM.gov; the rest of FPDS functions remain at FPDS.gov

Learn more about all of IAE's systems here.

As legacy IAE systems are integrated, their functions are migrated into beta.SAM.gov. When complete, you will be able to seamlessly leverage vast stores of federal data and information in a single, unified experience.


What is Next?

On October 17, 2020, the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) reports functions will complete migration into beta.SAM.gov. This transition follows a successful parallel operation and agile iterative improvement process that began in March 2020. Only the FPDS reports function is transitioning. This includes static, standard, administrative, and ad hoc reports. The rest of FPDS functionality will remain in place at FPDS.gov; FPDS itself is not being retired at this time.

Reports users span a broad range of IAE stakeholders. From the business doing market research to Congressional staff working policy, to open government groups interested in transparency and reform, and the federal workforce managing compliance and oversight. The new reports interface at beta.SAM.gov expands reports capabilities; it puts a modern and powerful tool in the hands of these and many other stakeholders to accomplish their work goals.

In April 2021, the current SAM.gov will be integrated into the beta.SAM.gov environment. Once integrated, the location will be renamed SAM.gov. At that point, beta.SAM.gov and SAM.gov will no longer operate in parallel and the “beta” will be retired.

In the future, the federal government will stop using the DUNS number to identify entities in IAE systems. A new unique entity identifier (UEI) will be assigned to entities that are already registered in SAM. Entities that register in SAM for the first time will obtain their UEI as part of the registration process. Our UEI Updates page has more background and the latest information.

Share Your Thoughts

The process of building beta.SAM.gov is a collaborative effort among the IAE team, our users, and our stakeholders. The development and deployment of beta.SAM.gov are managed under an agile framework, which enables our team to continually develop and update software to suit users' evolving needs. As with all transitions, past and future, the process is iterative; what we transition on day one is not the end. We continue to improve, refine, and add capabilities to each functional area and we continue to make beta.SAM.gov more user-friendly and less burdensome.

Test out the system and let us know how it’s going.

  • Go to beta.SAM.gov, browse the site, and try out the capabilities.
  • Use the help section on beta.SAM.gov (the Learning Center).
  • Keep up to date on the latest news and information regarding the transition of IAE systems by subscribing to our IAE Interact Community.
  • Provide your comments and suggestions using the Feedback button on beta.SAM.gov.
  • If you experience any technical issues, please contact the Federal Service Desk at FSD.gov.


For questions about the IAE Systems, email IAEOutreach@gsa.gov.
For press inquiries, email press@gsa.gov.

Last Reviewed: 2020-11-23