Business and Requirements Overview

The primary goal of the Integrated Award Environment is to simplify and improve the acquisition process for both the government and its contractors. By integrating different systems and databases, the IAE enhances collaboration, data accuracy, and decision-making across government agencies, vendors, and the public.

Context

The General Service Administration’s (GSA) Office of the Integrated Award Environment (IAE) is consolidating the government-wide acquisition and award support systems into one new system - the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is streamlining processes, eliminating the need to enter the same data multiple times, and consolidating hosting to make the process of doing business with the government more efficient. IAE’s modernized SAM environment will build a unified environment, promoting efficiency, transparency, and data sharing and enhanced collaboration, and decision-making across government agencies, vendors, and the public.

SAM is used by anyone interested in the business of the Federal Government, including:

Entities (contractors, federal assistance recipients, and other potential award recipients) who need to register to do business with the government, look for opportunities or assistance programs, or report subcontract information.
Government contracting and grants officials responsible for activities with contracts, grants, past performance reporting and suspension and debarment activities;
Public users searching for government business information.

Under the IAE, several key systems and initiatives are brought together to create a cohesive infrastructure. Each system addresses different aspects of the federal awards lifecycle, such as registration, procurement data collection, contract performance assessment, and past performance information.

The consolidation of these systems within the IAE offers several benefits. It simplifies the entity registration and certification process for contractors and vendors, reduces duplication of effort, improves data quality and accessibility, and enhances visibility into opportunities and performance assessments. Furthermore, it provides government agencies with robust data analytics and reporting capabilities, enabling informed decision-making and improved oversight.

Transparency and accountability are integral components of the Integrated Award Environment. By serving as a centralized repository of information on government contracts, including contract awards, grants and spending data, contractor performance, and integrity records, the IAE promotes competition, supports small businesses, and ensures the responsible use of taxpayer funds.

Modernization of the federal procurement and awards processes has evolved over time through development of systems to perform individual steps in the process. Paper-based systems and business processes were automated as the internet became widely available. These systems were adopted across the Federal Government and are now managed under one organization. The IAE manages these systems and their system capabilities have been organized around six key functional areas.

Acquisition Functional Area	Capabilities	Legacy Systems planned to be phased out/integrated
Entity * Management	Entity Registrations core data Manage certifications / representations	CCR/FedReg - Central Contractor Registration/Federal Agency Registration ORCA - Online Representation and Certifications Application
Award Management	Post solicitation and award data Maintain government-wide contract award Maintain government-wide subcontractor data	FBO – Federal Business Opportunities FPDS-NG – Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation eSRS/FSRS – Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System/FFATA Subaward Reporting System
Wage Data	Access wage determinations	WDOL – Wage Determinations Online
Assistance Data	Search and advanced search of grants/assistance listing	CFDA/Federal Assistance Listings
Performance Information	Manage / maintain past performance information Manage exclusion list	PPIRS/CPARS/FAPIIS – Past Performance Information Retrieval System EPLS – Excluded Parties List System
Support	Provide security access control Provide reporting / communications support Provide internal controls

*Entity refers to prime contractors, organizations or individuals applying for assistance awards, those receiving loans, sole proprietors, corporations, partnerships, and any Federal Government agencies desiring to do business with the government.

SAM is being modernized in phases. Phase 1, released in July 2012, included the capabilities found previously in Central Contractor Registration (CCR)/Federal Agency Registration (FedReg), Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), and the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS).

In addition, IAE transitioned to Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and replaced Data Universal Numbering System (DUNs) as the primary identifier for entities doing business with the federal government. The UEI is a SAM generated number, open, non-proprietary, and doesn't have data rights around the associated public information. The implementation of UEI required Entity Validation Services (EVS) that provide IAE with a way to validate entities who register in SAM and conduct transactions in IAE systems.