UEI vs CAGE Code vs NAICS Code

For a defense supplier, the business consequence is straightforward: verify the bidding entity and registration status first, then assess eligibility against the solicitation's industry classification and requirements. These codes are neither contract vehicles nor evidence of an award.

On This Page

• UEI, CAGE, and NAICS compared
• UEI and registration status
• CAGE name and location matching
• NAICS profiles and solicitations
• Diagnose record mismatches
• Verify the record behind each code

UEI, CAGE, and NAICS compared

Each field answers a different question. Treat them as separate entries in your contracting records.

Comparison	UEI	CAGE code	NAICS code
Full name	Unique Entity Identifier	Commercial and Government Entity code	North American Industry Classification System code
Format	12 alphanumeric characters	Five characters	Six digits at the U.S. national-industry level
Identifies	A specific entity	An entity at a specific location	An industry shared by many businesses
Assignment	SAM.gov issues the identifier	DLA assigns U.S. codes; foreign entities use the NCAGE route	Businesses select applicable classifications; the contracting officer assigns the acquisition's code
Procurement consequence	Connects the offeror to its SAM record	Connects the named entity and location to the CAGE record	Helps determine which size standard applies to the competition
Does not establish by itself	Active registration	Eligibility for every solicitation	Small-business status or an award

Source basis: SAM registration guidance, SBA contracting guidance, DLA registration and CAGE guidance, BEA's NAICS structure explanation, and the FAR provisions discussed below. Procurement consequences are editorial synthesis of those rules, checked September 6, 2026.

UEI: confirm the entity and its registration status

The System for Award Management (SAM.gov) can issue a UEI without a completed federal-award registration. A company with a number may still have registration work to complete before bidding. SAM's guidance separates obtaining only a UEI from registering to pursue direct awards; certain sub-award reporting transactions may need only the identifier.

Under the basic November 2024 version of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.204-7, an offeror must be registered when submitting an offer or quotation and at award. Registration includes mandatory information, completed registration sections, government validation, and an active record. The provision also points to maintenance requirements during performance and through final payment.

Match the UEI to the legal name and address of the entity actually making the offer. Do not assume that a parent company's record covers a subsidiary simply because they share a brand. SAM requires registration renewal every 365 days; having a UEI recorded in a capability statement is no substitute for checking current status.

Read the provision and any alternate or agency deviation included in the solicitation. During the FAR overhaul, model text takes effect for an agency through its class deviation, as the FAR Council's FAQs explain. The baseline provision alone may not describe the operative requirement.

CAGE: match the code to the name and location

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) explains the facility-and-location identification role in its CAGE program description. When verifying a supplier, check the location attached to its code as well as its name.

FAR 52.204-16 requires the reported code to match the offeror's name and location address. For an entity in the United States or its outlying areas without an existing code, DLA assigns one through SAM registration. An entity outside that area obtains a NATO Commercial and Government Entity, or NCAGE, code before SAM registration through the applicable country codification bureau or NATO Support and Procurement Agency route.

The same provision says a code is required before award and tells offerors not to delay an offer while awaiting it. Read that instruction alongside the solicitation's SAM-registration requirement; it does not independently waive a requirement for active registration at submission.

Subcontractors can also face location-specific CAGE requirements. When FAR 52.204-2 applies, FAR 52.204-16 requires classified-access subcontractors' performance locations on DD Form 254 to have corresponding CAGE codes, with a government-facility exception. Check the prime's requirements for your own entity and facilities; the prime's identifier does not identify a separate subcontractor's location.

For a relocation or a record mismatch, reconcile the legal name and address through the official registration process. DLA's registration guidance directs vendors awaiting CAGE validation to DLA support and other registration-status questions to the Federal Service Desk. Creating another record without resolving the mismatch is a poor substitute for correcting the underlying information.

NAICS: separate your business profile from the solicitation

NAICS began as a statistical classification system for business establishments. The Census Bureau's official NAICS resource provides industry definitions and reference files; BEA explains how the hierarchy narrows from a two-digit sector to a six-digit national industry. Many companies can share the same classification, so a NAICS code cannot identify a particular supplier.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) says a business generally has a primary code and may have additional codes when it supplies multiple products or services. Choose classifications that describe actual capabilities. Adding a code to a profile does not demonstrate experience or change the work a buyer is acquiring.

For the acquisition, FAR 19.102 directs the contracting officer to select the industry that best describes the principal purpose of the supplies or services being bought and assign the corresponding size standard. The choice is subject to the applicable appeal process. Your preferred business-profile code does not override that designation.

Size is a separate assessment. SBA standards generally use employee counts or annual receipts, and the assessment includes affiliates. A company can qualify as small under one industry's standard and exceed another's. Check the applicable standard and its calculation rules instead of applying a single company-wide label to every bid.

For example, a supplier may offer both manufacturing and engineering services. Those capabilities can support different profile classifications, but the particular solicitation determines which classification governs that competition. The team must assess size against that requirement, even if another code would produce a more favorable result.

Census currently provides 2022 NAICS reference materials and identifies proposed 2027 updates. FAR 19.102 says new codes are not available for federal contracting until SBA publishes corresponding size standards. A proposed classification change is not a reason to substitute a new code in a current response.

Diagnose the mismatch before preparing a proposal

The following checks translate the distinctions into practical decisions. They are recommended business controls, not a government-prescribed form.

Situation	Check first	Business action
The company has a UEI but cannot confirm active registration	SAM entity status and the solicitation's registration provision	Complete or correct the required registration; do not treat the identifier as proof of readiness.
The proposal address differs from the CAGE record	The legal entity and location represented by each record	Resolve the discrepancy before relying on that code in the response.
The solicitation uses a different NAICS code from the company's primary code	The work description, assigned classification, and size standard	Assess the actual requirement; use the applicable clarification or appeal process if the designation appears wrong.
The company has acquired another business	Affiliate information used in the size assessment	Reassess size with the relevant affiliates included instead of relying on an earlier standalone calculation.

Source basis: SAM, DLA, SBA, and the cited FAR provisions. The recommended actions translate those requirements into pre-bid checks.

Verify the record behind each code

Before committing proposal resources, retain a dated check of the offering entity's name, address, UEI, required SAM status, and matching CAGE or NCAGE record. Separately record the solicitation's NAICS code, applicable size standard, and the basis for any small-business representation.

That division gives the team two concrete questions to answer: are the government records identifying the right bidder, and does that bidder satisfy this competition's requirements? Correct identifiers support the first answer. The solicitation and the company's actual circumstances determine the second.

Source notes

• SAM.gov: Entity registration. Official guidance distinguishing UEI-only requests from full registration and explaining annual renewal.
• SBA: Get started with contracting. Official guidance on UEI format, multiple NAICS classifications, size standards, and affiliates.
• DLA: Registration, renewal, and CAGE creation. Official process guidance on code assignment, validation, and support routing.
• BEA: NAICS code structure. Official explanation of classification levels and six-digit national industries.
• FAR 52.204-7: System for Award Management. Baseline registration provision and offeror identity requirements.
• FAR Council: Overhaul FAQs. Official explanation of agency adoption through deviations.
• DLA: CAGE program. Official explanation of entity identification by location.
• FAR 52.204-16: CAGE code reporting. Baseline name-and-location reporting and U.S./NCAGE assignment routes.
• Census Bureau: NAICS. Official classification resources and revision notices.
• FAR 19.102: Size standards and NAICS codes. Baseline acquisition-classification, size-standard, and code-update rules.

Last checked: September 6, 2026.