Share Your Feedback on the General Services Administration’s RFI for ‘Government-Wide Entity Identification and Validation Services’

A critical part of registering as an applicant organization with Grants.gov involves entering a DUNS number – or obtaining one before proceeding.

A DUNS number is a unique nine-character number that Grants.gov and other programs use to identify your organization. For example, the federal government uses the DUNS number to track how federal money is allocated. Applicants doing business with the federal government can get one for free through Dun and Bradstreet (D&B).

In 2018, the D&B contract with the federal government’s General Services Administration (GSA) expires, and the GSA has released a Request for Information (RFI) for government-wide entity identification and validation services.

‘Exploring All Viable Means’

“The government is exploring all viable means of continuing to meet its ongoing need for entity identification and validation services after the contract’s expiration,” reads a recent GSA news release. “Additionally, both the FAR and 2CFR regulations have recently been revised to remove any proprietary references to Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) and DUNS.”

Vicky Niblett, Integrated Award Environment Deputy Assistant Commissioner at GSA, said that the RFI “represents a step forward in assessing entity validation services purchased by the Integrated Award Environment on behalf of the entire government awards community.

“We want to ensure integrity over the awards of taxpayer dollars as we proceed to the next steps. GSA remains committed to transparency within this process, and seeks to obtain maximum public input.”

As you are a stakeholder in the government awards community, Grants.gov encourages you to share your feedback on this RFI via FedBizOpps.gov.

Click here to read the full GSA news release.