Federal contracting · answers
Federal contracting questions, answered from the public record
Each page opens with a short, liftable answer, then states the supporting facts with their source and extract date. Numbers come from federal public records — the SAM.gov exclusions list, USASpending award transactions, and the FAR — or from Fonteum's Leakage Report, which found 112 prime awards worth $1,601,819 signed during an active exclusion window. No risk scores, no accusations — confirm any current status at SAM.gov.
Exclusion findings
- Can a debarred company still get a federal contract?
No — federal agencies are barred from awarding to an excluded party under FAR 9.405. It still happens on the record: on Fonteum's ingested set, 112 prime awards worth $1,601,819 were signed during an active exclusion window for 21 confirmed recipients.
- Which agencies awarded contracts to already-excluded contractors?
Of 112 prime awards signed during a recipient's active exclusion window on Fonteum's ingested set, the most came from the Department of Veterans Affairs (48), the Department of Defense (36), and the Department of Agriculture (21).
Checking a contractor
- How many federal contractors are currently excluded?
There is no fixed number. SAM.gov's exclusions list changes daily as agencies add and lift exclusions, so any single figure is a dated snapshot rather than a standing total. The authoritative live count is the SAM.gov exclusions list itself.
- How do I check if a contractor is debarred or excluded?
Search the company or person in the SAM.gov exclusions list — the free, public federal system of record. Match on the Unique Entity ID (UEI) or CAGE code, not the name alone, because names repeat across unrelated entities.
Federal contracting terms
- What is a UEI (Unique Entity ID)?
A Unique Entity ID (UEI) is the 12-character alphanumeric code SAM.gov assigns to every entity registered to do business with the U.S. federal government. It replaced the proprietary DUNS number as the official identifier in April 2022.
- What is a CAGE code?
A Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code is a 5-character identifier assigned by the Defense Logistics Agency to a business at a specific location. SAM.gov registration assigns or validates a CAGE code for each entity.
- What is FAPIIS?
FAPIIS — the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System — is the federal database recording contractor integrity events such as terminations for default and certain proceedings. Contracting officers consult it before large awards.
- What is the difference between suspension and debarment?
Suspension is a temporary exclusion pending an investigation or legal proceeding, usually up to 12 months. Debarment is an exclusion for a fixed term, generally up to three years. Both bar new federal awards under FAR Subpart 9.4.
- What is an exclusion in federal contracting?
An exclusion is an official action — suspension, debarment, or a statutory or regulatory bar — that makes a person or company ineligible to receive new federal contracts, grants, or other assistance. Active exclusions are published on SAM.gov.
Program guides
Looking for the rules of a specific program? 8(a) certification, explained — who qualifies, how to apply, the nine-year term, and how a SAM.gov exclusion ends eligibility, sourced to sba.gov and 13 CFR Part 124.
How these answers are built
This is the integrity layer that the unreadable federal portals and the login-gated trackers leave out. Answers state exact regulatory facts — an exclusion's active window, an award's signed date, a definition anchored to the FAR — and never a derived score or label. Where a claim rests on data, it links to the reproducible study and to the official source so you can re-check it yourself.
Federal public records (US Government Works). Confirm current status at sam.gov and usaspending.gov. Part of Fonteum's Government Procurement Evidence silo.