SAM.gov Extension Period Under M-21-20 Draws To a Close

Nonfederal entities who have active registrations with SAM.gov that are expiring should be aware that today is the last day of a time window under which Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is making available a one-time re-registration extension.

To provide administrative relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, OMB Memorandum M-21-20, Promoting Public Trust in the Federal Government through Effective Implementation of the American Rescue Plan Act and Stewardship of the Taxpayer Resources, which OMB issued in March, allowed awarding agencies the opportunity to provide recipients exceptions to certain financial assistance requirements.

One of those flexibilities stated that federal awarding agencies may relax the timing of the requirement for active SAM.gov registration at time of application in order to expeditiously issue funding. If the agency adopted the flexibility, current registrants in SAM.gov with active registrations expiring between April 1, 2021, and today, Sept. 30, 2021, automatically were afforded a one-time extension of 180 days. However, registrants with active registrations expiring in October and later will not be afforded such an extension.

In another matter involving SAM.gov, the General Services Administration Integrated Award Environment (IAE), which oversees SAM.gov, is seeking input from the federal assistance community regarding registering in SAM.gov. Because IAE anticipates more assistance registrants because of COVID-related federal aid, it seeks to improve the experience for those registrants. To do so, it is asking for input from existing registrants and others in the federal assistance community. Among the information requested are responses to the following: How hard is it to register in SAM.gov? What are the tricky spots or pain points? How could the IAE make things easier for assistance registrants? IAE staff members even are making themselves available for 30 to 45-minute interviews with respondents to help answer these questions. To reply to these questions or schedule an interview, contact IAEOutreach@gsa.gov.

The Assistance Listings section of SAM.gov also is adding programs funded through the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (Pub. L. 117-2), which was enacted earlier this year. OMB this week issued a list of these programs, providing their Assistance Listings number (if currently available). The list includes about 20 new programs established under the act, and will be continuously updated as new Assistance Listings numbers become available.

Thompson Grants will continue to provide information on SAM.gov as it develops.

Join us for our following Thompson Grants events:
Advanced Federal Grants Forum | October 13 - 14, 2021 | Virtual Event
Federal Grants Forum For Tribal Nations | October 27 - 28, 2021 | Virtual Event