Financial Management

If your SAM (System for Award Management) registration becomes inactive, it must be reactivated. An inactive status can affect your eligibility for federal funding, such as FEMA Public Assistance and some transportation and community development grants and loans.

Below are the steps you can take to reactivate the account.

Log In to your SAM account.

• If you are an authorized user, access your municipality’s SAM account using the email address and password associated with your login.gov account. If you’ve forgotten your login credentials:
  • Email Address: If you don’t know what email is associated with your municipality’s SAM account, contact the Federal Service Desk (see Need Help? below) for free assistance.
  • Password: If you don’t have your password, use the “Sign In” function on the SAM homepage then the “Forgot your password?” function on the Sign In page.
• If you are not an authorized user, you can request that the Entity Administrator for your municipality assign you a role. If the municipality’s Entity Administrator is no longer with the municipality, the municipality can request a new Entity Administrator be appointed.

Verify why your SAM account is inactive.

The first step to reactivating your SAM registration is to verify why it is inactive. Once you are logged in, SAM will provide information about the specific actions required to reactivate your registration. The most common reasons for inactive registrations are:

• The municipality did not renew its registration in the past year by validating information in SAM. SAM accounts must be renewed each year or they become inactive. There is no fee to renew SAM accounts. It is a free process provided by the federal government. It can be helpful to set a calendar reminder to renew the registration at least one month prior to expiration. This allows sufficient time to work out any challenges during the renewal process.
• The municipality renewed its registration, but something was missed during the update process. If this is the case and you login to your account, SAM will provide information about the specific actions required to reactivate your registration.

Complete required actions.

SAM will typically provide a list of actions you need to complete to reactivate your registration. These actions may include updating your registration information, renewing your registration, or resolving any outstanding issues.

• Submit Necessary Updates. If your municipality’s registration requires updates or changes to its information, complete the necessary fields and provide any required documentation. Ensure that all information is accurate and up to date. Inaccurate information may lead to delays in processing grant agreements.
• Follow the Renewal Process. If your registration has expired (was not renewed in the past year), you will need to go through the renewal process. This typically involves reviewing and updating your information, confirming your eligibility, and verifying your tax identification numbers (TINs). SAM may require you to submit specific documentation to verify your municipality’s identity. Ensure that you provide all requested documents in a timely manner. A common error is to miss using the Submit button after updates are completed and before exiting SAM. If you do not receive a confirmation email, login and check for additional missed items.
• Verify Your Status. After completing all required actions, log back into your SAM account after a few days to verify your SAM registration status has been reactivated. Ensure that there are no outstanding issues or alerts related to your registration.

Need Help?

Contact the Federal Service Desk through the following methods:

• Create an Incident (login required)
• Live Chat (login required)
• Phone: 866-606-8220 (toll-free)

You also can submit your question through VLCT’s Ask A Question webpage. We are happy to help you.

What if I have other SAM questions?

VLCT published a resource on our website that provides Answers to SAM.gov Frequently Asked Questions. These are the questions we receive most often from municipalities.

Are you having difficulties with your SAM.gov registration? Is your registration inactive? Has the person with administrative privileges for your account left municipal service? 

This resource assists municipalities with finding answers to their most frequently asked questions about SAM.gov (a.k.a. SAM). In most cases, the questions below link directly to SAM's Frequently Asked Question (FAQ). If you have a question that is not included below, you can search SAM's FAQs or submit your question on our Ask A Question webpage. We are happy to help you find an answer.

What Is SAM.gov?

SAM.gov, the System for Award Management or SAM, collects data from suppliers and funding awardees who want to do business with the federal government. Municipalities interact with SAM.gov in multiple ways.

• Municipalities that are awarded federal funding are required to register with SAM and to maintain that registration through the life of their funding agreement.
• Municipalities that pass federal funds to other entities (contractors, grant sub-recipients) are required to search for and retain the other entity's registration and exclusion records.
• Municipalities that use federal funds for construction projects must use wage determinations listed on SAM to meet their obligations under the Davis Bacon Act.

VLCT encourages municipalities to maintain their SAM registration regardless of whether the municipality has current federal funding. Maintaining the registration through annual updates helps ensure federal funding, like FEMA Public Assistance and infrastructure and community development funding, will flow smoothly to the municipality.

Does It Cost Money to Register or Renew a Registration in SAM.gov?

No. Registering in SAM is free. There are private businesses who charge a fee to help you register in SAM. While it is a business decision as to whether the municipality wants to pay a fee to have a third party register them in SAM, there is no cost to register or to renew a registration directly on SAM. 

Registering on SAM generally can be done in less than hour, and registration renewal generally can be done in less than five minutes. The official SAM site is www.sam.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

General

• What is the difference between Login.gov and SAM.gov?

Confirming Entity Registration and Status

• How can I find out if an entity is registered in SAM.gov?
• How can I view my Unique Entity ID or entity registration record?
• What do the different registration statuses mean?

Account Roles

• How can I view a complete list of users and their roles for my non-federal entity?
• Why am I unable to request a role?
• What is an Entity Administrator in SAM.gov?
• How can I become the administrator for my non-federal entity registration?
• How do I invite or assign a role to users in SAM.gov?

Updating and Renewing a Registration

• How do I update/renew an existing entity registration in SAM.gov?
• Is there a Quick Start Guide for updating entity registrations?
• How do I update the banking information on my SAM.gov entity registration?
• How do I update the Points of Contact (POCs) on my SAM.gov entity registration?
• How do I change whether my entity is shown in public search results on SAM.gov?

SAM recommends entities opt in to public display. No sensitive information is available via SAM’s public search. Public display allows the municipality's information to be found easily by granting agencies and so information can be located if employees leave without transferring the Entity Administrator role. Registrations that opted in to public display remain searchable and viewable by authenticated users in SAM. Inactive Registrations that opted out of public display are only searchable and viewable by authenticated federal users and authenticated public users with roles with the entity in SAM. 

• What documentation can I use to validate my entity?
• What happens to my SAM.gov access if I change my email address on login.gov?
• What is the NAICS Code for local government?
• How do I delete a partially complete registration renewal if I’ve made a mistake?
• What should I do if my SAM registration has become inactive?

Getting Help

• How do I initiate a live chat with an agent through the FSD.gov portal?
• How can I receive training for SAM.gov?
• You can submit your question through VLCT’s Ask A Question webpage. We are happy to help you find an answer.

VLCT offers a variety of trainings throughout the year. This listing is an overview that is subject to change. For details of currently available trainings and to register, please visit vlct.org/events. Most events are posted on the events calendar four or more weeks before they take place. 

Sponsored by Acrisure, VLCT’s exclusive broker partner in providing life and disability insurance and health insurance advisory services to participating VLCT members.

 January

• Insurance – You do not need to wait for an insurance determination before starting recovery work.
   
• Include everything – Include everything you can think of in your damage assessments, even if you think FEMA won’t cover it. Let FEMA be the ones to decide that. Also, it is much easier to drop things from an application than it is to add them later.
   
• “Iffy” Projects – Include them. They will not jeopardize other projects, and they might get funded!
   
• Non-Profit Fire Departments (FDs) – If you have a private non-profit (PNP) volunteer fire department encourage them to apply for PA (not Individual Assistance [IA]).  They will likely qualify because they provide a critical emergency service to the town.
   
• Who owns the damaged asset(s) ? – In the case of FDs, whether the FD-related expense is claimed under the FD’s PA request or the municipality’s PA request depends on who owns the asset. If the municipality purchased (holds the title to) a fire truck that it provides to a private non-profit FD, the municipality should list damages to the fire truck in its PA claim.
   
• Municipally owned, Non-Profit operated  – Municipally owned facilities (ex. libraries, recreation facilities) are sometimes operated, overseen, and/or maintained by a non-municipal entity. If the municipality owns the facility, damages to the facility should be listed in the municipality’s PA claim and discussed with FEMA, unless there is an agreement in place that states who the responsible party for any damages is.
   
• Non-competitive grant  – Unlike most other grants, PA is non-competitive. If you submit a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) and your project meets the criteria, you get paid.
   
• Volunteer hours  – Track them all. These “donated” hours for Category A and Category B can count toward the municipality’s cost share.  You must track the name of person, phone number, dates they worked, and times worked as well as location, equipment used, and scope of work.
   
• Volunteer equipment  – Track it all. Include the type of equipment and the number of hours it was used. The FEMA Equipment Rates will be applied, and it likely can be counted toward the cost share. See above.
   
• Facility maintenance agreements  – In some communities, the municipality owns a facility (ex. recreation fields, library) and volunteers assist to maintain the facility. Having maintenance agreements in place that outline roles and responsibilities can be the difference between a successful PA claim and an unsuccessful one.

About PACIF Coverage and Processes

• Question: Is there a deadline to file a claim with VLCT PACIF related to the 2023 summer flooding?

Answer: No, there is no deadline, but the sooner you report the claim the better. Payments for damage to covered property within flood zone A or prefixed with A will be prorated, and VLCT PACIF will have to know the extent of damage for all affected members before claim payments will be made.
 

• Question: Does our insurance claim have to be settled within the FEMA 60-day scoping period to be eligible for federal assistance?  

Answer: No, it does not. You need to submit all of your damages to FEMA within the 60-day period to be eligible for assistance, but the status of your insurance claim is not part of the process.
 

• Question: Will we receive FEMA funds prior to our insurance claim being settled?  

Answer: Yes, FEMA should begin issuing reimbursements even if your insurance claim isn’t settled. Once your claim is settled, you will be responsible to return funds to FEMA for all items that were covered by your insurer.
 

• Question: Should we start hiring contractors and fixing our building/structures prior to our insurance claim being settled?  

Answer: Yes, you should follow all FEMA requirements and get your buildings operational prior to your insurance claim being settled. The insurance claim settlement process will take some time to close out. Contact Katie Buckley or Bonnie Waninger if you have any questions about FEMA requirements so you do not jeopardize your funding from FEMA.
 

• Question: Does VLCT PACIF provide coverage for buildings in FEMA designated Flood Zone A or Prefixed with A?

Answer: The building and contents coverage available under the VLCT PACIF Coverage Document is subject to a sub-limit for buildings located in Flood Zone A or Prefixed with A. Each member has $1,000,000 per occurrence subject to a $5,000,000 all-member aggregate. Due to the size of this event, the aggregate cap will likely be met, resulting in prorated insurance payments. Because of the expected proration, the claim settlement process will take time. VLCT PACIF staff will need to know the total cost of the loss for all members before prorated claim payments will be issued. Covered buildings and contents that are not in a flood zone and automobiles/mobile equipment are not subject to the same aggregate cap and payments are already being made on those.
 

• Question: How do we know if our building is in a FEMA designated flood zone?

Answer: VLCT PACIF staff are reviewing the FEMA flood maps. If any portion of the building is in the flood zone, it is being considered a flood zone property for insurance purposes. If you have questions about how your buildings are classified, please reach out to your VLCT PACIF claims adjuster. Flood map information is also available directly through the FEMA flood Map Service Center. To access that information, visit https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home. Note that not every address has digital information available, so in some cases, actual PDFs of flood maps must be reviewed.
 

• Question : If we had a project scheduled prior to the flood, should we continue with that work?

Answer: Absent special circumstances such as the building being a total flood loss, yes. Any work that is unrelated to the flood should continue as scheduled, and it will not interrupt your FEMA funding or insurance payments.