Federal Funds Purchases

Uniform Guidance Memo

(For Purchases ≥$25,000 using Federal Funds)

Effective July 1, 2011, the University cannot issue a formal sub-award valued at $25,000 or more or a vendor purchase valued at $30,000 or more, to an entity that does not have a DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) number and is not registered in SAM (System for Award Management) when federal funding is being used. This does not apply to local or appropriated funds.

The University is required to report such expenditures under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA).

Departments are required to include the DUNS number and SAM information on the Purchase Requisition and Sole Source Justification forms when making a subaward or vendor purchase with federal funding. The Purchase Requisition and Sole Source Justification forms have been revised to include this information and must be completed by the department prior to submitting to Procurement & Payment Services for processing.

The revised forms are located on the Procurement and Payment Services web site.

DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) Search Instructions

• Obtain the vendor's DUNS number directly from the vendor or locate the DUNs number in SAM.
• Insert the number on the appropriate form.

System for Award Management (SAM) Search Instructions

SAM (EPLS - Debarred Vendors)

August 1, 2012 the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) migrated to the System for Award Management (SAM). UND must now search for excluded (debarred) parties in SAM. UND is not permitted to purchase goods/services from parties that are excluded (debarred).

What is SAM?

The System for Award Management (SAM) is a free website (www.SAM.gov) that consolidates the capabilities formerly found in:

• Central Contractor Registry (CCR)
• Federal Agency Registration (Fedreg)
• Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA)
• Excluded Parties List System (EPLS)

What are Exclusions?

Exclusion records identify those parties excluded from receiving federal contacts, certain subcontracts, and from certain types of federal financial and non-financial assistance and benefits. These are also commonly known as "suspensions" and "debarments".

What if a vendor doesn't appear in SAM?

If no exclusion record is found for the entity, the entity does not have an active exclusion submitted in SAM by a federal agency. Do a quick search for entity registration records or entity exclusion records in SAM.