Commercial and Government Entity Codes

The Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code is a five-character alpha-numeric identifier that is used within the U.S. federal government. This is assigned by the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).

Sometimes this will be referred to as a “SAM code,” but the official language used by contractors and contracting officers is CAGE code.

If you have an international entity, one that is outside of the US and its territories, you will need to have a North Atlantic Treaty Organization Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) code created. This will be processed through the international country’s National Codification Bureau (NCB).

You can request an NCAGE code by using the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA)'s Code Request Tool to verify or request this as an international entity.

For U.S. entities, you will not need to create a CAGE code before registering a SAM. The SAM registration process will provide you with this code.

CAGE Search and Inquiry (BINCS) and NSPA

You can view most CAGE and NCAGE codes as they are processed within the system on the DLA’s CAGE Search and Inquiry (CSI) website. When an NCAGE code is created, since the NCBs connect, their information is pulled into this catalog and can be searched as well. A UEI will only be attached to a CAGE code when a SAM has been activated within the system.

This database houses the DLA’s active and inactive codes. The DLA will mark whether a CAGE code is up to date and when it will expire. A CAGE code will expire five years after its creation date if it is not regularly updated through the SAM or this website.

For some companies, a CAGE code will be created for a high-level owner that does not do business with the SAM system. This is used to show the ownership of offeror information that is displayed within the SAM and on the CSI website.

CAGE Code Uses

One of the ways many entities will use a CAGE code is for receiving payments when invoiced. This is the main reason most bidders register within the SAM system since they can be paid by the U.S. federal government for providing goods and services since each CAGE code is attached to a bank account within the SAM system.

Other uses for the CAGE code are for facility clearances, verifying whether an entity is debarred, or other facility identification purposes.