How to check if a vendor is debarred or excluded

How to search debarred vendors: three checks

1. Identify the vendor. Use the UEI, CAGE code or company name to find its registration record, then match the legal name and address. A similar name is not enough to establish that two records refer to the same vendor.

2. Search exclusions separately. Run the confirmed identifier in the official SAM.gov exclusions search. Entity registration and exclusions are separate checks; an active registration is not a substitute for reviewing exclusions.

3. Read a potential match. Confirm the identity, exclusion type, excluding agency and active or termination dates in the official record before you contract or pay. Do not act on a name match alone.

Exclusions are public in SAM.gov

SAM.gov publishes an exclusions dataset listing entities and individuals excluded from federal procurement and non-procurement programs. Each record carries the classification, exclusion type, the excluding agency, and the active/termination dates.

You can match exclusions to an entity by its UEI or CAGE code. Confirm a potential exclusion against the official record at sam.gov before acting, since names and identifiers can collide.

Does an active SAM registration mean a vendor is not debarred?

Do not use registration status alone to answer that question. Review the entity record and the official exclusions search separately, matching both to the vendor you intend to use.

CageCheck's registration record is a dated snapshot. Its source date tells you when that registration data was recorded; it is not proof that exclusions were searched today.

What does exclusions coverage unavailable mean?

It means the exclusion check could not be completed from a verified source. It does not mean the vendor is clear. CageCheck only flags a match or no-match when a verified exclusions source was actually checked; otherwise it labels coverage unavailable.

Use the official SAM.gov exclusions search to complete the check. Keep an unchecked result separate from a completed search with no matching exclusion, and confirm any potential match against the official record.