Federal vendor risk screening
Updated
Exclusion status, address-cluster signals, name-variant matches and coordinated-enforcement membership on a single vendor UEI, read from the federal public record.
Who uses this
Vetting a subcontractor
Before signing a teaming agreement or issuing a purchase order, check whether the vendor is on the federal exclusion list and whether anything in the public record suggests caution.
Checking a teaming partner
Joining a proposal as a sub or prime? Verify your partner isn't debarred and isn't tied to entities the SDO has acted against. Bid-eligibility risk surfaces fast.
Tracing a federal vendor
Journalists, FCA attorneys and analysts use the same signals to map procurement networks: address clusters, name variants, and same-day enforcement waves the SDO acted on.
What the screen checks
Seven signals derived from SAM.gov public data. Every signal is observable in the federal record; we compose them into one query.
| Signal | What it checks |
|---|---|
| Exclusion status | Is the UEI on the federal exclusion list right now |
| Address cluster | Other excluded entities at the same registered address |
| Name-variant cluster | Excluded entities whose name normalizes to the same key (LLC vs Inc., & vs and) |
| Individual exclusions at address | Named individuals on the exclusion list at the same address |
| Coordinated-wave membership | Same-day, same-agency enforcement actions against multiple entities |
| Last-award-to-debarment timing | How many days between the vendor's last federal award and their exclusion |
| Dual CAGE codes | Multiple CAGE codes on one UEI (legitimate multi-facility vendor, or a registration irregularity) |
The screen runs as an API call, one UEI at a time or up to 100 UEIs per request, with each signal defined field by field in the vendor risk methodology and the request and response shape in the API guide.
Methodology in one paragraph
Built on three public federal sources: the SAM.gov exclusions database (every debarred and suspended entity), SAM.gov entity registrations (the contractor record), and SAM.gov award notices (award history). We normalize names (stripping LLC / Co. / Inc. / Company / Corp / Ltd, and & vs and), compare addresses with whitespace and case normalized, and group exclusion records by same-day same-agency action to surface coordinated enforcement waves. The triage verdict (high, elevated, needs review, clean, unknown) is computed mechanically from those signals; the rules are visible in triage.reasons on every result, and you can override the verdict by reading the underlying signals yourself.
What this is not: a global sanctions list (OFAC, UN, EU), beneficial-ownership data, adverse media, or a prediction of future risk. We cover the US federal exclusion layer specifically. For broader compliance scope, use a dedicated tool such as Refinitiv or LexisNexis.
The screen itself is on Pro, so a trial or Developer key returns a 402 on it. What those plans do cover is the record underneath: exclusions search and the entity registry are on every plan, which is enough to check whether a firm is excluded before deciding you need the rest. What each plan includes is on Pricing.
Signals derive from the public federal record. They describe relationships and timing only, and do not establish wrongdoing. Exclusion is an administrative action, not a criminal conviction. Review the underlying signals before acting.