Glossary
CAGE code
A Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code is a five-character alphanumeric identifier assigned to a specific business location by the Defense Logistics Agency's CAGE program. It is tied to a physical address, so a company with several facilities can hold several CAGE codes.
For entities outside the United States, the equivalent is an NCAGE code, issued through the NATO codification system, and it is typically required before a foreign entity can register in the U.S. federal award system.
The short version
- A CAGE code identifies a location, not a company. Multiple locations mean multiple codes.
- It is assigned by the Defense Logistics Agency and is issued automatically as part of SAM.gov registration.
- It costs nothing. Any service charging you to obtain one is charging for a free government process.
- It is a federal identifier. Most state and local agencies do not use it, but federally funded local projects sometimes ask for it.
Why it matters to a bidder
The CAGE code is a small administrative item that occasionally becomes a gating one:
- You get it through SAM registration. Register at SAM.gov and the code is assigned as part of the process. Do not pay a third party.
- Keep the address current. Because the code is location-specific, moving your office without updating the record creates mismatches between your registration, your bids and your invoices.
- Local solicitations funded by federal grants may request it. If a bid form has a CAGE field and you have no code, that is a signal to check the entire federal-provisions section of the solicitation, not just to leave the field blank.
- Do not confuse it with your UEI. The UEI identifies the entity; the CAGE code identifies the facility.
A real example
A regional supplier with warehouses in two states registers in SAM using its headquarters address and receives one CAGE code. A federally assisted transit authority solicitation requires shipment from, and invoicing by, the registered location. The supplier intends to ship from its second warehouse, which has no code and is not in its registration. It resolves this by adding the second location as a separate registration with its own CAGE code before submitting, which takes several weeks. Starting that process after award would have delayed the first delivery.
How state and local differs from federal
CAGE codes are federal infrastructure with no state or local equivalent. States run their own vendor registration systems: a state vendor number, a taxpayer identification on file, a commodity-code profile, and often a separate certification registry for small and diverse businesses. Those are the identifiers that matter for state and local bidding, and they are unrelated to your CAGE code.
The overlap appears when federal money funds a local project. Grant-funded solicitations frequently import federal provisions wholesale, including requests for a UEI, a CAGE code and federal certifications, even though the contract is with a city or a district. When you see those fields, treat them as a flag that federal requirements such as Davis-Bacon, domestic content rules and Uniform Guidance procurement standards may also apply.
Common questions
Is a CAGE code the same as a UEI?
No. A UEI identifies the legal entity in the federal award system; a CAGE code identifies a physical facility.
How much does a CAGE code cost?
Nothing. It is assigned free through SAM.gov registration or, for standalone requests, through the Defense Logistics Agency.
Do I need one to bid on city or county work?
Usually not, unless the project is federally funded and the solicitation asks for it.
What is an NCAGE code?
The equivalent identifier for entities located outside the United States, issued through the NATO codification system.