Quick Answer
SAM.gov went through its biggest consolidation in years between mid-2025 and mid-2026. The entity registration screens were reorganized, eSRS.gov and FPDS.gov's public search were retired and folded into SAM.gov, and a modernized reps and certs process launched. CPARS is expected to follow later this fiscal year, though no date has been set. An active registration doesn't protect a business from being caught off guard by any of this. The practical move is to check SAM.gov more than once a year.
Key Takeaways
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SAM's 2025 registration refresh changed the layout and organization of the registration screens, not the data being collected.
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eSRS.gov (subcontract reporting) and FPDS.gov's public search (award data) are both gone. Both functions now live inside SAM.gov.
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A modernized reps and certs process launched March 24, 2026, with a separate module for Department of Defense-related contracts.
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CPARS is expected to migrate into SAM.gov later in fiscal year 2026, but GSA hasn't published a date yet.
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An active SAM registration doesn't mean the record, or the contractor's habits around it, are current.
Why SAM.gov Now Holds More Than Just Registration
A lot of businesses still treat SAM.gov the way they always have: update the record when renewal comes due, then leave it alone until next year. That routine used to be reasonable, because SAM mostly did one job. Between 2025 and 2026, that stopped being true. SAM absorbed two other systems entirely, changed how reps and certs work, and reorganized its own registration screens. A business that only opens SAM.gov once a year is now more likely to be surprised by something.
The 2025 Registration Refresh Changed the Screens, Not the Requirements
SAM rolled out its entity registration refresh in four scheduled waves in 2025: Business Information and Taxpayer Information on June 20, Business Types, Entity Relationships, and part of Business Operations on July 18, Financial Information, Goods & Services, and the rest of Business Operations on August 15, and Legal Proceedings and points of contact on September 12. SAM was explicit that the data being collected didn't change. What changed was organization, visual design, and page-level help.
That distinction matters in both directions. A contractor who sees an unfamiliar layout shouldn't assume new requirements appeared. A contractor who sees a cleaner screen shouldn't assume the review matters less. The legal business name, current address, and current points of contact still have to be accurate, and a mismatch there can still hold up a renewal regardless of how the page looks.
eSRS and FPDS Are Gone as Standalone Systems
Two retirements landed within days of each other in February 2026. eSRS.gov, the platform "other than small" prime contractors and applicable subcontractors used to file subcontracting reports, was decommissioned on February 20, 2026. Subcontracting reporting now runs through SAM.gov's Subcontracting Plan Reports module. Viewing individual or summary subcontract reports there requires the Entity Display Data Viewer role, and since SAM.gov only allows one role per domain, some users have to switch roles to get access.
Four days later, on February 24, 2026, FPDS.gov's public site and its ezSearch tool were retired. Contract award research now happens inside SAM.gov, and it now requires a SAM.gov account, even for searches that used to be open to the public. The remaining FPDS data feeds are being phased out too: the legacy ATOM feed is scheduled to retire on July 31, 2026, replaced by the SAM.gov Contract Awards API. Any team with automated reporting or dashboards built against the old feed needs a migration plan before that date.
Reps and Certs Now Work Differently
On March 24, 2026, SAM.gov released a modernized FAR and DFARS reps and certs experience. The update separated the Defense Response into its own module, so only entities bidding on or holding Department of Defense-issued or funded contracts need to complete it, while other entity-level questions were folded into existing registration sections and rewritten with plain-language titles instead of numbered provisions.
Modernized doesn't mean optional or unchanged. Reps and certs are the kind of task a team tends to complete from memory, since most people have done it before. That habit is riskier right after a structural change like this one. Walking through the updated flow once, ahead of a deadline, catches confusion before it turns into a rushed submission.
What's Still Coming
GSA has said it plans to bring the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) into SAM.gov later in fiscal year 2026, following the same phased approach used for eSRS and FPDS. As of now, no specific migration date has been published. Businesses that rely on CPARS for past performance evaluations or for researching potential teaming partners should expect a similar transition, but shouldn't plan around a date that hasn't been announced.
FAQ
Did SAM.gov change what I have to submit, or just the screens?
For the 2025 registration refresh, only the screens changed. SAM confirmed the underlying data requirements stayed the same.
What happened to eSRS and FPDS?
eSRS.gov was decommissioned February 20, 2026, and FPDS.gov's public search was retired February 24, 2026. Subcontracting reports and contract award searches both now run through SAM.gov.
Do I still need to complete reps and certs?
Yes. The March 24, 2026 update changed the structure and navigation, not the underlying requirement to complete them.
Does my active SAM registration protect me from any of this?
Not directly. An active registration and a current, well-maintained one aren't the same thing. Outdated contacts or old system habits can still cause avoidable delay.
What's the biggest takeaway?
SAM.gov now covers more of the federal process than a once-a-year renewal habit accounts for, which makes checking in more than once a year worth the time.
Next Steps
Review your current SAM.gov entity registration section by section, not just the fields that changed most recently, and confirm points of contact and business details still match your current records. If your team relies on subcontracting or award-search workflows, confirm your SAM.gov account has the correct roles before your next reporting deadline. USFCR's SAM Registration Assistance can help review a registration for the kind of mismatched or outdated details that are easy to miss when a renewal gets treated as a quick annual task.
