Is it Time to Ditch D-U-N-S®?

The Data Universal Numbering System (D-U-N-S®), created by Dun & Bradstreet, has been in use for over 60 years. Simply put, it is a means of identifying business entities based on location specificity. Obtaining a D-U-N-S is also a requirement of the Small Business Administration (SBA) before a company may bid on a Federal contract.

According to a recent article on Federal News Radio, “the Office of Management and Budget [OMB] seems to be exploring possible alternatives to the proprietary standard that agencies have used for decades to identify companies and organizations that win federal grants and contract awards.” As always, a big concern for changing standards is the potential for increased costs. Not only will an Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) study take time, but it could be potentially very costly as well. However, to offset costs, one possible solution is to use a Legal Entity Identifier (LEI), which is free for organizations and companies to use.

Change management is an additional factor to the potential changeover. As with any organization reshaping the use of resources, OMB must consider the impact to Federal contracting during any potential “transition phase.” This is where companies like St. Michael’s prove their value to our government clients. As back office experts, we specialize in, and have authored material on, organizational change management.