Compare
Watch vs a spreadsheet and SAM.gov by hand
Most small and mid-size contractors keep their subs in a spreadsheet and search SAM.gov when an award comes up. It's free and it uses the official source. Here is what that does well, where it leaves gaps, and what Watch changes. Checked October 24, 2026.
Where the by-hand way is stronger
- It's the source
- SAM.gov is the official record. Its pages show a registration as it stands now[4], while Watch reads registrations from SAM.gov's public monthly extract[2], so a change made mid-month shows on SAM.gov first. Watch labels every registration fact with its extract date and you can always confirm at SAM.gov.
- It costs nothing
- Searching SAM.gov's exclusions[1] and the Consolidated Screening List[3] is free. The cost of the by-hand way is the time it takes and the gaps between searches.
- People, not just companies
- SAM.gov's exclusions cover individuals as well as businesses[1]. Watch loads business entities only, so check a named person at SAM.gov directly.
- A few subs, checked at award
- With a handful of subcontractors and a check before each award, a spreadsheet and a careful search is a reasonable process. Keep the screenshot with the date on it.
Side by side
| Spreadsheet and SAM.gov by hand | Programmable Watch | |
|---|---|---|
| How often each sub is checked | When someone remembers to: usually at onboarding and before an award. | Daily by default, every 6 hours for suppliers you mark critical and weekly for low, plus a re-check within about 15 minutes of a new exclusion or screening-list change. |
| A new exclusion between checks | SAM.gov publishes exclusions every day[2]; you see a new one at your next search. | Loaded each day it's published. The suppliers it could touch are re-checked and a finding goes to email, Slack or Teams, or your webhook. |
| Registration expiry | SAM.gov emails the registration's own contacts before it expires[5]: your sub hears, you don't. The date in your spreadsheet is as current as the last time someone typed it. | The expiry date from SAM.gov's extract, a warning before it lapses and a finding when it does. |
| Picking the right registration | A name search can return several similar companies, and the spreadsheet rarely records which UEI was checked. | Ranked candidates with a confidence score and the reasons. A person confirms, or an exact UEI or CAGE on your list confirms by itself; a name alone never does. |
| Screening lists (OFAC, BIS, State) | A separate search on trade.gov's Consolidated Screening List[3]. | Loaded daily and screened on every check. A resemblance by name is always shown as "possible, confirm" for a person to decide. |
| Responsibility records and owners | Open each supplier's record on SAM.gov to read its responsibility records and owners[4]. | FAPIIS records and reported proceedings become findings, and an excluded immediate or highest-level owner raises a warning. Shown as unknown until SAM.gov has answered, never as "none". |
| CMMC, SPRS, insurance, W-9 | Email attachments in a folder and expiry dates in columns. | Asked for through a one-time link or the supplier portal, stored with issue and expiry dates, with reminders before they expire. |
| Proof that you checked | A screenshot or printout, if someone saved it, and the spreadsheet's edit history. | Each check kept with its source, data date and SHA-256; a pre-award screen frozen the day before an award date you name; a PDF evidence package per supplier; a hash-chained audit log of who confirmed and decided what. |
| Cost | Free to search. The cost is staff time. | Priced per supplier. The first 5 suppliers are included. No card to start. See pricing. |
By hand is enough when
- you have a handful of subs and check each before award
- someone owns the check and saves a dated screenshot every time
- no contract asks you to collect CMMC, SPRS or insurance documents
Watch earns its keep when
- you have dozens or hundreds of suppliers, or more than one person touches the list
- you need to hear about an exclusion or a lapse between awards
- an auditor or contracting officer asks when you checked, against which record
Sources
Checked October 24, 2026. SAM.gov changes its screens from time to time; if something here no longer matches, the source wins.
- SAM.gov: search exclusions
- SAM.gov data services (public entity and exclusions extracts)
- trade.gov: Consolidated Screening List
- SAM.gov: entity information (registrations, exclusions and responsibility records)
- Nebraska Department of Transportation, July 2026: SAM.gov email reminders and scams (expiry notices at 60, 30 and 15 days and on the day)
Questions
Is Watch's data different from SAM.gov's?
No, it's the same public records: SAM.gov's public entity and exclusions extracts, the trade.gov Consolidated Screening List and state registries. Watch checks them on a schedule and keeps a dated copy of what each said. Registration facts come from SAM.gov's monthly extract, so a mid-month change shows on SAM.gov first.
Can I keep my spreadsheet?
Yes. Upload it as it is: Watch keeps every column and reads the name, UEI, CAGE, state and vendor ID columns by their headers. Export the results back to CSV whenever you like.
Does Watch check individuals?
No. Watch loads business entities only. Check a named person at SAM.gov directly.