In the Nov. 18, 2015 edition of the Federal Register, there’s a proposal to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to re-designate the terminology for unique identification of entities receiving Federal awards. The change to the FAR would remove the proprietary standard or number; in this case, the the proprietary Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS®) number from Dun and Bradstreet.

The rule proposes to provide references to a web site where information on the unique entity identifier used for Federal contractors will be located.  The process for exploring non-proprietary alternatives to DUNS® will be led by the Office of Management and Budget and the Treasury Department, assisted by GSA and the Award Committee for E-Government.

“Although the government is not currently in a position to move away from use of the DUNS® number in the short term,” the notice states, “elimination of regulatory references to a proprietary entity identifier will provide opportunities for future competition that can reduce costs to taxpayers. The current requirement limits competition by using a proprietary number and organization to meet the identification need as well as the need for other business information associated with that number.”

Comments on the proposal are due January 19, 2016.  The proposed rule can be found at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-11-18/pdf/2015-29414.pdf