What are debarment and suspension?

Debarment and suspension are government actions used to protect federal interests by excluding contractors from specified transactions. They are not punishments imposed to compensate the government, and they are not interchangeable stages that every case must follow.

A debarment follows the applicable notice and decision process and lasts for a period commensurate with the seriousness of the cause. Under FAR 9.406-4, debarment generally should not exceed three years, although the rule lists exceptions and permits extensions or reductions under stated conditions.

How suspension differs from debarment

Suspension is a temporary action pending completion of an investigation and any ensuing legal proceedings. Under FAR 9.407-4, it must end after 12 months if legal proceedings have not begun unless a responsible prosecuting official requests an extension. That extension may add up to six months. A suspension may continue beyond 18 months only when legal proceedings began within that period.

Debarment is a decided exclusion for a stated period. A prior suspension period is considered when determining the debarment period. The record type and dates therefore matter when describing what action the government reported.

Proposed debarment and other exclusions

A proposed debarment is distinct from a final debarment, but federal procurement rules can still restrict awards and subcontracts while the proposal is active. SAM.gov also publishes voluntary exclusions and statutory restrictions that are neither suspension nor debarment.

For this reason, a complete check searches active exclusion records rather than searching only for the word debarred.

Government-wide effect

FAR 9.405 generally prevents agencies from soliciting offers from, awarding contracts to, renewing contracts with, or consenting to certain subcontracts with listed contractors unless an authorized official identifies a compelling reason. The specific effect depends on the action, governing program, and transaction.

The SAM.gov record identifies the excluding agency and program, but the exclusion is used government-wide within its stated scope. A registration record and an exclusion record are separate, so registration data should never substitute for an exclusions check.

How to document a check

Search the exact UEI or CAGE code when available. An exact UEI match identifies the listed UEI. Review CAGE and normalized-name candidates against the recorded field agreements and contradictions. Preserve the query, source date, matching versions, result, candidate truncation state, and source snapshot. A later search cannot reconstruct exactly what an earlier extract reported.

State the dated observation rather than a present-tense verdict: checked against the cited SAM.gov Exclusions extract, with no active record matched, with a potential match requiring review, or with the searched UEI matched.

Primary sources

Run an exclusion check