Commercial and Government Entity
Encyclopedia
The Commercial And Government Entity Code, or CAGE Code, is a unique identifier
assigned to suppliers to various government or defense
agencies, as well as to government agencies themselves and also various organizations. CAGE codes provide a standardized method of identifying a given facility at a specific location.
CAGE Codes are used internationally as part of the NATO Codification System
(NCS), where they are sometimes called NCAGE Codes.
CAGE codes are referenced in various databases of the NCS, where they are used along with the supplier's part number to form a reference which is held on the National Stock Number (NSN) record. This reference enables users of the NCS to determine who supplies any given part.
The information associated with the entities - name, address, phone numbers, etc. - is catalogued in the H4 and H8 Handbooks. The National Codification Bureau (NCB) of each NATO or NATO-sponsored Nation is responsible for the maintenance of the CAGE code information for entities in these respective countries. There are on the order of 1.5 Million entities in this catalog.
Within the US
, any organization wishing to be a supplier to the DoD
is issued a CAGE Code by Defense Logistics Information Service
(DLIS), the organization serving as the US NCB. An entity issued a CAGE code must reapply annually to renew it.
CAGE is sometimes expanded as "Commercial Activity/Government Entity", "Contractor And Government Entity", or other, similar variations. According to the DLIS website, "Commercial And Government Entity" is proper. CAGE was previously known as Federal Supply Code for Manufacturers, or FSCM, which was also the National Supply Code for Manufacturer, or NSCM. On older engineering drawings (pre-1980s) it was labeled simply as "Code Ident No" (Code Identification Number).
In the NCS metadata, the CAGE code's Data Record Number (DRN) is 9250 (or 4140 for NSCM); information listed under this DRN identifies very specifically the semantics of CAGE, its syntax and the procedures associated with it.
Australia
France
United Kingdom
United States
Spain
See the Code Chart provided by the NATO AC/135 committee (the group of National Directors on Codification) for the syntax of CAGE codes in various countries.
Unique identifier
With reference to a given set of objects, a unique identifier is any identifier which is guaranteed to be unique among all identifiers used for those objects and for a specific purpose...
assigned to suppliers to various government or defense
Defense (military)
Defense has several uses in the sphere of military application.Personal defense implies measures taken by individual soldiers in protecting themselves whether by use of protective materials such as armor, or field construction of trenches or a bunker, or by using weapons that prevent the enemy...
agencies, as well as to government agencies themselves and also various organizations. CAGE codes provide a standardized method of identifying a given facility at a specific location.
CAGE Codes are used internationally as part of the NATO Codification System
NATO Codification System
The NATO Codification System is a standard approach to identify, classify and number items of supply. This is applicable to items that are repetitively used and stocked...
(NCS), where they are sometimes called NCAGE Codes.
CAGE codes are referenced in various databases of the NCS, where they are used along with the supplier's part number to form a reference which is held on the National Stock Number (NSN) record. This reference enables users of the NCS to determine who supplies any given part.
The information associated with the entities - name, address, phone numbers, etc. - is catalogued in the H4 and H8 Handbooks. The National Codification Bureau (NCB) of each NATO or NATO-sponsored Nation is responsible for the maintenance of the CAGE code information for entities in these respective countries. There are on the order of 1.5 Million entities in this catalog.
Within the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, any organization wishing to be a supplier to the DoD
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
is issued a CAGE Code by Defense Logistics Information Service
Defense Logistics Information Service
The DLA Logistics Information Service, or formerly the Defense Logistics Information Service provides logistics and information technology services to the United States Department of Defense, Federal agencies, and international partners.-External links:*...
(DLIS), the organization serving as the US NCB. An entity issued a CAGE code must reapply annually to renew it.
CAGE is sometimes expanded as "Commercial Activity/Government Entity", "Contractor And Government Entity", or other, similar variations. According to the DLIS website, "Commercial And Government Entity" is proper. CAGE was previously known as Federal Supply Code for Manufacturers, or FSCM, which was also the National Supply Code for Manufacturer, or NSCM. On older engineering drawings (pre-1980s) it was labeled simply as "Code Ident No" (Code Identification Number).
In the NCS metadata, the CAGE code's Data Record Number (DRN) is 9250 (or 4140 for NSCM); information listed under this DRN identifies very specifically the semantics of CAGE, its syntax and the procedures associated with it.
Syntax
CAGE codes are all five characters in length. There is no meaning encoded in the code itself, other than the underlying NCB; it is simply a unique identifier.Australia
- The first character is the letter Z and the last character must be a numeral. Example: Z13R9
France
- The first character is the letter F or M and the last character must be a numeral. Example: F1234
United Kingdom
- The first character is either the letter U or K and the last character must be a numeral. Example: K1F21
United States
- The first and last characters must be numerals; the remaining characters can be numerals or any letter except for I or O. Example: 81349
Spain
- The last character is the letter B and the first character must be a numeral. Example: 001ZB
See the Code Chart provided by the NATO AC/135 committee (the group of National Directors on Codification) for the syntax of CAGE codes in various countries.
See also
- DoDAACDoDAACThe Department of Defense Activity Address Code is a six position code that uniquely identifies a unit, activity, or organization that has the authority to requisition and/or receive material...
- Issued by the US DoD. - Data Universal Numbering SystemData Universal Numbering SystemThe Data Universal Numbering System, abbreviated as DUNS or D-U-N-S, is a system developed and regulated by Dun & Bradstreet , that assigns a unique numeric identifier, referred to as a "DUNS number" to a single business entity. It was introduced in 1963 to support D&B's credit reporting practice....
(DUNS) - Issued by Dun & BradstreetDun & BradstreetDun & Bradstreet is a Fortune 500 public company headquartered in Short Hills, New Jersey, USA that provides information on businesses and corporations for use in credit decisions, B2B marketing and supply chain management...
. Required for certain US government contractors and Federal grant recipients. - Employer Identification NumberEmployer identification numberApplicable to the United States, an Employer Identification Number or EIN is the corporate equivalent to a Social Security Number, although it is issued to anyone, including individuals, who has to pay withholding taxes on employees.-Other names:Also known as the Tax Identification Number ,...
(EIN) - Issued by US IRS. Identifies organizations and employers. - Military logisticsMilitary logisticsMilitary logistics is the discipline of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of military forces. In its most comprehensive sense, it is those aspects or military operations that deal with:...
- Trading Partner Identification NumberTrading Partner Identification NumberThe Trading Partner Identification Number is a confidential number assigned to organizations which are or intend to be contractors to the Federal Government of the United States. It is issued by the Central Contractor Registration of the Department of Defense...
(TPIN)