48 CFR 18.102: 18.102 System for Award Management.

(a) In accordance with 4.1102, contractors are not required to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at the time of submission of offers or quotations for—

(1) Contracts awarded without providing for full and open competition due to unusual and compelling urgency (see 6.302-2); or

(2) Contracts awarded by a contracting officer—

(i) Deployed in the course of military operations;

(ii) Located outside the United States and its outlying areas, for work to be performed in support of diplomatic or developmental operations, in an area that has been designated by the Department of State as a danger pay post; or

(iii) In the conduct of emergency operations.

(b) However, contractors are required to be registered in SAM in order to gain access to the Disaster Response Registry.

(c) Contracting officers shall consult the Disaster Response Registry via https://www.sam.gov, Search Records, Advanced Search, Disaster Response Registry Search to determine the availability of contractors for debris removal, distribution of supplies, reconstruction, and other disaster or emergency relief activities inside the United States and outlying areas. (See 26.205).