<p style="text-align: left;">Before you can legally sell business to the Government, you need to register with a few organizations. To kick this process off, you need to obtain a Data Universal Number System (DUNS). It’s essentially a unique id number to identify your company.</p>
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You can read about it further here: <a title="http://www.dnb.com" href="http://www.dnb.com" target="_blank">http://www.dnb.com/</a>
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<h4>Prerequisites</h4>
<code>[list style="list3" color="red"]</code>
<ul>
	<li>Legal Company Name</li>
	<li>Company Address</li>
	<li>Company Ownership and Management Structure</li>
	<li>Company Email Address</li>
	<li>(optional) Company SIC/NAICS codes</li>
</ul>
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This process takes time. In our experience, approval could be a few days to two weeks. D&amp;B claims within 30 days, but realistically, unless you have Company name trademark issues, turnaround will be sooner. We haven’t paid to expedite this, but if you’re in a crunch, that option is available. $49 ensures a 5 day turnaround. The application will take about an hour to complete if you have all the Prerequisite information on hand.
<h4>Let's get started!</h4>
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<a title="https://iupdate.dnb.com/iUpdate/companylookup.htm" href="https://iupdate.dnb.com/iUpdate/companylookup.htm" target="_blank">https://iupdate.dnb.com/iUpdate/companylookup.htm</a>
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<h4>Step 1:</h4>
Search for a business name. This is to verify your business entity. Since you are starting a new business, with a fresh name, this search should be fruitless.

<center>[image icon="zoom" lightbox="true" title="D&amp;B Registration Step 1"]http://governmentstartup.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/DB.Step_.1.png[/image]</center>
<h4>Step 2:</h4>
At the very bottom, click on the “Get a D-U-N-S number” link.

<center>[image icon="zoom" lightbox="true" title="D&amp;B Registration Step 2"]http://governmentstartup.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/DB.Step_.2.png[/image]</center>
<h4>Step 3:</h4>
Fill out this form with your <strong>personal</strong> information. This is <em>not</em> the form for your company yet.

<center>[image icon="zoom" lightbox="true" title="D&amp;B Registration Step 3"]http://governmentstartup.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/DB.Step_.3.png[/image]</center>
<h4>Step 4:</h4>
Fill out this form with your company information. Be sure to use your Legal Company Name and Company address. When you reach the "Ownership" form, make sure you select the option that reflects your entity type. The required form information will change based on your selection.

<center>[image icon="zoom" lightbox="true" title="D&amp;B Registration Step 4"]http://governmentstartup.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/DB.Step_.4.png[/image]
[image icon="zoom" lightbox="true" title="D&amp;B Registration Step 4b"]http://governmentstartup.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/DB.Step_.4b.png[/image]</center>
<h4>Step 5:</h4>
There is minimal required information here, but you need to at least fill out the Managing Partner's information. Additional information can be filled out at your discretion, but shoot for completeness. Don't forget, this D&amp;B registration is something you want to update every year.

<center>[image icon="zoom" lightbox="true" title="D&amp;B Registration Step 5"]http://governmentstartup.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/DB.Step_.5.png[/image]</center>
<h4>Step 6:</h4>
The most important part of this last form is filling out your SIC/NAICS. If you click the "Add New SIC" button, you can search for SIC or NAICS based on number or key words. You can also research SIC/NAICS here:

<center>[image icon="zoom" lightbox="true" title="D&amp;B Registration Step 6"]http://governmentstartup.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/DB.Step_.6.png[/image]</center>
<h4>Step 7-end:</h4>
Make sure you review the information before submitting. While you can edit the information after D&amp;B approval, each change takes about 2 days to update. Again, if you require promptness, you have the option to expedite the application for $49. This will guarantee a 5 day turn around time. You will receive an email with D&amp;B updates and your final DUNS number. You will also receive this in your physical mail.
<h4>Retain this number since it will be one of the most important identification numbers for your company!</h4>