The Central Contractor Registration (CCR) system is a central repository of all contractors wanting to do business with the Department of Defense (DoD). CCR is part of the government's ongoing re-engineering of the procurement process to enhance service to customers and to lower costs. To receive contract awards from the DoD for solicitations issued after May 31, 1998, all companies and agencies must be registered in the CCR.

Prospective contractors must be registered in the CCR database prior to award of a contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchase agreement, except for:

• if the purchase is made with a government credit card;
• you are a foreign vendor working outside the U.S.;
• if the contract or purchase is classified;
• it's awarded in the course of military operations by a deployed contracting officer;
• it's of a compelling or urgent nature

If you haven't registered for CCR, check out the web site at http://www.ccr.gov. From the web site, you can register electronically or verify your registration. You only have to register once, but you must confirm that the information is accurate on an annual basis. If you do not want to register electronically, you can complete the paper registration form and mail or fax the application to the CCR Assistance Center, phone 1-888-352-9333, Option 3.