Although I have managed over 100 Federal Contracts, I am going through the process from scratch with my consulting business, so I can do contract work for the VA.
After almost two weeks, I now have my consulting business fully active in SAM.Gov with UEI and CAGE codes. Issues I had:
My address with the Secretary of the State (SoS) was not my physical address. It was not a "P.O Box" but was a suite at a Staples and that was a no-go. I had to switch my address to a physical address. I was hoping to avoid that.
Getting my CAGE code. With the change of address, SAM.Gov was easy to prove with a tax document but the people that issue CAGE codes would not accept that document. I had to provide others. End of the day, my self-attestation for being a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). Now I just need to go through the SBA to make it 100% official.
All of the info on how to register in SAM.Gov and how to get started in Government Contracting is in the "Government Contracting" class here on the platform.