WEDNESDAY, April 29, 2026 |
Photo – Federal grant website home page SAM.gov – Screenshot
Medicine Bow officials are considering paying a third party to regain access to the federal website used for government grants.
Back in January, Medicine Bow Clerk and Treasurer Karen Heath announced that the town no longer had access to its SAM.gov account. SAM.gov, which stands for System for Award Management, allows businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies, including municipalities, to register for federal contracts and grants.
Speaking at the January 12th Medicine Bow Town Council meeting, Treasurer Heath said the town’s credentials, needed to log into the SAM.gov website, expired in mid-2023. Heath said she was trying to reinstate access, but the website no longer appears to offer any support for doing so. Instead, she was directed to a third party that will restore the town’s ability to use SAM.gov for a fee.
Treasurer Karen Heath said the third‑party vendor would charge $625 to reinstate the town’s SAM.gov credentials. Without the ability to log in to the website, the town cannot receive federal grant funding. Once access is restored, Heath said the annual renewal process is straightforward.
Councilwoman Crystal Mayfield asked why the SAM.gov credentials were allowed to lapse in the first place. Treasurer Heath said the person serving as Town Clerk in 2023 may not have understood the importance of having access to the website.
Town Attorney Cameron Smith asked if Heath could simply create a new SAM.gov account in the town’s name. The treasurer replied that Medicine Bow is already listed in the system, both as a town and a city, making her unable to open a new account.
The Medicine Bow Town Council agreed that maintaining access to federal grants is important for future projects and instructed Treasurer Heath to continue attempting to restore the town’s SAM.gov access without using a third‑party registration company.
In the following months, Heath continued working to access the government website. During the April 13th meeting, the treasurer announced that after numerous attempts, she was unable to restore the town’s credentials. Heath recommended paying a registration assistance company and said she would not allow the credentials to lapse again.
Treasurer Heath said one third‑party vendor would charge $475 to reinstate the town’s credentials, adding that the company is listed on the SAM.gov website. Heath said no one from the federal government has responded to her requests for assistance.
Heath offered to continue trying to access the government website but said she has already spent a lot of time on the process with no results.
Councilwoman Crystal Mayfield said she was hesitant to use a for-profit entity to restore the town’s SAM.gov access. Treasurer Heath assured the councilwoman that the companies were endorsed by the federal government.
The SAM.gov website states that the service is “100% free” and warns users to watch for unofficial “registration help” services that charge unnecessary fees.
The Medicine Bow Town Council agreed that paying a third-party to restore the town’s access felt like a scam.
Treasurer Karen Heath said a second outside company is asking $650 to restore the town’s SAM.gov access, although she was unsure if it would provide any additional services compared to the $450 option. Heath added that she didn’t know how long it would take either company to complete the restoration process.
Mayor Justin George said the town needs access to the SAM.gov website and instructed Treasurer Heath to contact the two companies for more information about their scope of work.
The governing body chose not to act on the matter until Treasurer Heath receives the requested information.
