# What is EPLS? EPLS (the Excluded Parties List System) was the federal list of firms and people barred from federal awards; it was merged into SAM.gov in 2012, where it continues as SAM.gov exclusions. An EPLS search today is a search of SAM.gov exclusions. The same records are published as a daily public extract and through the SAM.gov Exclusions API v4, which returns active records only.Checked on 2026-11-12.Official source: [SAM.gov exclusions](https://sam.gov/search/?index=ex) | Term | EPLS | | --- | --- | | Source | SAM.gov exclusions | ## EPLS meaning EPLS (the Excluded Parties List System) was the federal list of firms and people barred from federal awards; it was merged into SAM.gov in 2012, where it continues as SAM.gov exclusions.An EPLS search today is a search of SAM.gov exclusions. The same records are published as a daily public extract and through the SAM.gov Exclusions API v4, which returns active records only. Contracting officers must check exclusions before award under FAR 9.405, and many prime contractors screen their subcontractors the same way. Records include firms, individuals, vessels and special entity designations, each with the excluding agency, the exclusion type and its dates. ## Questions Is EPLS still available?Not as a separate site. Its data lives on as SAM.gov exclusions.Why do compliance teams still say EPLS?The name stuck in contract clauses and screening procedures written before 2012, so policies often still require an 'EPLS check'. ## Related - [SAM exclusion check](https://samgovapi.io/sam-exclusion-check) - [Glossary](https://samgovapi.io/glossary)Updated 2026-11-12. Sources checked 2026-11-12.Independent. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by GSA, SAM.gov or any U.S. government agency. Registering in SAM.gov is free at sam.gov.

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