What Is A DUNS Number?

The Data Universal Numbering System, also known as DUNS number is a nine-digit unique identifier for businesses across the world. The DUNS number was created by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), originally known as Mercantile Agency, in the year 1962 and is one of the oldest companies in the US. To obtain a DUNS of its own, a company must be identified as unique in the data cloud of Dun & Bradstreet. It is used to access a comprehensive view of any company existing in the data cloud.

Every DUNS is associated with a credit file of the business which includes information related to the firm (such as company name, address, phone number, etc.), corporate information (headquarters, branches, subsidiaries, etc.) and indicators to assess the financial health of the company. To gather information about any company, the interested party may request D&B for the company’s business report using its DUNS number.

In 2017, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially recognized DUNS as a unique identifier to ensure the accuracy of its importer’s inventory for the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) rule. The step was taken by the FDA to implement and analyze compliance, meet the requirements of FSVP and improve the food facility registration system at no cost.

The purpose of DUNS number is to help FDA implement Master Data Management (MDM) for establishing a single source of information for the identification of any facility. The collaboration has also helped the FDA to link all the information related to a facility with a unique identifier; to bring all information under one single umbrella for better decision-making and quality control measures. The use of DUNS eliminates the risk of errors and unauthorized system usage caused by self-reporting of information, making it more reliable. The integration with DUNS has led the FDA to attain data harmony and interoperability.

For example, if you are a device manufacturer and willing to submit the Unique Device Identifier (UDI) information to the FDA’s ESG, you must be having a D-U-N-S number for the quick identification.

To know more about the DUNS number and how it can help your business, reach out to an expert for valid insights.