Frauhansen,
The only stupid question, is the question not asked.
The Commercial and Government Entity Code, or CAGE Code, is a unique identifier assigned to suppliers to various government or defense agencies, as well as to government agencies themselves and various organizations. CAGE codes provide a standardized method of identifying a given facility at a specific location.
Exactly. A prime example of Government agencies that have a CAGE code is MEP. Mobile Electric Power. 30554. Or TACOM, Tank and Automotive Command, 19207, or CECOM, Communication and Electronic Command 97403.
Too many folks assume that when they see a CAGE code on a part, that they have I.D.ed the manufacturer of said part. Not so. Its the Supplier of that part. Compleatly different. That's why when you look up a part by NSN, it has several different part numbers and CAGE codes. But only one NSN. Sometime the Government buys parts from several suppliers.
Why is a Cage code important? Well, for people in the field, when ordering parts, sometimes its simply a matter of not being able to mix and match parts. For example, the MEP-806A generator set needs 4 parts in the voltage regulation system. The Government ordered voltage regulation systems from two different companies. If one part went bad from the company A's system, you could not order the repair part from company B's system to replace it. You had to order the whole system, from the same company, or know what cage code was on the bad part. And include that CAGE code on your requisition. Mixing the parts burnt up a good number of generators.
