The System for Award Management (SAM.gov) has replaced CCR along with several
other government database systems. The intent was to combine most of the
databases onto one platform so users would visit only one site to take care
of their registrations. If you go to www.sam.gov you will be able to read
more about how to register. It also gives you instructions on what to do if
you already have a CCR account. There is an independent website that charges
fees for certifications. SAM.gov is the official site and is free.

Tilt Tech, You may already have the answer to your question but, if not, here it is: FAR Subpart 4.11 reads as follows:   Subpart 4.11 — Central Contractor Registration 4.1100 -- Scope. This subpart prescribes policies and procedures for requiring contractor registration in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database, a part of the Business Partner Network (BPN) to— (a) Increase visibility of vendor sources (including their geographical locations) for specific supplies and services; and (b) Establish a common source of vendor data for the Government. 4.1101 -- Definition. As used in this subpart— “Agreement” means basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchase agreement. 4.1102 -- Policy. (a) Prospective contractors shall be registered in the CCR database prior to award of a contract or agreement, except for-- (1) Purchases that use a Governmentwide commercial purchase card as both the purchasing and payment mechanism, as opposed to using the purchase card only as a payment method; (2) Classified contracts (see 2.101) when registration in the CCR database, or use of CCR data, could compromise the safeguarding of classified information or national security; (3) Contracts awarded by— (i) Deployed contracting officers in the course of military operations, including, but not limited to, contingency operations as defined in 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13) or humanitarian or peacekeeping operations as defined in 10 U.S.C. 2302(7); or (ii) Contracting officers in the conduct of emergency operations, such as responses to natural or environmental disasters or national or civil emergencies, e.g., Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121); (4) Contracts to support unusual or compelling needs (see 6.302-2); (5) Awards made to foreign vendors for work performed outside the United States, if it is impractical to obtain CCR registration; and (6) Micro-purchases that do not use the electronic funds transfer (EFT) method for payment and are not required to be reported (see Subpart 4.6). UNLESS YOU FALL UNDER ONE OF THE SIX EXCEPTIONS, YOU MUST BE REGISTERED TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR AWARD.    

If you plan to contract with the government you must be registered in CCR. On a lot of the internal government paperwork the name and address of the company is not listed. The compay is only identified by the CAGE code. Past performance, which is a factor in the contract award process, is listed in PAIRS by cage code for the government contracting officers and program managers to access and review. If you only plan to sell to the government products purchased with the Government Purchase Card (GPC/IMPAC) which is a government credit card with a single purchase limit of about $2500, depending on the holders level of purchase authority. Then you don't really need a cage code. Registering with CCR is a little bit of a hassel, but it is free and allows you to bid on bigger contracts.

If you plan to contract with the federal government, then you need to register with CCR. Unless your product or service is unique, most federal contracts are competitive and you need to follow their requirements for submitting a proposal. If you plan to contract with your state government, they will have their own requirements and registration procedure.