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Administrator Guide: Activating Users and Assigning Permissions

Purpose: This guide helps you, as a Symphony Administrator, manage other users in your company. It explains their roles, how to activate accounts, and how to fix common administration issues. 


Self-Registration Model: There is no "Add User" feature. You cannot manually invite or create accounts. Your staff must register themselves using your company's UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) and CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) code at the correct website to appear in your list.

Team Collaboration Does Not Require Shared Logins: You do not need a shared email account (like proposals@company.com) for your team to collaborate in Symphony. All active users registered under your company’s UEI automatically share access to your company’s central workspace, project library, and active solicitations. To give a new team member access, simply have them self-register with their own individual work email address, then set their status to Active on your Administration tab.



Table of Contents 

1. Access the Administration Area

2. Activate or Modify a User’s Status

3. Update a User's Group Membership (Role)


Before You Start

Managing users in Symphony works differently than most platforms. Please keep these three rules in mind:

  • Administrator Status: You must be an Active Administrator to see the Administration link. If you are in "Initial" status, you must verify your own account before you can activate others.
      
  • Strict Individual Account Policy: Symphony strictly prohibits shared, generic, or group email addresses (e.g., proposals@company.com, info@company.com). Each user account must be bound to a single named individual. Shared logins violate federal security controls and will result in account suspension.
      
  • One Login = One Company: Your Symphony login is tied to a single legal entity (UEI and CAGE code). You cannot access multiple companies or different UEIs with a single email address.
    • Need to manage a second company? You must register a separate account using a different email address.

  


Steps

1. Access the Administration Area

Once you are an Active Administrator, your team's names will automatically populate in your dashboard as they register for the same company in the same portal.

  1. Sign in to Symphony.
      
  2. Click the Administration link in the sidebar.

  

Administration link in the side navigation bar where administrators manage user accounts.

Administration link in the side navigation bar where administrators manage user accounts.


Don't see a colleague's name? If the list is empty or a specific person is missing, it is almost always due to one of the following:

  • They haven't registered yet.
      
  • They used a different UEI or CAGE code (common for companies with multiple branches).
      
  • They registered on a different Symphony portal (e.g., Polaris vs. OASIS+).

  

2. Activate or Modify a User’s Status

User status controls if an account is active, inactive, or locked.

  1. Click on the row with the User’s Name.
      
  2. Select the user’s status from the pop-up menu and click Save User Status.

  

Status

Definition (What it means for the user)

Active

The user has full access to use the system.
​

Initial

The user has registered but needs your approval. They will see an "inactive account" message.
​

Delete

The user loses access. Warning: This prevents the user from re-registering with the same email address again.
​

Suspended

The account is locked due to security policy violations (e.g., detection of shared/group email usage, multiple failed login attempts, or extended inactivity). Admins should not activate generic or shared email profiles. If an account was suspended for generic email usage, require the user to self-register with an individual email address instead.
​



User Administration screen showing the 'Active' status selected from the dropdown menu.

User Administration screen showing the status dropdown menu with 'Active' selected.

 

3. Update a User's Group Membership (Role)

Group Membership defines the user's permissions. The user's status must be Active for the new role to take effect.

  1. Modify user permissions within the Administration link by selecting from the Group Membership options.

  2. Click Save Group Membership


Role

Definition (What the user can do)

Administrator

Has full management access and can submit proposals.
​

Open Market Proposal Manager

Can submit proposals during open solicitations. Cannot access the Administration link.
​

Program Manager / Contract Manager

Can submit proposals for their awarded contract vehicle.
​

Staff

Staff accounts are view/edit only. They will not receive notification emails or have access to formal submission buttons.
​



Group Membership menu where administrators assign user roles such as Administrator or Staff.

Group Membership menu where administrators assign user roles such as Administrator or Staff.
  

About Notifications: Only users with communication privileges (i.e., Administrator or Open Market Proposal Manager) receive submission or clarification notifications. 

Contract notifications (RFPs, Orders, etc.) are managed via a Distribution Email in the My Company → Contracts tab for eligible contract holders. 

Staff users do not receive notifications.


Troubleshooting

Issue

Fix

A user cannot be seen in the Administration list.

Confirm that the user registered on the correct Symphony website and for the same company (matching UEI and CAGE code) as you. See Portal Links and Access Requirements for the list of URLs.
​

Roles are missing (e.g., Contract Manager/Program Manager).

Key roles like Contract Manager are assigned in the proposal submission or contract management sections, not the Administration link.

An account was deleted, and the user needs to register again.

If an email was deleted by mistake and needs to be re-used, an Administrator must submit a Help Desk Ticket to have the old email cleared.
​ 

The SAM record for a user was updated, but the role didn't change.

SAM updates do not automatically change roles. You must manually assign the user to the Administrator group. See SAM.gov Data in Symphony: Access Requirements and Refreshing Entity Data for sync information.
​
I need to register for and work in multiple companies.You must use separate email addresses. Each Symphony account is locked to one UEI and CAGE. To manage a different company, register a new account with a different email.
​
User account was automatically set to Suspended or locked.Cause: The account was flagged for using a shared/group email address (e.g., proposals@ or info@) or security policy violations. 

Fix: Shared accounts are prohibited under security compliance. Advise the user to register a new account using their unique, individual business email address. Once registered, set their new individual profile to Active.
​


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