Understand Your Account Roles and 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.
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
Make sure you know the following essential facts before managing users:
- You must have an Active Administrator account to access the Administration link.
- All users must self-register for Symphony before you can manage them. You cannot add users on their behalf.
- The user's registration must include matching UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) and CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) codes. This verifies the user is managed under the correct legal entity.
Steps
1. Access the Administration Area
Only a registered Symphony Administrator has access to this management screen.
- Sign in to your Administrator account.
- Click on the Administration link.
- Select the name of a user to manage their access and permissions.
Administration link in the side navigation bar where administrators manage user accounts.
2. Activate or Modify a User’s Status
User status controls if an account is active, inactive, or locked.
- Click on the row with the User’s Name.
- Select the user’s status from the pop-up menu and click Save your changes.
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 inactivity or too many failed sign-in attempts. |
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.
- Modify user permissions within the Administration link by selecting from the Group Membership options.
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 | Can view task order requests. Cannot submit proposals. |
Group Membership menu where administrators assign user roles such as Administrator or Staff.
Note on 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. Staff users do not receive these 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. |
The wrong role is assigned (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. | The Delete status prevents re-registration. You must advise the user to register with a different email address or Submit a Ticket to request the old account be 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. |
Related Articles / Links
- Submit a Ticket to the Symphony Help Desk—To reinitialize a deleted account
- Manage Your Symphony Sign-In and Account Activation—For SAM POC verification steps
- Register Your Symphony Business Account—For rules on self-registration
- Assemble and Submit Your Proposal—Industry Partner's main workflow
- Manage Your Awarded Contract—Guide on post-award contract management setup
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