FAR 13.201 General
Section Federal Acquisition Regulation
Facts
- Citation
- FAR 13.201
- Type
- Section
- Last amended
- 90 FR 41872 Effective Oct 1, 2025
- Proposed changes
- 2
- Text as of
- FAC 2026-01
- Official text
- acquisition.gov
Text from acquisition.gov. Federal Register history from the Federal Register's records of the rules that amended this section.
Text
(a) Agency heads are encouraged to delegate micro-purchase authority (see 1.603-3).
(b) The Governmentwide commercial purchase card shall be the preferred method to purchase and to pay for micro-purchases (see 2.101).
(c) Purchases at or below the micro-purchase threshold may be conducted using any of the methods described in subpart 13.3, provided the purchaser is authorized and trained, pursuant to agency procedures, to use those methods.
(d) Micro-purchases do not require provisions or clauses, except as provided at 13.202 and 32.1110. This paragraph takes precedence over any other FAR requirement to the contrary, but does not prohibit the use of any clause.
(e) The requirements in part 8 apply to purchases at or below the micro-purchase threshold.
(f) The procurement requirements in 23.1 apply to purchases at or below the micro-purchase threshold.
(g)
(1) For acquisitions of supplies or services that, as determined by the head of the agency, are to be used to support a contingency operation; to facilitate defense against or recovery from cyber, nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological attack; to support a request from the Secretary of State or the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to facilitate provision of international disaster assistance pursuant to 22 U.S.C. 2292 et seq; or to support response to an emergency or major disaster (42 U.S.C. 5122), the micro-purchase threshold is—
(i) $25,000 in the case of any contract to be awarded and performed, or purchase to be made, inside the United States; and
(ii) $40,000 in the case of any contract to be awarded and performed, or purchase to be made, outside the United States.
(2) Purchases using this authority must have a clear and direct relationship to the support of a contingency operation; or the defense against or recovery from cyber, nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological attack; international disaster assistance; or an emergency or major disaster.
(h) When using the Governmentwide commercial purchase card as a method of payment, purchases at or below the micro-purchase threshold are exempt from verification in the System for Award Management as to whether the contractor has a delinquent debt subject to collection under the Treasury Offset Program (TOP).
(i) Do not purchase any hardware, software, or services developed or provided by Kaspersky Lab that the Government will use on or after October 1, 2018. (See 4.2002).
(j)
(1) On or after August 13, 2019, do not procure or obtain, or extend or renew a contract to procure or obtain, any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system, unless an exception applies or a waiver is granted. (See subpart 4.21.)
(2) On or after August 13, 2020, agencies are prohibited from entering into a contract, or extending or renewing a contract, with an entity that uses any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system, unless an exception applies or a waiver is granted (see subpart 4.21). This prohibition applies to the use of covered telecommunications equipment or services, regardless of whether that use is in performance of work under a Federal contract.
(k) The prohibition in subpart 4.22 on use of a covered application (“TikTok”) applies to purchases at or below the micro-purchase threshold where the performance of the contract may require the presence or use of a covered application, (e.g., where social media advertising services might be part of the procurement), unless an exception is granted in accordance with Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-23-13 (see 4.2202).
(l) Do not procure or obtain, or extend or renew a contract to procure or obtain, any covered article, or any products or services produced or provided by a source, including contractor use of covered articles or sources, if prohibited from doing so by an applicable Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act (FASCSA) order issued by the Director of National Intelligence, Secretary of Defense, or Secretary of Homeland Security (see 4.2303).
(m) The prohibitions on unmanned aircraft systems (e.g., drones) in 40.202 apply to purchases at or below the micro-purchase threshold.
Federal Register history
Show all 26
Proposed changes
| Proposed rule | Published | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary FAR Overhaul Parts 8, 12, 13, 15, 38, 44, and 51 | Closed Oct 19, 2026No final rule found | |
| Federal Acquisition Regulation: Prohibition on Certain Semiconductor Products and Services | Closed Apr 20, 2026No final rule found |
Sections cited
- FAR 1.603-3 Appointment
- FAR 2.101 Definitions
- FAR Subpart 13.3 Simplified Acquisition Methods
- FAR 13.202 Unenforceability of unauthorized obligations in micro-purchases
- FAR 32.1110 Solicitation provision and contract clauses
- FAR Subpart 23.1 Sustainable Products and Services
- FAR 4.2002 Prohibition
- FAR Subpart 4.21 Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment
- FAR Subpart 4.22 Prohibition on a ByteDance Covered Application
- FAR 4.2202 Prohibition
- FAR 4.2303 FASCSA orders
- FAR 40.202 Prohibition on the procurement and operation of unmanned aircraft systems manufactured or assembled by American Security Drone Act-covered foreign entities. s
Quick answers
What is FAR 13.201?
FAR 13.201 is a section of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, titled "General".
When was FAR 13.201 last changed?
The most recent final rule on record is "Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds" (90 FR 41872), published Aug 27, 2025 and effective Oct 1, 2025.
Are changes to FAR 13.201 proposed?
2 proposed changes have no final rule yet.
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