Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel of the Professional Services Council and GovCon Expert, has said that the Trump administration’s decision to increase the micropurchase threshold is streamlining contracting procedures amid the coronavirus pandemic, FCW reported Wednesday.
Chvotkin told the publication that the increased threshold is “helping to expedite critical orders to support telework, increase capabilities and get software tools.”
However, he noted that agencies should not rely on the expanded threshold for bandwidth and network modernization work, which costs higher than the micropurchasing limit.
Chvotkin’s comments come after the Office of Management and Budget issued a memo on allowing agencies to leverage purchasing authorities and implement flexibilities for personnel and contractors in line with COVID-19 response efforts.
Agencies are allowed to use up to $20,000 for domestic micropurchases and up to $750,000 for simplified acquisition procedures within the U.S.
