Simplified Acquisition Threshold ($350,000): The Small-Business Reserve and Award Data by NAICS (2026)

The simplified acquisition threshold (SAT) is the dollar line below which federal agencies may use the streamlined buying procedures of FAR Part 13 instead of full negotiated procurement. As of the October 1, 2025 inflation adjustment (FAC 2025-06), the SAT is $350,000 and the micro-purchase threshold is $15,000 (they were $250,000 and $10,000 before). The band between those two amounts matters for small businesses specifically: under FAR 13.003(b)(1), an acquisition above the micro-purchase threshold but at or below the SAT is reserved exclusively for small business when two or more can perform (the Rule of Two, FAR 19.502-2). This guide covers the current thresholds, the reserve, and how to read where a given NAICS code's awards actually land by value band.

The current thresholds

$15,000

micro-purchase threshold (from $10,000, effective Oct 1, 2025)

$350,000

simplified acquisition threshold (from $250,000, effective Oct 1, 2025)

27.58%

of prime dollars awarded to small business, FY2025 (goal: 23%)

The thresholds are adjusted for inflation on a roughly five-year cycle. The October 1, 2025 change raised the micro-purchase threshold from $10,000 to $15,000 and the simplified acquisition threshold from $250,000 to $350,000 (acquisition.gov threshold changes; CRS IF13123). Because the amounts move, an integration should read the current thresholds rather than hard-code them. The 27.58% figure is the FY2025 small-business prime-contracting achievement, about $179 billion, against the statutory 23% goal, from the SBA small business procurement scorecard (SBA scorecard; CRS IN12018). It was 28.76% in FY2024, so the share edged down year over year while still clearing the goal.

The small-business reserve (FAR 13.003(b)(1))

Under FAR 13.003(b)(1), an acquisition in the $15,000 to $350,000 band is reserved exclusively for small business when the contracting officer can expect offers from two or more small businesses at fair market prices (the Rule of Two). It is small-business territory by regulation, not preference.

The procedures are streamlined too: FAR Part 13 allows award with less process than a full negotiated procurement, often from quotes. Above the SAT the reserve drops, and the contracting officer chooses among a small-business set-aside, a socioeconomic set-aside, or full and open competition. The value of a buy changes who can compete for it, so the band a market's awards fall into is worth reading directly.

The reserve is conditional on the Rule of Two being met for a given acquisition; it is not a guarantee that every buy in the band is set aside. The data below reports the set-aside share actually recorded on the awards, not a prediction.

Where a market's awards actually fall, by value band

The regulation defines the bands; it does not tell you how a given market distributes across them. In janitorial services (NAICS 561720), 1,150 distinct firms won awards in the $15,000 to $350,000 band over the last 12 months, more than the 518 that won above it. That is in the award record, not the regulation, and it is what this endpoint returns for one NAICS: the award count in each band, and the offices making the simplified-acquisition-band awards, from the last 12 months of FPDS prime contracts deduped to the award. Every response below is a real call.

Award-value bands for a NAICS

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://govconapi.com/api/v1/naics/561720/simplified-acquisition"

{
  "naics_code": "561720",
  "total_awards": 4797,
  "thresholds": { "micro_purchase": 15000, "simplified_acquisition": 350000, "effective": "2025-10-01" },
  "award_value_bands": [
    { "band": "micro",                  "awards": 736,  "distinct_vendors": 323,  "distinct_offices": 226 },
    { "band": "simplified_acquisition", "awards": 2778, "distinct_vendors": 1150, "distinct_offices": 502 },
    { "band": "above_sat",              "awards": 1283, "distinct_vendors": 518,  "distinct_offices": 381 }
  ],
  "simplified_acquisition_offices": [
    { "office": "697DCK REGIONAL ACQUISITIONS SVCS", "awards": 119, "distinct_vendors": 68, "set_aside_pct": 100 },
    { "office": "W6QM MICC FT MCCOY (RC)",           "awards": 110, "distinct_vendors": 58, "set_aside_pct": 100 },
    { "office": "DEPT OF COMMERCE NOAA",             "awards": 104, "distinct_vendors": 52, "set_aside_pct": 100 }
  ]
}

For NAICS 561720 (Janitorial Services), as of August 11, 2026, 2,778 awards over the trailing 12 months fell in the simplified-acquisition band, held by 1,150 distinct firms, against 1,283 awards above the SAT held by 518 firms. Each office in the band carries the count of distinct firms it awarded to (`distinct_vendors`) and the share of its band awards recorded under a set-aside (`set_aside_pct`). Those are facts on the record, not a ranking or a score.

Reading the distribution, and what to do with it

Markets fall into a few shapes. The same call, run across a spread of codes over the trailing 12 months (as of August 2026, award counts deduped to the award, "firms" is distinct winners):

Market (NAICS)	micro	$15k-$350k	above SAT	firms
Landscaping (561730)	17%	65%	18%	1,365
Janitorial services (561720)	15%	58%	27%	1,557
Security guards (561612)	26%	42%	31%	558
Management consulting (541611)	4%	34%	62%	2,544
Commercial construction (236220)	5%	34%	61%	3,276
Broom and mop mfg (339994)	98%	2%	0%	34

For a bidder without a federal track record, each shape points to a different move, and the endpoint's office list is where you act on it:

Small-dollar, spread wide (landscaping, janitorial): most awards are in the reserved $15k-$350k band at about two per firm, so that band is the work that fits your size. Take the offices placing those awards and answer their sources-sought and quote requests.
Mostly large contracts (consulting, construction): roughly 60% of awards sit above the SAT where established firms compete. Enter through the reserved band, and treat the above-SAT incumbents as firms to subcontract under while you build past performance.
Micro commodity, few firms (broom and mop): nearly every buy is a micro-purchase held by about 34 firms, so the lane is consolidated, and a neighboring service code is often a better fit than the supply.
Reserved band, thinner field (security guards): the reserved band is large but only 558 firms win it. The field is smaller, so confirm you meet the labor and clearance requirements before pursuing.

The workflow is the same in every case: query the endpoint for your NAICS, read the band split and the offices, and pursue the band that fits your size.

Full API documentation | Market language endpoint | Pricing

Frequently asked questions

What is the simplified acquisition threshold in 2026?

The simplified acquisition threshold is $350,000, effective October 1, 2025 (raised from $250,000 by FAC 2025-06). The micro-purchase threshold rose at the same time from $10,000 to $15,000. Both are periodic inflation adjustments and will change again on a future cycle.

Are contracts under the simplified acquisition threshold set aside for small business?

Acquisitions above the micro-purchase threshold and at or below the SAT are reserved exclusively for small business under FAR 13.003(b)(1) when the contracting officer expects offers from two or more small businesses at fair market prices (the Rule of Two, FAR 19.502-2). It is a conditional reserve, not an automatic set-aside on every buy.

What is the difference between the micro-purchase and simplified acquisition thresholds?

The micro-purchase threshold ($15,000) is the line below which agencies can buy with minimal process, often on the government purchase card. The simplified acquisition threshold ($350,000) is the line below which they can use the streamlined procedures of FAR Part 13. The band between the two is where the small-business reserve applies.

What are simplified acquisition procedures?

Simplified acquisition procedures are the streamlined methods in FAR Part 13 for buying supplies and services at or below the SAT. They reduce the process relative to full negotiated procurement, and many simplified acquisitions are awarded from quotes rather than a formal proposal.

How do I find which agencies buy in a NAICS under the threshold?

Award data records the awarding office, the value, and the set-aside on each transaction. The simplified-acquisition endpoint aggregates the last 12 months of FPDS prime contracts for a NAICS and returns the offices making simplified-acquisition-band awards, each with the count of distinct firms that won and the set-aside share.

The Simplified Acquisition Threshold and the Small-Business Reserve