Simplified Acquisition & micro thresholds to be official in the FAR

      Increases in the Simplified Acquisition (SA) threshold and the micropurchase threshold are finally going to become official in the FAR under a new proposed rule.

      The SA threshold will rise to $250,000, from $150,000, and the micro threshold lifts to $10,000, from $3,500, under a proposed rule.

      Congress approved the new thresholds in the FY17 and FY18 NDAAs, and some agencies applied them through deviations. The proposed rule would make them official and likely expand their use.

      The government estimates an additional $300 million worth of small business contracts per year under the proposed rule. Similarly, it forecasts an additional $2.4 million in small business purchases per year under the new micro threshold.

Read more:
FedRegister proposed rule:https://bit.ly/2KuG5rh

Rubio, Cardin bills for small vendors, HBCUs

      U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL, chair of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, joined with others to introduce the Harmless Error Lesser Penalty (HELP) for Small Businesses Act.

      The bill would waive fines for “first-time paperwork violations” by small businesses, excluding fines for violations related to criminal activity, tax enforcement, public health and safety and the public interest,” Rubio announced.

      Separately, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-MD, ranking committee member, submitted a bill to award competitive cooperative agreements providing up to $400,000 a year to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other colleges to assist low-income underserved entrepreneurs.

Read the Senate committee releases at:
Rubio et al bill: https://bit.ly/33L4zE4
Cardin bill: https://bit.ly/32HztMh

Service Contract Executive Order revoked

      President Obama’s Executive Order 13495--requiring that follow-on federal contractors in service contracts offer jobs to qualified incumbent employees--has been rescinded by President Trump.

      The order required a follow-on service contractor to issue a right of first refusal to incumbent employees whose jobs otherwise would be terminated.

Read the official notice from the White House at:
https://bit.ly/2OaBvPE

Inside this Edition:

SBA to merge 8(a) & All Small mentoring, add Small Business recertification requirements

House OKs Women's Business Center bill

Boon for no-longer-smalls

FAA suspends posts on FBO

GAO protests drop by 16%

Bill to boost OSDBUs

Column: SCOTUS Clarifies Vague Arbitration Clauses Affecting Class Disputes for Growing Businesses

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