How to buy a drone on a government purchase card.
Below $10,000, most federal buyers can purchase supplies with a purchase card and no competitive quotes. Here is how that works for a compliant drone, what to have in the file, and the one rule not to break. EnCor prices are used as the worked example.
The rule
The Federal Acquisition Regulation defines the micro-purchase threshold at FAR 2.101. For most supplies it is $10,000. Below it, a buyer with purchase authority can order from any responsible source without soliciting competitive quotes, and usually does so with a government purchase card. Above it, simplified acquisition procedures apply, which take longer but are still far from a full RFP.
What fits, using EnCor prices as the example
| Purchase | Total | Under $10,000? |
|---|---|---|
| One Corvin complete kit | $2,999 | Yes |
| Three Corvin kits plus four spare batteries | $9,997 | Yes |
| Four Corvin airframes for a range | $7,196 | Yes |
| Five Corvin airframes | $8,995 | Yes, barely |
| Twenty Corvin airframes | $35,980 | No. Simplified acquisition |
The split-purchase rule
FAR 13.003(c) says a requirement may not be broken into several purchases merely to avoid a threshold. If your unit needs twenty airframes, that is one requirement above $10,000 and it goes through simplified acquisition. Buying four now and four more in three months because the first four were destroyed on the range is a new requirement each time, which is fine. The difference is whether the need existed when the first card swipe happened.
This is the mistake that gets flagged in audit. A simplified acquisition for twenty aircraft is not a hardship; it is a form, and we will help you fill in the product side of it.
What to have ready for the card holder
Three things, whichever vendor you buy from.
- The vendor's written component-origin statement, so the file shows NDAA compliance.
- A published price or a written quote. EnCor's prices are on the pricing page; other vendors will quote.
- A short statement of need, dated, in case the purchase is reviewed.
Questions buyers ask
What is the micro-purchase threshold?
The dollar limit below which a federal buyer can purchase supplies without competitive quotes, typically with a government purchase card. For most purchases it is $10,000, set in the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Some agencies and situations have different limits.
Can I split a big order into small ones to stay under it?
No. FAR 13.003 prohibits splitting a requirement into several purchases merely to avoid a threshold. Buying replacement batches over time as a real need arises is normal; carving one order into pieces on the same day is not.
What fits under it?
A Corvin complete kit is $2,999. Three kits with spare batteries stay under $10,000. An airframe-only batch of four for a range does too. A twenty-aircraft fleet does not, and should go through your normal simplified acquisition process.
Does this apply to state and local agencies?
Not directly. The FAR governs federal purchases. State and local agencies have their own small-purchase limits, often similar in spirit. Check your procurement office; the number varies widely.
- Federal Acquisition Regulation 2.101, Definitions (micro-purchase threshold), accessed 2026-09-04.
- Federal Acquisition Regulation 13.003, Policy (splitting requirements), accessed 2026-09-04.
- EnCor Industries, published prices, 2026-09-04.
In one line
- Under $10,000: purchase card, no quotes, any responsible source.
- Never split one requirement to stay under it.
- Three Corvin kits fit. Twenty do not.
- Published prices