ucts or services that seem likely to meet the requirement.The market research should be struc- tured to acquire only enough information to decide whether to proceed to a more detailed ex- amination of commercial possibilities.
Tailor the Investigation
The amount of time and money spent on market research should be related to factors such as the value of the acquisition, the complexity of the product or service, the use of the product or service, and the commercial potential. If market surveillance information tells you there is little potential for commercial use, further market research should be minimal. If commercial poten- tial is high, an extensive market investigation may be appropriate.
Repeat as Necessary
Think of market research as an iterative process. Successful market research often requires mul- tiple efforts. Market research is first used to determine the availability of commercial capabili- ties, practices, products, and services to meet the general requirement. It must also be conducted later to identify commercial components available for incorporation into systems developed for DoD and to get more specific, detailed information to make various acquisition decisions. Mar- kets are dynamic.What was impossible in the past may now be feasible.
Communicate
Good communication across functional areas and with industry and users is important to the success of a market investigation. For this reason, an extensive market investigation may work best as a team effort. Linking the team members' experience and areas of expertise with the in- formation gathered will guarantee more balanced, best-value decisions. In communicating with industry, broaden your efforts to include forums that are typically used by the market, not just the ones traditionally used by the Federal Government.
Involve Users
Remember to involve users (the customers) in the market research process, not merely in defining the requirement. Users can be active participants in the market research for some products and services or testers for others.Try to involve users formally in working groups, but also maintain informal lines of communication between them and the market analysts. Users in the field may have access to new technology and new product information that needs to be conveyed to those who define requirements. Users also play a major role in identifying prob- lems with the current equipment or service. Users establish what they need and want from a product or service. Market research can let users know whether their needs and wants are feasi- ble or affordable.With this knowledge, users can make tradeoff decisions and refine their re- quirements.
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