organizations play a role? Are subcontractors used? Has outsourcing of the product or service taken place? Do any international organizations, including foreign governments, participate in the market? Are there lobby organizations? Are standards organizations involved in the market? Are other parts of the Federal Government involved in the market, for example, labor, health, environment, safety, or R&D labs? By answering these questions, you will identify the stake- holders in the market and help define the scope of your strategic market research effort.
Identify Sources of Market Information
Once you have some idea of the market you wish to research, you will need to identify sources of information to help answer the questions above. Much of strategic market research can be accomplished by using the resources available on the Internet. If you're not sure where to be- gin, searching on the product or service of interest using one of the many web search engines can lead to many useful links.
If you are very familiar with the product or service to be acquired, you are probably well prepared to do the market research using the various types of Internet resources. However, if your time is limited or you are not very familiar with the product or service, then you might want to consider employing a professional research service. For example, Dialog offers a variety of research solutions. Other search services include LexisNexis and Westlaw.These services gen- erally have access to more information than you can get through an individual search of the In- ternet; however, a search service can be expensive.
In addition to information available on the Internet, you also should consider the following sources:
• Other government customers. Do other agencies purchase the product or service of interest?
These users may be very well informed and an excellent source of information. A general web search may uncover links to other government users, but you should also look at contracting resources such as the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website and the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation (FPDS-NG).You can search FedBizOpps for current and past requests for proposals (RFPs) and contract award announcements in all the product and service areas, and thereby identify any government customer. FPDS-NG, FedSpending.org, or a commercial subscription service that uses
data from FPDS-NG can provide contract award information, including the awarding office, for all products and services that the Federal Government purchases. If you are looking at research programs, also consider searching the announcements at Grants.gov; although most announcements on Grants.gov will result in a grant as opposed to a con- tract, you may find agencies that are involved in similar research or programs. By using these resources, you will be able to identify other government stakeholders in the market, and find others, such as government laboratories, who can share their knowledge of the
market with you.
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