SD-5 Market ResearchThe purpose of this document is to provide DoD and other Federal personnel involved in the acquisition process with practical guidance on using market research to ensure the acquisition of products and services that will best serve the government??s needs. Specifically, this document is designed for personnel involved with establishing requirements for products or services, such as engineers, technical specialists, project officers, and customers; personnel involved with purchasing products or services, such as contracting officers, contract specialists, and cost analysts; and personnel who support the acquisition process, such as logisticians, testing and quality assurance specialists, and legal counsel.

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•  Technology Development

•  Economic Data

•  Business News.

Information on the latest engine technology, materials, manufacturing processes, quality, and so on could go under the Technology Development folder. Under the Economic Data folder, you might capture information on industry sales, trends, pricing, and labor. Under the Business News folder, you could capture information on the companies that constitute the market, mergers, spinoffs, outsourcing, trade issues, and legal developments.You could create additional subfolders to target specific areas. And because strategic market research should be ongoing, you could further subdivide the folders to capture the information yearly.The main objective is to create an organized system for collecting and storing the results of your strategic market re- search so that the data can be easily pulled together and used as a starting point for in-depth tactical market research.

Document the Results

Having an organized structure for collecting and storing strategic market research data is only half the battle. Once the information is collected, you should then analyze and document the results, and you should communicate your results with others as necessary. Because strategic market research is ongoing, even when no specific acquisition program is in place, it is easy to overlook the importance of documenting your findings-and often difficult to find the time to do so. However, documenting your strategic market research findings offers several important benefits:

•  Good documentation helps team members develop an overall picture of the market.

•  If you leave your position, good documentation allows your successor to quickly get up to speed on the market.

•  When important developments occur in the market, good documentation allows the find- ings to be communicated with other stakeholders.

•  When a new acquisition is contemplated, good documentation of strategic market research saves time and resources and helps focus the efforts of tactical market research.

There are no mandatory formats or requirements for documenting the results of strategic market research. Strategic market research being conducted as part of an acquisition should be documented in accordance with the agency or program requirements. For ongoing strategic market research, documenting the findings at least annually is recommended.The following headings represent a suggested starting point for documenting your findings:

•  Time period covered

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