Market Research Report
A Market Research Report documents the techniques an agency used to survey the marketplace for a requirement and the conclusions drawn — including available sources, commercial solutions, small business capability, and the competition strategy those findings support.
FAR Part 10 requires market research appropriate to the circumstances before developing new requirements or soliciting offers. The report is the record: what the team looked at (sources sought responses, RFIs, product literature, databases, industry days), what exists commercially, which socioeconomic categories can perform, and what that means for the acquisition strategy.
Market research is load-bearing. It underpins the small business set-aside decision, commercial item determinations, and any J&A — a sole-source justification is only as strong as the research behind it. Thin, checkbox-style reports are among the most common weaknesses found in protests and audits.
Regulatory Reference
FAR Part 10
RFO Status
The Part 10 model deviation (May 23, 2025) rewrote market research coverage, and the June 23, 2026 proposed rule at 91 FR 37636 moves it from Part 10 into subpart 7.2 under acquisition planning; DoD's Part 7 class deviation 2026-O0020, Revision 1 (September 2, 2026) carries the DFARS acquisition-planning side. The documentation requirement survives with new section numbers pending final rulemaking. (verified September 12, 2026)
Category
Documents & Artifacts
How AcqBot Helps
AcqBot runs AI-assisted market research across government and commercial data sources and writes the report with sources cited — turning a weeks-long chore into a same-day, defensible record.
Related glossary entries
Justification & Approval (J&A)
A Justification & Approval (J&A) is the formal document required by FAR 6.303 to justify awarding a federal contract without full and open competition, citing one of seven statutory exceptions and approved at thresholds based on dollar value.
Performance Work Statement (PWS)
A Performance Work Statement (PWS) describes required outcomes and measurable performance standards for a services acquisition rather than prescribing how the work must be done, enabling contractors to propose their own methods under performance-based acquisition.
Statement of Work (SOW)
A Statement of Work (SOW) is the contract document that prescribes, in specific and directive terms, the tasks a contractor must perform, the deliverables due, and the schedule — placing responsibility for the approach on the government.
Statement of Objectives (SOO)
A Statement of Objectives (SOO) is a brief government document stating top-level acquisition objectives and desired outcomes, leaving offerors free to propose their own technical approach and performance work statement in response.