DARS PART 10

• PART 10 – MARKET RESEARCH
• 10.001 Policy.
• 210.001 Policy.
• 10.002 Procedures.

PART 10 – MARKET RESEARCH

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART 10 – MARKET RESEARCH 2

10.001 Policy. 2

210.001 Policy. 2

10.002 Procedures. 3

PART 10 – MARKET RESEARCH

10.001 Policy.

(b) All Sources Sought Announcements and Requests for Information (RFI) for acquisitions with an estimated value exceeding $5M, shall be forwarded to the DISA Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) for review to ensure potential sources are not requested to submit more than the minimum information necessary. OSBP has 5business days to complete the review.

210.001 Policy.

(a)(ii) The program office or the requiring activity must address whether the acquisition can or cannot be set-aside for small businesses in the market research report.

(S-90) The contracting officer will document and attach the results of a query of the SBA Dynamic Small Business Search tool at http://dsbs.sba.gov/dsbs/search/dsp_dsbs.cfm to the Market Research Report and forward with the DD Form 2579 to OSBP for review (See DARS

19.201 (S-92) (c)).

(S-91) The contracting officer shall conduct their own independent market research and document the findings within the market research report.

(1) The contracting officer will certify by signature on the market research report whether or not the results support setting aside the acquisition. If the resulting acquisition strategy does not include a small business set-aside, market research documentation should explicitly explain why a set-aside is not appropriate. The contracting officer will fully document and detail market research with respect to small business participation. Market research must document to what extent the small business community, as a whole, has or does not have the ability to support the requirement.

(2) When market research indicates that the small business community, as a whole, does not possess the required capability or capacity to perform as a prime contractor, consideration should be given to small business subcontracting. The market research report should address subcontracting opportunities for small businesses.

(S-92) Methods of market research include, but are not limited to, the use of a Sources Sought Announcement or a Request for Information (RFI). (See DARS 19.202 (S-93)(2)(3)). Assistance is available from the OSBP when seeking potential sources.

(1) A Request for Information (RFI) is used to develop requirements and make decisions regarding acquisition strategies when limited or no acquisition history is available and when industry input is required. When an RFI is planned, allow for the following:

(i) RFI’s should remain posted on FedBizOpps for at least 21 business days to ensure maximum participation by small business concerns.

(ii) Use the approved DISA RFI template: https://www.ditco.disa.mil/download.asp?/DITCOContractingTemplates/docs/Request for Information Template.docx

(2) A Sources Sought Announcement is used when there is a known requirement with a previous procurement history, or a well-defined new requirement. When a Sources Sought Announcement is planned, allow for the following:

(i) Posting on FedBizOpps for a minimum of 14 business days ensures maximum feedback.

(ii) Use the approved DISA Sources Sought template: https://www.ditco.disa.mil/DITCOContractingTemplates/docs/disa_sources_sought_annoucement_template.docx

(3) When a Sources Sought Announcement or RFI is posted to FedBizOpps, the contracting officer should update the FedBizOpps announcement to identify the acquisition strategy once market research has been completed and the strategy has been approved. At a minimum, the update should include the following information:

(i) Contract vehicle (e.g., Federal Supply Schedule, Government-wide Acquisition Contract, Multiple-Award Contract, or Blanket Purchase Agreement) that will be leveraged to solicit the acquisition, if applicable. If utilizing Federal Supply Schedules, include the specific Schedule number and Special Item Number(s) under which the requirement will be announced.

(ii) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code selected for the acquisition.

(iii) Identification of small business set-aside to include the specific socio-economic category, if applicable.

(iv) Projected time frame for Request for Proposal / Request for Quotation posting.

(S-93) The contracting officer shall notify the Office of Small Business Programs of all industry days, including date, time and location of event using the following title “Industry Day Notification” and send a notification to the following email account: disa.meade.osbp.mbx.ditco-small-business-office@mail.mil.

10.002 Procedures.

(S-90) Except for the issuance of a Sources Sought Announcement or RFI, market research is primarily the responsibility of the program office or the requiring activity. Requirement statements must reflect any available commercial solutions. Market research documentation must be complete, unbiased, and supported by facts, not more than 12 months old (for award of contracts other than task or delivery orders) and provided as part of the requirements package. Contract files shall include documentation that market research was conducted.

(S-91) Exceptions.

(1) Undefintized Contract Actions (UCAs)

(2) Bridge Contract Actions

(3) 52.217-8 Options

(S-91) Market Research Report (MRR) template

Table 10-1 MRR Template Type

Market Research Tips

(S-92) The contracting officer shall email the final, signed, redacted, and dated Market Research Report to the Market Research Repository mailbox at DISA Ft Meade BD Mailbox MRR.