GAO has looked at procurement practices of four large agencies and found that of the 28 contracts it reviewed, all indicated that some market research had been conducted, but that most of the attention was focused on big-dollar contracts.
GAO said that the agencies—DoD, DHS, DoT and FAA–may have missed opportunities that promote competition by not making as much use in smaller contracts of techniques such as issuing requests for information to industry. In some cases, the research was incomplete or outdated, said GAO-15-8.
All four require that market research be clearly documented and note that documentation can inform current and future procurements, GAO said. However, guidance varied on the specificity of market research documentation.
GAO identified four elements which, if recorded, would provide an understanding of the research completed: the market research methods used, when it was conducted, an analysis of vendor capabilities, and a conclusion.
The report is here: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-8