Market Research.
FAR 52.210-1, Market Research, requires contractors to perform market research before awarding certain subcontracts in noncommercial acquisitions. The clause defines the key terms by reference to FAR 2.101, including commercial product, commercial service, and nondevelopmental item, and it applies only when the subcontract is above the simplified acquisition threshold. Its purpose is to push subcontracting decisions toward commercial solutions where possible and to document whether commercial or nondevelopmental items can satisfy the agency’s needs, either as-is, with reasonable modification, or after reasonable adjustment of the requirement itself. The clause also requires the contractor to look not only at complete end items, but at whether commercial or nondevelopmental items can be incorporated at the component level. In practice, this means contractors must do a real market survey before placing covered subcontracts, and contracting officers should expect subcontracting files to show a reasoned basis for choosing noncommercial sources when commercial alternatives may exist.