FAR and DFARS › DFARS Part 212: Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services
DFARS 212.001 Definitions.
The codified text (eCFR, as of 2026-10-02). Under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul ↗, agencies follow class deviations with new text for many parts while the formal rules go through the Federal Register: check the solicitation and your contract's clauses, which rule.
In plain English
This section defines what "market research" means for the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement. It tells contractors that DoD market research involves reviewing existing systems, capabilities, and technologies that could meet DoD needs, and that this review must at minimum include contacting knowledgeable people in Government and industry about existing market capabilities and pricing. It matters because it signals how DoD may gather information about your products or services before or during an acquisition.
Applies to: DoD contracting and market research under DFARS Part 212
Key terms: Market research · existing systems · subsystems · capabilities · technologies
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
As used in this part—
Market research means a review of existing systems, subsystems, capabilities, and technologies that are available or could be made available to meet the needs of DoD in whole or in part. The review shall include, at a minimum, contacting knowledgeable individuals in Government and industry regarding existing market capabilities and pricing information, and may include any of the techniques for conducting market research provided in FAR 10.002(b)(2) (section 855 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Pub. L. 114-92)).
Sections it refers to
- 10.002 Procedures.
Rule changes for DFARS Part 212
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Modifications to Printed Circuit Board Acquisition Restrictions (DFARS Case 2022-D011) ↗ · proposed 2026-07-02 · comments due 2026-08-31
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Certification Requirement for Military Recruitment Advertising (DFARS Case 2024-D022) ↗ · proposed 2026-06-25 · comments due 2026-08-24
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Small Purchase Exception for the Acquisition of U.S. Flags (DFARS Case 2024-D013) ↗ · proposed 2026-06-25 · comments due 2026-08-24
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Mitigating Risks Related to Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (DFARS Case 2021-D011) ↗ · proposed 2026-05-07 · comments due 2026-07-06
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Assessing Contractor Implementation of Cybersecurity Requirements (DFARS Case 2019-D041) ↗ · final rule 2025-09-10 · effective 2025-11-10
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Limitation on Certain Institutes of Higher Education (DFARS Case 2024-D023) ↗ · final rule 2025-08-25 · effective 2025-08-25
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Preventing Conflicts of Interest for Certain Consulting Services (DFARS Case 2024-D007) ↗ · final rule 2025-08-25 · effective 2025-10-24
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds (DFARS Case 2024-D002) ↗ · final rule 2025-08-25 · effective 2025-10-01
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.