How to Run a Market Landscape Scan to Get More Solicitation Responses
Reading Time: 30 minutes
Authors: Karl Hoesch
Contributors: Adriana Hayes, Rebecca Graffy, Laura Merryfield, Hope Patterson, Emily Bourgeois
Getting only one bid–or none at all–on an infrastructure project solicitation is all too common. But this doesn’t have to be the accepted norm. A little upfront time spent doing a market landscape scan can help you find missing businesses, understand why you’re not attracting them already, and strengthen your procurement for next time.
A market landscape scan is the research you conduct into who is competing for similar work nearby to inform your solicitations. It can be helpful if:
- You expect few bids or responses.
- Similar procurements have attracted limited competition.
- You are procuring something new, specialized, or particularly important.
- Your current business or outreach list is old or incomplete.
- You want to reach businesses that have not worked with your government before.
- The project is high-cost, high-profile, or difficult to deliver.
This guide to doing a market landscape scan is best suited for governments with access to an eProcurement platform, though it also includes options for those without one. Our focus is on public works and infrastructure projects, but you can use these approaches for almost any procurement.