Decision Intelligence: How Artificial Intelligence Can Modernize Market Research in Department of Defense Acquisition

Abstract

Market research is a statutory requirement under FAR Part 10 and the strategic foundation of sound defense acquisition. Yet within the Department of War's warfighting acquisition workforce, it has become a compliance exercise rather than a decision-making instrument. Administrative burdens consume the time acquisition professionals should spend analyzing market signals, refining requirements, and shaping acquisition strategy. This paper examines how AI-enabled tools can modernize market research across its full lifecycle, from RFI analysis and open-source aggregation to multi-source synthesis and report generation. Drawing on subject matter expert interviews and industry demonstrations during a webinar co-hosted by NDIA ETI and MITRE, the paper identifies structural weaknesses in current market research practices, including fragmented data ecosystems, workforce time constraints, and limited analytical tooling. It then presents case studies illustrating how AI can compress analytical timelines, improve defensibility, and elevate strategic reasoning while preserving human oversight. The paper concludes with five implementation recommendations spanning governance frameworks, data-sharing arrangements, outcome-based metrics, sandbox experimentation, and standardized analytical prompts. Responsible adoption requires explainability, audit traceability, and human validation at every stage. The goal is not automated procurement, but analytics-enabled decision intelligence that equips acquisition professionals to make faster, better-informed, and more defensible acquisition decisions.