# 48 CFR § 11.103: 11.103 Market acceptance

> Federal · Regulations · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.103

## Section

- **Citation:** 48 CFR § 11.103
- **Heading:** 11.103 Market acceptance
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Regulations
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** September 22, 2026
- **Source:** Publisher's official text
- **Location:** Title 48—Federal Acquisition Regulations System > CHAPTER 1—FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION > SUBCHAPTER B—ACQUISITION PLANNING > PART 11—DESCRIBING AGENCY NEEDS > Subpart 11.1—Selecting and Developing Requirements Documents

## Text

(a) 41 U.S.C. 3307(e) provides that, in accordance with agency procedures, the head of an agency may, under appropriate circumstances, require offerors to demonstrate that the items offered—
(1) Have either—
(i) Achieved commercial market acceptance; or
(ii) Been satisfactorily supplied to an agency under current or recent contracts for the same or similar requirements; and
(2) Otherwise meet the item description, specifications, or other criteria prescribed in the public notice and solicitation.
(b) Appropriate circumstances may, for example, include situations where the agency's minimum need is for an item that has a demonstrated reliability, performance or product support record in a specified environment. Use of market acceptance is inappropriate when new or evolving items may meet the agency's needs.
(c) In developing criteria for demonstrating that an item has achieved commercial market acceptance, the contracting officer shall ensure the criteria in the solicitation—
(1) Reflect the minimum need of the agency and are reasonably related to the demonstration of an item's acceptability to meet the agency's minimum need;
(2) Relate to an item's performance and intended use, not an offeror's capability;
(3) Are supported by market research;
(4) Include consideration of items supplied satisfactorily under recent or current Government contracts, for the same or similar items; and
(5) Consider the entire relevant commercial market, including small business concerns.
(d) Commercial market acceptance shall not be used as a sole criterion to evaluate whether an item meets the Government's requirements.
(e) When commercial market acceptance is used, the contracting officer shall document the file to—
(1) Describe the circumstances justifying the use of commercial market acceptance criteria; and
(2) Support the specific criteria being used.
[60 FR 48238, Sept. 18, 1995, as amended at 79 FR 24199, Apr. 29, 2014]

## Nearby sections

- [48 CFR § 11.101 11.101 Order of precedence for requirements documents.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.101.md)
- [48 CFR § 11.102 11.102 Standardization program.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.102.md)
- [48 CFR § 11.103 11.103 Market acceptance.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.103.md)
- [48 CFR § 11.104 11.104 Use of brand name or equal purchase descriptions.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.104.md)
- [48 CFR § 11.105 11.105 Items peculiar to one manufacturer.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.105.md)
- [48 CFR § 11.106 11.106 Purchase descriptions for service contracts.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.106.md)
- [48 CFR § 11.107 11.107 Solicitation provision.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.107.md)
- [48 CFR § 11.201 11.201 Identification and availability of specifications.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.201.md)
- [48 CFR § 11.202 11.202 Maintenance of standardization documents.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.202.md)
- [48 CFR § 11.203 11.203 Customer satisfaction.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.203.md)
- [48 CFR § 11.204 11.204 Solicitation provisions.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.204.md)
- [48 CFR § 11.301 11.301 Policy.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.301.md)
- [48 CFR § 11.302 11.302 Contract clause.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.302.md)
- [48 CFR § 11.401 11.401 General.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.401.md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-48-11.103. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.