Market research, public opinion surveys, and program evaluation for government agencies. Find active federal and state marketing research and public opinion polling contracts — AI-scored against your profile across SAM.gov and 200+ portals.
Annual federal spend on NAICS 541910 is estimated at $1.5–2 billion, with demand driven by program evaluation, public health surveys, and opinion polling. Competition is intense, with hundreds of small businesses and a few large primes (e.g., RTI, Westat). Contracts are primarily awarded via IDIQ (e.g., HHS PSC, CDC EPIC) and BPA (e.g., GSA MAS 541910). Demand spikes during election cycles and public health emergencies. Agencies prefer best-value tradeoffs over LPTA for complex research designs.
These agencies are the largest buyers of marketing research and public opinion polling services and products in the federal government. Each awards contracts under NAICS 541910 regularly — build relationships with their small business offices first.
Target agency-specific IDIQs (e.g., CDC EPIC, HHS PSC) and GSA MAS 541910. Common set-asides: 8(a), SDVOSB, and HUBZone. The single highest-leverage move is to form a JV or mentor-protégé with a large prime to gain access to their past performance and teaming agreements. Also, invest in a strong technical proposal with clear methodology, data quality controls, and IRB compliance.
Work is bought via LPTA for simple polls, best-value for complex evaluations. Common vehicles: GSA MAS 541910, 8(a) STARS III (NAICS 541910), HHS PSC IDIQ, CDC EPIC IDIQ, and Census Bureau BPA. Evaluation focuses on methodology, data security, and past performance. Price is weighted 30–40% in best-value.
No, but having a GSA MAS for 541910 (or 541910 through 541990) is common. Many agency BPAs and IDIQs require a Schedule, but standalone RFPs often do not. Register in SAM.gov and look for open market RFPs.
IRB certification (e.g., CITI) is essential for human subjects research. Also, ISO 20252 (market research) or ISO 9001 can differentiate you. For public opinion polling, AAPOR membership and transparency initiatives are valued.
It is a service under the Professional Services sector. However, if you provide software or data collection tools, you may need to register under a product NAICS too. Most contracts are service-based.
Awards range from $50,000 for small surveys to $50 million for large multi-year IDIQs. The median task order under HHS PSC is about $500,000. Small businesses often win $100K–$2M task orders.
Very competitive. Over 1,000 small businesses are registered in SAM for this code. Differentiation requires niche expertise (e.g., rural health polling, veteran surveys) and strong past performance with federal clients.