All Paths Lead to Learning: Common Mistakes in BDS Market Assessment and How to Avoid Them

This technical note describes the experiences of 10 organizations around the world in conducting BDS market assessments (MA). The note shares lessons learned from the inadvertent mistakes made by these organizations and provides recommendations to avoid these mistakes. The paper examines the following areas of the BDS MA process, discusses the mistakes and lists the following recommendations:

• Designing an MA - Facilitators should:
  • Clearly outline the MA goals and objectives before selecting one or more project options;
  • Determine in advance if a sub-sector or cross-sector strategy is more appropriate to their goal.
• Assembling a research team - Facilitators should:
  • Use a combination of outsourcing to a research company and internal capacity building to achieve the best MA results;
  • Ensure that both the outsourced research team and the in-house team know the MA goals and the market.
• Selecting the research methodology:
  • The MA should incorporate both the demand and the supply sides of the BDS equation and develop a comprehensive market map;
  • Flexibility is important in selecting and applying research tools;
  • Research questions must reference the local context to provide the most accurate data for program design.

The note concludes by expressing the hope that BDS practitioners and donors can take these lessons learned into consideration when designing and implementing an MA.