What's in it for you??
The Government performs market research, in part, to determine the available pool of capable and responsible small businesses for a specific procurement (service or supply), and to be able to justify small business or other socio-economic set asides, essentially limiting competition to a specific small business pool.
Contractors should also do market research to determine their best potential Government or Prime contractor customers, their specific needs and past/future procurements and how each customer does business.
Contractors should use this market research to better shape their marketing efforts. Direct and targeted marketing to your Government customers helps them understand the current contractor/small business market in a specific industry and specific capabilities available for an upcoming procurement. Targeted marketing to your Government customer also helps start and solidify ongoing business relationships.
For more detailed discussions of marketing approaches and the purpose and intent, take a look at USACE Marketing 101: The Real Deal for Contractors.
Remember- every district (and Federal agency) are run by different people and will do things a little different. Part of marketing is building relationships to help understand the Government customer's needs and challenges and how you should engage to drive your business development efforts forward!! This is a marathon not a sprint!