What to do when you lose: getting a real debrief
Published
The award notice says another firm won.
Before you rewrite your prices or abandon that agency, ask what the evaluation actually found. A debrief can tell you which parts of your response helped and which created doubt.
Request it promptly. The deadline for asking may arrive while you are still processing the loss.
Check which kind of explanation applies
A formal debriefing explains the evaluation and award decision under the rules for the purchase. The Federal Acquisition Regulation, or FAR, is the federal contracting rulebook.
For qualifying negotiated procurements under FAR 15.506, the agency must receive your written request within three days after you receive the award notification. Treat that as a short calendar-day deadline and send the request immediately. The rule calls for a debrief within five days of the request to the extent practicable.
If you are excluded before award, FAR 15.505 generally requires a written request within three days of receiving the exclusion notice. Do not wait for the award notice to check your rights.
Other buying methods have different rules. For some simplified purchases, an unsuccessful supplier can request a brief award explanation when factors beyond price were used. Federal rules cover that explanation. A formal debrief is not available after every loss.
Check the solicitation, the government’s request for responses, and your notice for agency-specific procedures.
Ask about your evaluation
Focus on facts you can use in the next response.
Ask for your overall ratings and evaluated price. Ask which weaknesses or deficiencies affected the decision. A deficiency is a material failure to meet a requirement; a weakness is a flaw that increases performance risk.
Request the award rationale, the explanation of why the agency selected the winner. Ask which stated evaluation factors drove that choice.
For a qualifying postaward debrief, meaning one held after the contract is awarded, the FAR includes the successful firm’s overall evaluated price and technical rating, if applicable. It also includes an overall ranking if the agency developed one.
You may learn why the selected response was stronger without receiving its detailed approach.
Respect the information limits
Avoid requesting a line-by-line comparison with the winner’s proposal. The standard debriefing rules prohibit that.
Do not ask for confidential cost breakdowns or another firm’s trade secrets. Ask how your response was evaluated against the published criteria, the standards the solicitation said the agency would use.
A useful question is: “Which part of our staffing explanation left the coverage requirement unresolved?”
“Tell us exactly what the winner wrote” is unlikely to produce an answer you can use.
Record follow-up dates
Some defense procurements have an additional question period. Under DFARS 215.506-70, the defense acquisition rule for required postaward debriefs, additional written questions are due within two business days. The agency must answer timely questions within five business days.
Ask when the debrief is considered complete under the rules for your purchase.
If you think the decision violated procurement rules, check protest deadlines separately with qualified counsel. A request for an explanation does not automatically protect those deadlines.
Turn feedback into a specific repair
Save the evaluation comments beside the version you submitted.
For each issue, record the finding and the page the agency reviewed. Decide whether the cause was missing evidence, unclear writing, or an actual capability gap.
Then assign a change. For example, replace a broad staffing promise with coverage details that meet the next solicitation’s instructions.
Resist cutting price by reflex. First establish whether price caused the loss.
Send this request and prepare your questions
To: [Contracting officer’s official address] Subject: Debriefing request, [solicitation number], [company legal name]
Dear [Contracting officer],
We received notification of the award decision for [solicitation number] on [date]. We request a debriefing under the rules applicable to this procurement.
Please confirm receipt and provide the proposed date or written debriefing. If a formal debriefing does not apply, please provide the available explanation of the award decision and identify the applicable process.
Our point of contact is [name, email, phone].
Thank you, [Name and title] [Company legal name]
Prepare these questions:
- What were our overall ratings and evaluated price?
- Which weaknesses or deficiencies affected our evaluation?
- Which stated factors drove the award decision?
- What evidence in our response was missing or unclear?
- Were the published evaluation procedures followed?
- What follow-up process and deadlines apply?
Send the request today. Save proof of delivery and put any follow-up deadline on your calendar.
