Government Bid Protest Lawyers Explain the Bid Debriefing Process

Learn More About Protesting a Government Contract Award

Debriefings are an opportunity for a company to learn more about the circumstances surrounding an award, to gather data to help them improve future offers, and to determine if a basis for a protest exists.

Determining Whether You’re Entitled to a Debriefing

The purpose of a debriefing is to gather as much information about the procurement as possible. Under federal regulations, a post-award debriefing must include:

• The agency’s major strengths and weaknesses in the proposal
• The overall evaluated cost or price and the technical rating of your offer and the awardee’s offer
• Information about how your past performance was evaluated
• The overall ranking of all offerors, if one was done
• A summary of the rationale for the award
• Reasonable responses to questions about whether the evaluation process and applicable regulations were followed

Debriefings are required in negotiated procurements under FAR Part 15, but in other procurements a debriefing may not be mandatory. Even when a debriefing is not mandatory, an agency may still provide a debriefing, even if its only requirement is to furnish a brief explanation of the award decision. Your Washington, D.C. bid protest attorney can advise you as to whether or not you are entitled to a debriefing.

The Value of a Debriefing

If your bid was unsuccessful, it never hurts to find out why. Sometimes a debriefing will reveal flaws in the procurement process and will provide grounds for you to file a protest. Occasionally, the agency will admit these errors and correct the mistakes on its own.

Even awardees are entitled to debriefings, and if you are an awardee, details about the strengths and weaknesses of your proposal and why you were awarded the bid are always useful pieces of information for future bids. If this is your first award, a debriefing is also a good way to build a relationship with your agency customer, or to build on your existing relationship if you are an incumbent.

Contact a Washington, D.C. Bid Protest Lawyer Today

A debriefing will give you information about why your proposal was not successful, and ways to improve future offers. If you believe you might benefit from a debriefing concerning an unsuccessful bid or a potential protest, contact the Whay Law Firm online or call (202) 448-9677 to schedule your initial consultation today.