WHAT ARE DEBRIEFINGS?
and what you should know about them
A debriefing is a formal meeting between government personnel and a bidder (usually the unsuccessful bidder) to explain the rationale for that agency's contract award decision on a particular procurement contract. Debriefings normally occur after the government has awarded a contract (FAR 15.506). The may be conducted orally, in person, by telephone, in writing, or by any other method acceptable to the contracting officer.
You invest considerable time and money in preparing and submitting your proposal. By having a contracting officer explain his/her agency's rationale for their award decision:
Also, by learning the deficiencies in your proposal, you may avoid repeating the same mistakes in future proposals.
A debriefing will not provide a page-by-page analysis of either the successful or unsuccessful bidders' proposals, nor will the government provide a point-by-point comparison between the successful and unsuccessful proposals. The debriefing will likewise not serve as a platform to debate or defend the government's award decision or evaluation results. Federal statutes and regulations mandate that an unsuccessful competitor in negotiated procurements have the right to a debriefing. Debriefings are not required, however, when an agency uses sealed bidding procedures.
A debriefing request must be in writing, and the debriefing request must be received by the agency within three calendar days after the date on which the bidder received notification of exclusion from the competition or award. Timing is crucial in terms of regulations, so it is important to check the latest rules regarding (a) the date notice was "received" by the offeror, (b) the date the request was written, and (c) the date it was received by the agency.