What is a debriefing request?
Bidding on government contracts takes dedicated time and effort, and you should take every step possible to ensure your response was not for nothing. Once you learn that an opportunity you have bid on is now awarded, you should always request a debrief meeting.
A debrief meeting provides you with valuable feedback on how your proposal was evaluated and perceived. It is also another opportunity to connect with the government agency you want to do business with. Debrief meetings can help you improve for future proposals. You should always ask for one whether or not you were awarded the contract.
What is a government debriefing?
Debriefings instill confidence in the contracting process by affirming that proposals were treated fairly and were evaluated in accordance with the Request for Proposal (RFP). This assurance will lead to increased competition on future efforts as offeror will continue to invest resources in the Government marketplace.
What is the purpose of the debriefing?
The purpose of debriefing is two-fold. Firstly, it is important to explain the rationale and purpose of the study to the participants and encourage feedback and questions. Also, it is an important educational tool for the researchers to understand how the research experience was.
When is a debriefing required?
The debriefing is an essential part of the informed consent process and is mandatory when the research study involves use of deception. The debriefing provides participants with a full explanation of the hypothesis being tested, procedures to deceive participants and the reason(s) why it was necessary to deceive them.
How do you request a debriefing?
(1)The offeror may request a pre-award debriefing by submitting a written request for debriefing to the contracting officer within 3 days after receipt of the notice of exclusion from the competition.
(2) At the offeror’s request, this debriefing may be delayed until after award.
How long does the offeror have to request a debriefing?
An offeror, upon its written request received by the agency within 3 days after the date on which that offeror has received notification of contract award in accordance with 15.503(b), shall be debriefed and furnished the basis for the selection decision and contract award.
Questions to ask during a debrief meeting:
Basic questions:
- Who won?
- How many bids were received?
- What was my overall score?
- Was my score closer to the top or close to the bottom?
- What was the winner’s score?
- Did the winner have the lowest price?
- Did the winner have a higher score based on technical factors?
If the price was a significant factor and you did not win:
- Did I score higher or lower than the winner on technical factors?
- Did I scope the level of effort (number of people/hours) appropriately?
- Was the skill level of my proposed staffing too high?
- Did the winner propose more or less staff/hours? By how much?
If you scored higher on technical factors, but you did not win:
- Did I not win because my higher technical score drove up to the cost?
- If my price had been the same as the winner, would my proposal have represented the best value?
If you scored lower on technical factors:
- How did my staffing score?
- How did my technical understanding and approach score?
- How did my past performance score?
- Did I have any compliance issues?
Miscellaneous:
- How did the presentation and appearance of my proposal stack up against the competition?
- What differentiated me from the other bids?
- Was my proposal easy to navigate and score?
- Was the appearance of my proposal better, worse, or about the same as my competition?
- Did my proposal contain any objectionable or imprecise content?
- Is there anything the individual conducting the debrief meeting would recommend for you to improve?