Bidder Debriefing

When your bid doesn't win a federal contract, you're entitled to know why. A bidder debriefing gives unsuccessful suppliers specific feedback on their proposal's strengths and weaknesses, their evaluation scores, and insights into why the winning bid succeeded. This isn't just a courtesy—according to the Supply Manual Section 7.40, every federal solicitation must include a provision stating that bidders may request this feedback.

How It Works

Debriefings happen after contract award, once PSPC or the procuring department has notified unsuccessful bidders of the outcome. You need to request one—they don't happen automatically. The format varies based on the procurement's complexity: simple competitions might get a phone call, while major bids often involve face-to-face meetings or detailed written reports.

Here's what you should expect to receive: the name of the successful bidder, the contract value, your evaluation scores broken down by criteria, and specific reasons why your proposal fell short on each evaluated element. The Supply Manual 7.40.a.ii requires that debriefings "normally include an outline of the factors and criteria used in the evaluation." Procurement officers will walk you through how evaluators assessed your technical evaluation and financial capacity evaluation, pointing out where you lost points or failed to demonstrate compliance.

What they won't tell you: confidential details about other bidders' proposals beyond the winner's name and the awarded amount. The government balances your right to feedback with protecting proprietary information. If multiple bidders request debriefings, each conversation is tailored to that specific supplier's submission—you're not getting a generic readout.

Key Considerations

• Timing matters. Request your debriefing promptly after receiving the award notice. Wait too long and the evaluation team may have dispersed to other projects, making it harder to get detailed feedback.

• Ask specific questions. Don't just accept a generic summary. If you scored poorly on "past performance," ask which reference checks raised concerns or what specific project examples fell short. Vague feedback won't help you improve.

• This isn't a dispute mechanism. Debriefings explain evaluation results; they don't change them. If you believe the evaluation violated policy or the solicitation terms, that's a matter for the Canadian International Trade Tribunal complaint process, not the debriefing.

• Take notes and follow up. These conversations are gold for improving future bids. Document what you learn about how evaluators interpreted requirements, what separated strong proposals from weak ones, and where your assumptions about evaluation priorities were off-base.

Related Terms

Financial Capacity Evaluation, Technical Evaluation, CITT Complaint

Sources

• PSPC Supply Manual - Section 7.40: Debriefings

• Office of the Procurement Ombudsman - Procurement Practices Review, Chapter 2: Supplier Debriefings

• Canada.ca - Bidding on Opportunities: Support for Businesses

The suppliers who consistently win federal contracts don't just submit good bids—they learn from their losses. Request a debriefing every time you don't win, and you'll gradually decode what federal evaluators actually want to see.