Debrief Unsuccessful Bidders

To debrief unsuccessful bidders means to give suppliers that did not win a procurement information about how the evaluation went and why their bids were unsuccessful. It is a step in the procurement process, not an abbreviation or a legal category of contract. It happens after the contracting authority has notified bidders of the outcome.

Canadian government fairness-monitoring reports describe debriefings as explaining evaluation results, including the strengths and weaknesses of a proposal and, where applicable, detailed scores. The purpose is to help the supplier understand the result and respond better to future opportunities, without disclosing protected information about competing bids.

What a bidder debriefing covers

The fairness report for the Canadian Forces Contractor Augmentation Program II states that debriefings explained the evaluation results and gave unsuccessful bidders information to help them respond to new opportunities. The fairness monitoring report records that these sessions were held face to face.

The Shared Services Canada Email Transformation Initiative final report states that bidders were informed of the strengths and weaknesses of their proposals during debriefings. In the Manned Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Stage 2 In-Service Support procurement, three unsuccessful bidders were debriefed and received the detailed scores they requested.

The Competition Bureau's public-procurement guide recommends that procurement authorities offer debriefings, because clear and constructive feedback helps suppliers improve and encourages them to take part in future opportunities.

Formats used in federal procurements

Federal examples show that a debriefing can take several forms:

• Conference call: in the Government of Canada Pay System procurement, unsuccessful bidders were debriefed by conference call and the fairness monitor attended.
• Written debrief: in Software Engineering Facility Professional Services, the unsuccessful bidder received a written debrief explaining the evaluation results.
• Virtual meeting: in the Security Guard Services, Quebec Region procurement, the unsuccessful bidder took part in a virtual debriefing led by the contracting authority and the client authority.
• Letter and follow-up: in the Near Shore Fishery Research Vessel Build procurement, all bidders could request a debriefing, and one unsuccessful bidder received a debriefing letter followed by additional communications.

Accessible debriefings under CAN/ASC-4.1

The Canadian standard CAN/ASC-4.1, Accessible Procurement, addresses debriefings directly. Its section on bidding and contract award states that, upon request, clients and procurement professionals shall provide an unsuccessful-bidder debriefing. The debriefing must be in accessible, plain-language form, and alternate or equivalent accessible formats must be provided where required.

What it means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

A loss is still a source of information. When you receive a regret or award notification, read it for instructions on requesting a debriefing, and make the request through the contracting authority or contracting officer when it is permitted. Decide in advance what you need to know, such as evaluation results, scores, and the strengths and weaknesses of your proposal.

Expect the format to vary by procurement. Be ready for a call, a virtual meeting, a face-to-face session or a written response. Debriefings explain your own evaluation and do not disclose protected information about competing bids. If you need the debriefing in an accessible format, say so in your request. Feed what you learn into your next bid.