Regret Letter Request

When your bid doesn't win a federal contract, you'll receive a regret letter—a formal notification that explains why you weren't selected. The problem? Most standard letters give you almost nothing to work with. That's where a regret letter request comes in. By formally asking for more information, you can get the specifics you need to understand what went wrong and how to improve next time.

How It Works

After contract award, procurement officers send regret letters to all unsuccessful bidders. According to the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman's Procurement Practices Review, these written debriefings follow standard templates. The Supply Manual's Annex 7.1 provides two key templates: Appendix B7.1.1 for responsive bids that simply scored lower, and B7.1.2 for non-responsive bids that failed to meet mandatory requirements. At minimum, you'll learn the winning supplier's name, the contract value, and a basic reason for your non-selection.

That basic information often isn't enough. In practice, many suppliers submit a follow-up request asking for a more comprehensive explanation. You might want to know your exact scoring on each evaluation criterion, how your technical proposal compared to the winner's, or which specific mandatory requirement you missed. PSPC and other departments typically respond to these requests with additional detail, though the depth varies depending on the complexity of the procurement and the nature of your questions.

Timing matters here—a lot. If you're considering a challenge through the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, you have just 10 working days from receiving the regret letter or debriefing to file a complaint under the Canadian International Trade Trade Tribunal Act. That's a tight window. You need to request additional information immediately if the initial letter doesn't give you enough to assess whether grounds for complaint exist. For concerns about process fairness rather than contract award decisions, you can file an OPO complaint within 30 days.

Key Considerations

• Request specifics immediately. Don't wait to ask for clarification. Generic questions get generic answers, so be precise about what you want to know—scoring breakdowns, evaluation notes, or identification of which mandatory criteria you missed.

• The level of detail varies by department. While Treasury Board Contracting Policy requires transparency, some departments provide more comprehensive debriefings than others. DND and PSPC typically offer detailed explanations, while smaller departments may stick closer to the basic templates in Supply Manual Annex 7.1.

• Written requests create a record. Always submit your request in writing rather than calling. This documents what you asked for and when, which becomes important if you later pursue recourse through CITT or the Procurement Ombudsman.

• Model letters show minimum standards. The model regret letter for the Temporary Help Services Supply Arrangement demonstrates what low-complexity solicitations require, including reference to recourse mechanisms on CanadaBuys.

Related Terms

Debriefing, Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT), OPO Complaint, Evaluation Criteria

Sources

• Supply Manual - Annex 7.1: Sample Regret Letters

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

• Model Regret Letter for Temporary Help Services Supply Arrangement

Don't accept a vague explanation when your business depends on understanding what happened. A well-crafted request for detailed feedback transforms a disappointing loss into actionable intelligence for your next bid.