Debrief — Debriefings
Also known as: Preaward and postaward debriefing
What It Is
A debriefing is the explanation the government provides, on request, of how an offeror's proposal was evaluated in a negotiated procurement. The FAR provides two kinds: a preaward debriefing under FAR 15.505 for offerors excluded from the competitive range (which they may request, or defer until after award), and a postaward debriefing under FAR 15.506 for unsuccessful offerors after award. To get one, you must request it in writing within the time the FAR allows — generally within three days of receiving notice of exclusion or of award. A postaward debriefing must, at a minimum, include the agency's evaluation of the significant weaknesses or deficiencies in your proposal, the overall evaluated cost or price and technical rating of your proposal and the awardee's, the past-performance information on your proposal, the overall ranking (if any), a summary of the rationale for award, and reasonable responses to relevant questions. Debriefings are also significant because their timing affects bid-protest deadlines at the GAO.
When It Applies
- After you are excluded from the competitive range (preaward) or after award when you were unsuccessful (postaward).
- On negotiated procurements under FAR Part 15 — sealed-bid IFBs use a different, more limited process.
- When you want feedback to improve your next proposal and to evaluate whether you have grounds (and time) to protest.
Key Features
| Feature | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Preaward and postaward | FAR 15.505 covers debriefings for offerors excluded from the competitive range; FAR 15.506 covers unsuccessful offerors after award. |
| Request in writing, on time | You must request a debriefing in writing within the FAR window — generally three days of the notice — to be entitled to it. |
| Substantive content required | A postaward debriefing must cover your weaknesses/deficiencies, the evaluated price and rating of you and the awardee, the award rationale, and answers to relevant questions. |
| Affects protest deadlines | Because GAO protest timeliness can run from a required debriefing, the debriefing's timing can preserve — or start the clock on — protest rights. |
What It Means for an SDVOSB
A debriefing is the cheapest competitive-intelligence and proposal-coaching an SDVOSB can get, and skipping it is leaving money on the table. Always request one in writing within the deadline — it tells you exactly which weaknesses and deficiencies cost you, how your price and rating stacked up against the winner, and what to fix next time. It is also the decision point for a protest: the feedback reveals whether the agency followed its stated evaluation factors, and the debriefing's timing affects how long you have to file a GAO protest. Calendar the request deadline the moment you receive a notice of exclusion or award, and prepare focused questions in advance.
How to Win Under It
- Request the debriefing in writing within the FAR window — generally three days of the notice of exclusion or award.
- Prepare specific questions in advance about your weaknesses, deficiencies, and how your price and rating compared to the awardee's.
- Use the feedback to fix concrete gaps in your next proposal — treat it as free proposal coaching.
- Note the debriefing timing for protest purposes; if the evaluation departed from the stated factors, calendar the strict GAO protest deadline.
Common Pitfalls
- Failing to request a debriefing in writing within the short deadline, forfeiting both the feedback and a clean protest clock.
- Treating the debriefing as a formality and asking no substantive questions, so you learn nothing actionable.
- Miscalculating protest timeliness, which can run from the required debriefing and is strictly enforced.
Run the Numbers
Frequently Asked
How do I get a debriefing on a federal contract I lost?
Request it in writing, on time. On a negotiated (FAR Part 15) procurement, an unsuccessful offeror is entitled to a postaward debriefing under FAR 15.506 if it submits a written request within three days after receiving notice that it was unsuccessful. An offeror excluded from the competitive range may request a preaward debriefing under FAR 15.505 (or defer it until after award). The debriefing must address your proposal's weaknesses and deficiencies, the evaluated price and rating of your proposal and the awardee's, the rationale for award, and answers to your relevant questions.
Does a debriefing affect my deadline to file a bid protest?
Yes. At the GAO, protest timeliness rules tie to required debriefings: when a debriefing is required and timely requested, a protest filed after the debriefing can be timely if filed within the applicable window (generally within 10 days of when the basis of protest was or should have been known, with a separate timing rule to preserve the automatic stay). The deadlines are short and strictly enforced, so if your debriefing suggests the agency departed from its stated evaluation factors, calendar the protest deadline immediately and consult counsel. Always request the debriefing in writing within the FAR window to keep these rights intact.
Primary Sources
- FAR 15.506 — Postaward debriefing of offerors
- FAR 15.505 — Preaward debriefing of offerors
- FAR 15.503 — Notifications to unsuccessful offerors
Plain-English reference, not legal advice. How a source selection is conducted, and which evaluation method and procedures apply, is set by the specific solicitation, and the FAR is periodically amended — always read the actual solicitation (especially Sections L and M) and confirm its terms with the contracting officer before relying on this.
Change log (1)
- LaunchedPublished the federal source selection & evaluation methods reference covering how the government evaluates proposals and picks a winner — the best-value tradeoff (FAR 15.101-1), lowest-price technically-acceptable (LPTA, FAR 15.101-2), evaluation factors and subfactors (FAR 15.304), the technical and past-performance evaluations (FAR 15.305), price and cost analysis (FAR 15.404-1), the competitive range (FAR 15.306(c)), discussions and final proposal revisions (FAR 15.306(d) / 15.307), award without discussions (FAR 15.306(a)(3) / 52.215-1), oral presentations (FAR 15.102), the responsibility determination and Certificate of Competency (FAR 9.104 / Subpart 19.6), and debriefings (FAR 15.505 / 15.506) — each with a key-features table, a how-to-win checklist, common pitfalls, an SDVOSB-specific angle, FAQPage, Article, Dataset, and BreadcrumbList structured data, primary-source FAR citations, and cross-links into the glossary, solicitation types, clauses, contract types, how-to guides, FAQ, and the win-probability and price-to-win calculators.