Debriefing

A debriefing is the agency’s post-award explanation of how an offeror’s proposal was evaluated relative to the stated criteria.
While content varies, debriefs typically summarize strengths, weaknesses, significant weaknesses, and the rationale for award.
Offerors use debriefs to capture lessons learned and assess whether grounds exist for a protest. Effective debrief participation
is professional, fact-focused, and inquisitive; vendors avoid arguing merits and instead seek clarity to improve future bids.
Timelines are critical, as protest clocks may start upon debriefing. Well-prepared teams bring their compliance matrix and
annotated outline to map feedback to proposal sections.