Debriefing

I was not successful, what will I be told?

Want to know why your offer was not accepted?

I was not successful, what will I be told?

If you are unsuccessful in a bid you are entitled to the following information:

If the value of the procurement is over the Free Trade Agreements threshold (see the Free Trade Agreements Guideline), on request, the agency must promptly provide the supplier with a written explanation of the reasons that its tender application was not selected.

Want to know why your offer was not accepted?

If your quote or tender was not successful, it is recommended that you seek a debriefing interview with the relevant agency to find out why.

The primary purpose of the debriefing interview is to help you submit more competitive bids in the future by identifying the ways in which your offer could have been improved. In relation to building and construction/roads and bridges, the debriefing interview is usually held with the main contractor/consultant; while sub-contractors/-consultants that have assisted with the preparation of the tender do not attend. Therefore, to improve the effectiveness of competition at the sub-contractor/-consultant level, the main contractor/-consultant should pass on to the sub-contractors/-consultants any relevant briefing information that impacts on their component of the tender.

Discussion will be limited to your offer. No comparisons will be made with the winning offer or any other offer. In fact, no aspect of the winning offer, or any other offer, can be discussed. The debriefing interview will not be used to justify the selection of the successful offer.

At the debriefing interview, at least one member from the evaluation committee will attend and the discussion will cover:

• how your offer performed with respect to meeting the evaluation criteria;
• the strengths of your offer; and
• the weaknesses of your offer.

Examples of issues that may be discussed at the debriefing are:

• an indication of your cost competitiveness;
• the levels of compliance in meeting the specification and evaluation criteria;
• any tender or contractual issues that arose from your bid;
• any perceived design deficiencies;
• after-sales service issues;
• delivery dates;
• your administrative or management systems;
• your industrial relations record;
• quality management issues;
• your experience, qualifications, referee reports or past performance;
• the nominated personnel - number, experience, skills, knowledge, and quality of management;
• facilities or equipment issues; and/or
• sub-contracting issues such as inadequate control mechanisms.

If you have a complaint about the selection process click here.