If you are unsuccessful in a bid you are entitled to be told the name of the successful bidder and the total value of their bid. You are also entitled to be debriefed on your submission.

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 debriefing is to help you submit more competitive bids in the future by identifying the ways in which your offer could have been improved.

Discussion will be limited to your offer and should cover:

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

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.

In relation to building and construction/roads and bridges, the debriefing interview is held with the main contractor/consultant - sub-contractors/sub-consultants that have assisted with the preparation of the tender do not attend. Therefore, to improve the effectiveness of competition at the sub-contractor/sub-consultant level, the main contractor/consultant should pass on to any relevant briefing information that impacts on the components of the bid that were prepared by sub-contractors/sub-consultants.

If the procurement is impacted by a free trade agreement, at your request, the agency must provide you with a written explanation of the reasons that your submission was not selected.