Debriefing should be tailored to the particular procurement and for each tenderer. The amount of detail covered will vary according to the nature of the procurement and the experience the particular tenderer has with the acquiring entity and in government procurement generally. For example, a tenderer that is not familiar with the entity's procurement practices may benefit from being informed about an entity's general procurement arrangements, in addition to details about the particular procurement process that is the main subject of the debriefing.

Debriefing should take place at a mutually convenient time and as soon as practicable after the contract is awarded and signed.

In the case of a two-stage procurement process, debriefing can be undertaken for tenderers not included in a short-list of tenderers to be considered in the second stage of the evaluation.

Requests for debriefing will usually arise when unsuccessful tenderers are informed of their elimination from the selection process. It is generally most effective and efficient to debrief all tenderers as quickly as possible at the short-list or contract award stage.

Unsuccessful tenderers should be debriefed individually in a professional manner. In providing feedback, whether in person or in writing, officials should provide:

•  an explanation of why the submission was unsuccessful;

•  information about areas of weakness or non-compliance in the submission; and

•  suggestions on how to improve future submissions.

It may be beneficial to ask unsuccessful tenderers to provide a list of questions prior to the debriefing session to determine the key issues the tenderer would like to focus on.83

It is generally most effective and efficient to debrief all tenderers as quickly as possible at the short-list or contract award stage.

Good Practice Tip: Approach to debriefing

The general sequence of events for debriefings is:

•  clear material and approach as necessary with senior management;

•  send formal advice to unsuccessful tenderers, including an offer to debrief;

•  await request for debriefing from one or more of the unsuccessful tenderers;

•  agree time(s), date(s) and venue for debriefing;

•  prepare debriefing material from the tender evaluation report; and

•  conduct briefing.