Losing a federal tender is common, even for strong suppliers. What sets successful suppliers apart is often what they do next. A debrief is the one formal chance to hear how the agency saw your bid, and it costs nothing but an hour of your time.

Your right to a debrief

Paragraph 7.17 of the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) says that after a submission is rejected or a contract is awarded, officials must promptly tell affected tenderers of the decision. That notice should be in writing, and must be if you ask for it. Debriefings must be made available, on request, to unsuccessful tenderers, explaining why their submission was unsuccessful, and also to the successful supplier (Accountability and transparency (opens in a new tab)).

The Department of Finance goes further in its guidance: as good practice, agencies should offer a full debrief to unsuccessful tenderers whether or not they ask (Providing Feedback (opens in a new tab)). Many agencies do. If one is not offered, ask for it. The tender documents usually name a contact officer, and they are the person to ask. Finance notes that it is still updating its guidance pages for the CPR changes that took effect on 17 November 2025, so the CPRs themselves are the firmer source.

Winning is also a good reason to ask. A debrief after a win tells you what the agency valued, which helps you keep that edge when the contract comes up again.

What a debrief covers

Finance's Selling to Government site says a debrief is meant to help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of your response, not to justify the choice of the winner (Debriefing and feedback (opens in a new tab)). Topics may include:

  • whether you met the minimum requirements and conditions for participation
  • how your response measured against the evaluation criteria
  • the strengths and weaknesses of your response
  • how your experience, qualifications, referees or past performance came across
  • an indication of how competitive your price was
  • your management systems, quality issues, nominated people, facilities or subcontracting
  • your understanding of how federal procurement works

Debriefs can be held by phone, by email, or face to face.

What it will not cover

The agency will not discuss another business's tender response. Tender responses are treated as confidential, and your response is compared with the evaluation criteria, not with other bids. So "why did they win?" is the wrong question. "Where did we lose marks?" is the right one.

How to prepare

Finance suggests that agencies may ask you for a list of questions before the session, and the Selling to Government site recommends thinking ahead about what you want to learn. Useful questions from its checklist include:

  • How well did our response address your requirements?
  • How was it assessed against each evaluation criterion?
  • Where could it be improved?
  • Was it easy to assess, and were our examples and evidence relevant?
  • Was it clear how our response showed value for money?
  • Was our price competitive?

Go in to listen rather than argue. Take notes, thank the team, and keep it short. A debrief is also a rare chance for a calm, professional conversation with the people who buy in your field.

Turning feedback into the next bid

Feedback is most useful when the same work comes up again. The contract you lost will have an end date, and it will usually be published on AusTender as a contract notice once it is awarded. Note that end date and any extension options, and start preparing well before it. Our guides on when contracts end and preparing for a re-tender 6 to 12 months out cover how to use that time, and reading a contract notice explains where to find those dates.

Keeping the next round in view

Contract Horizon lists federal contracts ending in the next 3 to 12 months, so a contract you bid on will come back into view as its end date approaches. A free account lets you save a search and add matching end dates to your own calendar, so the next round reaches you in good time. Paid plans add the full list, more saved searches and daily digests, and Pro and Team show the re-tender score, which is how often that agency has given similar work to a new supplier, a useful guide to whether the next round is worth the effort. The pricing page sets out what each plan includes.

Contract Horizon is an independent reading of the public record. The tender documents and AusTender are always the source to check.