Tender debrief questions to ask
How debriefs work in BC public procurement, what information you're entitled to see, and the ten questions that produce feedback you can act on.
Losing a bid stings, and the natural reaction is to file the email and move on to the next one. That's a mistake. A debrief is the only time the buyer will walk you through how your submission was actually scored, by the people who scored it. Go in with the right tender debrief questions and you'll come out knowing exactly what to change. Go in unprepared and you'll get a polite summary you could have guessed. This guide covers how debriefs work in BC public procurement, what you're entitled to see, and the questions worth asking.
How debriefs work in BC public procurement
The Province describes a debrief as a session between a supplier and the government office that issued the solicitation, and an opportunity for the supplier to learn why its submission was not successful and how it might be improved. Its Ministry Guide to the RFP Process, updated in September 2026, adds the practical detail:
- Everyone is entitled to one. All proponents are entitled to a debrief under provincial policy.
- It comes after signing. Provincial policy requires debriefs to take place after the contract has been signed, though you may hear the result earlier.
- It's short. Debriefs typically take between 10 and 45 minutes, in person, by phone or by teleconference.
- It's private. Each proponent that requests one meets the Province separately, and you choose who attends from your side.
- It won't change the result. The guide says plainly that debriefs are not an opportunity to change results or re-compete the opportunity.
Municipalities, school districts, health authorities and other public bodies set their own debrief practices, so check the solicitation document. But the Province's approach is a good benchmark for what to ask for.
What you can expect to see
The Province publishes guidance on what information about a competitive procurement can be routinely released to participants and what needs a formal Freedom of Information request. Knowing it before the meeting stops you wasting time asking for things they can't give you.
| Information | Routinely released to you? |
|---|---|
| Your own ranking among evaluated submissions | Yes, after evaluation |
| Summary of your own evaluation, with your scores and the weightings | Yes, after the contract is signed, as part of the debrief |
| Name of the successful participant | Yes, after the contract is signed |
| Overall score of the successful submission | Yes, after evaluations, if requested |
| Overall contract value | Yes, after the contract is signed |
| Unit or breakdown prices of other submissions | No |
| The ministry's cost estimate | No |
| Your completed evaluation handbook | Through a formal FOI request |
The RFP guide also says the general practice is to prepare a summary of your score sheet showing where points were awarded and where they were lost, with supporting comments, and to give you a copy. Ask for it before or at the meeting so you can read it while the evaluators are in the room.
Tender debrief questions to ask
You'll have somewhere between ten minutes and three-quarters of an hour. Prioritise. These are the questions that produce answers you can act on.
About the scoring
- Which criteria cost us the most points, and what would a full-mark answer have included?
- Did we meet every mandatory requirement cleanly, or was anything borderline?
- Were any of our answers hard to find or in the wrong section?
- Where did we score at or near a minimum score threshold?
About the content
- Were our comparable projects close enough to this one, in type and size?
- Was our proposed team's experience clear, and did the evaluators have questions about any key person?
- Did our approach show we understood the project's specific risks?
About price and the future
- Where did our price rank relative to the others?
- Is there similar work planned, and how will it be procured?
- Is there anything you'd want to see from us next time that we didn't provide?
Notice what's missing: "Why didn't we win?" and "Can you reconsider?" The first is too broad to get a useful answer. The second is not on the table, and asking it signals you're there to argue rather than learn.
Tender debrief questions for price-only bids
On a lowest-price tender, the award goes to the lowest compliant bidder, so there's less to unpack. Still worth asking: was our bid compliant, and if not, why? For construction opportunities covered by trade agreements, the Province says unverified bid results are posted on BC Bid, and its release guidance notes that timely posting of unverified bids helps construction bidders reallocate resources. Read those results every time. Over a year they show you where your numbers land against the field. Our guide on how to use BC Bid shows where to find them.
Turning the debrief into the next win
- Bring two people. One asks, one writes. The person who wrote the proposal should hear the feedback directly.
- Write it up the same day. One page: what scored well, what didn't, and three changes for next time.
- Change your templates. If your project sheets or team bios lost points, fix the master versions, not just the next bid.
- Feed your bid/no-bid screen. If you keep losing on the same criterion with the same type of buyer, either fix it or stop bidding that work.
- If you still think the process was unfair, the Province says suppliers can raise concerns under its vendor complaint process, and trade-agreement-covered procurements have a separate bid protest mechanism. A debrief is the place to understand the scoring first.
Where Pantheon helps
Bid strategy and negotiation support sit in the contract acquisition line of our service catalogue. We can sit in on debriefs with you, turn the feedback into changes to your bid templates and process, and track whether the next submission scores better. It's part of the Business Development pillar, and it pairs naturally with our guide to contractor prequalification. If you've lost a few in a row and can't see why, talk to us: the first conversation is free.
Frequently asked questions
Am I entitled to a debrief after losing a BC government RFP?
Yes. The Province's RFP guide says all proponents are entitled to a debrief, and that debriefs take place after the contract has been signed.
How long does a debrief take?
The Province's guide says debriefs typically take between 10 and 45 minutes and can be held in person, by phone or by teleconference.
Can a debrief change the outcome of a tender?
No. The Province's guide says plainly that debriefs are not an opportunity to change results or re-compete the opportunity.
Can I see my competitors' prices in a debrief?
Not in detail. Under the Province's release guidance, unit or breakdown prices of other submissions are not routinely released, though the overall contract value is released after signing.
What are the best tender debrief questions?
Ask which criteria cost you the most points, whether every mandatory was met cleanly, whether your comparable projects and team were convincing, where your price ranked, and what similar work is coming.
Want a second set of eyes on your next bid?
The first conversation is free and there is no script. Tell us where you want the business to go and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.