Section 809 Panel - Recommendation #69 - Provide as Part of a Debriefing, in All Procurements Where a Debriefing Is Required, a Redacted Source Selection Decision Document and the Technical Evaluation of the Vendor Receiving the Debriefing

Abstract

Despite the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Myth-busting 3 memo, which explains how meaningful debriefings can mitigate the risk of protest, many Department of Defense contracting agencies do not consider debriefings as a means of avoiding protests. This perception results in debriefings that many industry and private bar stakeholders described as adversarial, incomplete, and insufficient for informing unsuccessful offerors of the government's rationale for making an award. Congress should expand the Section 818 requirement to provide a redacted source selection decision document as part of a debriefing for all situations in which a debriefing is required and to also provide the technical evaluation documentation of the vendor requesting the debriefing. Providing this additional transparency should minimize the likelihood contractors will file protests because of a lack of information.