govcon.forum

Am I owed a debrief if the award was under FAR 8 or 13, or only under FAR 15?

Ask a question
Asked Active Viewed 1 timeQuestion
1answer

I lost two federal opportunities this month and requested a debrief for both. One was a GSA Schedule order for court reporting services, NAICS 561210, issued as an RFQ. The other was a small business set-aside RFQ for legal support services, also NAICS 561210, below the simplified acquisition threshold.

The contracting officer for the GSA order gave me a quick call and said our price was too high. The contracting officer for the simplified acquisition told me that no debrief was required since the procurement was under FAR Part 13. I know that FAR 15.506 requires a postaward debriefing, but I'm confused about what I am owed under FAR 8 (for GSA Schedule orders) or FAR 13 (for simplified acquisitions).

What are the rules for debriefs when the award is under FAR 8 or FAR 13? How does the protest clock work if the agency says no formal debrief is required?

asked Luis A. Verified vendorSDVOSB founder, court reporting and legal support · San Antonio, TX · 299 rep

1 answer

0

You are not owed a formal debriefing under FAR Part 8 or FAR Part 13, as the requirement for a postaward debriefing is found in FAR 15.506. FAR Part 8 covers required sources of supplies and services, including GSA Multiple Award Schedule contracts. FAR Part 13 covers simplified acquisition procedures. Neither of these parts mandates a formal debriefing process like FAR Part 15, which applies to contracting by negotiation. The contracting officer for your GSA order gave you a courtesy call, which is common. For the simplified acquisition, the contracting officer was correct that a formal debrief is not required. If you want to protest, a GAO protest must be filed not later than 10 days after the basis of protest is known or should have been known, whichever is earlier (4 CFR 21.2(a)(2)). Since no debriefing was offered or required, the protest clock starts from when you received notification of the award.

answered Tom B. Construction estimator, public works · Phoenix, AZ · 262 rep

Your answer

Sign up to answerCite the FAR clause or procurement code where you can.