Pre-Award Notifications in a Set-Aside Procurement: Can I Get a Debriefing Now?

If you pursue contracts that are set aside for small businesses, you have probably noticed that if your proposal is not successful, you will get what is called a “pre-award” notification from the agency informing you of the identity of “apparently successful offeror.” If you receive such a notice, you may be eager to get a debriefing to find out why your company was not identified as the “apparently successful offeror.” However, receiving a pre-award notification on a set-aside contract does not mean that the next step in the procurement is that you will receive a debriefing.