Losing a bid should teach you something. Make it.

1. Ask for the debrief

Most Australian government buyers offer a debrief on request — and the ones that do will tell you where you lost points. Fill this in and send it within the standstill or notification window.

Subject: Debrief request — [tender title]

Dear [buyer] procurement team,

Thank you for the outcome notification for [tender title]. Congratulations to the successful supplier.

We would like to request a debrief under the tender's debriefing process. Specifically, we would value feedback on:

1. Our score against each published criterion, compared with the successful response.
2. Any compliance or returnable-document issues recorded against our submission.
3. Any pricing observations the panel is able to share within probity limits.
4. Whether a future opportunity in this category is expected, and how we can be considered.

We are happy to attend a short session at your convenience, and we will treat the feedback in confidence.

Kind regards,
[your name]
[your company]

2. Keep the win/loss log

After three or four debriefs you start seeing the pattern: the same criterion costing you, the same document missing. The log lives in this browser only — export it when you want it in your own system.

3. What a good debrief gives you

• Your score per criterion — and the winning score where the buyer can share it. This is the only honest benchmark you will ever get.
• The disqualifier, if there was one — compliance and returnables first; most losses are administrative.
• Whether price was decisive — ask for the winning price band, not the exact figure, if probity limits it.
• The next opportunity — panels refresh, recurring contracts and forward procurement plans are fair game to ask about.

Buyers are not obliged to reveal another bidder's confidential information, and probity rules limit what they can share. Ask anyway: the answer is usually more than you expect, and the request itself puts you on the buyer's list.