Debriefings should not include which of the following?

• A. Trade secrets
• B. The make and model of the item
• C. The unit price of the award
• D. Past performance ratings of the debriefed offeror

Answer: (A)

Debriefings are meant to inform an unsuccessful offeror about why the award went to another bidder, using information that is non-sensitive and non-confidential. The key idea is to share the evaluation results and the basis for the decision without exposing confidential business information. Trade secrets fall into this protected category because they reveal secret processes, formulas, or cost data that give a company a competitive edge. Revealing them would unfairly disadvantage the offeror’s competitors and could run afoul of privacy and procurement rules.

Because of that, trade secrets should not be part of a debriefing. In contrast, information such as the make and model of the item, the unit price of the award, and the past performance ratings of the debriefed offeror can be shared to illustrate how the decision was made and how the competing proposals measured up, while still focusing on objective evaluation criteria and the award rationale.