What to expect during the award process | GSA Countdown to America's 250th Anniversary: close Official websites use .gov .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS lock or means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. What to expect during the award process The contract solicitation details how offers will be evaluated during the award process (also referred to as the source selection process). This process may be formal or informal. We use a formal award process for high-dollar value or complex acquisitions. In general, the formal process includes these stages, but it may differ as needed to allow the government to make the best decision. Informal source selection procedures may not include all of these stages. Competitive range communications In the early stages of the award process, we may communicate with you to help us determine if your proposal falls in the competitive range and to: Address ambiguities in the proposal Obtain information relating to relevant past performance Resolve other concerns Negotiations If we determine your proposal is in the competitive range, we may proceed into negotiations (also referred to as discussions). At this time you may be allowed to revise your proposal and have an opportunity to: Respond to any deficiencies or significant weaknesses Address any adverse past performance information Alter or explain elements of your proposal to enhance its award potential Award notification If your business is awarded the contract, you’ll be notified by the contracting officer of the award and provided an official start date. If your business isn’t awarded the contract, you’ll be notified and provided with information on how to request a debriefing. Elimination from consideration notification At any point in the award process, regardless of what exchanges or communications have or have not taken place, we may eliminate your proposal from consideration for award. We’ll provide you with a written notice of this decision along with information on how to request a debriefing. We encourage you to consider participating in a debriefing as it will help you understand why your business was not selected. It’s a powerful opportunity to learn which parts of your marketing and bidding strategy are effective and which need improvement. Register your business completed Certify as small (optional) completed Get on Schedule (optional) completed Market your business completed Research solicitations completed Respond to a solicitation completed What to expect next Print Page Email Page Top Choose a location Error, The Per Diem API is not responding. Please try again later. No results could be found for the location you've entered. Get my location OR State City (optional) OR ZIP Rates for Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories and possessions are set by the Department of Defense. Rates for foreign countries are set by the Department of State. Choose a date Select fiscal year OR Travel start date (mm/dd/yyyy) Travel end date (mm/dd/yyyy) Rates are available between 10/1/2023 and 09/30/2026. The End Date of your trip can not occur before the Start Date. Additional terms and conditions Traveler reimbursement is based on the location of the work activities and not the accommodations, unless lodging is not available at the work activity, then the agency may authorize the rate where lodging is obtained. Unless otherwise specified, the per diem locality is defined as "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city, including independent entities located within those boundaries." Per diem localities with county definitions shall include "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city as well as the boundaries of the listed counties, including independent entities located within the boundaries of the key city and the listed counties (unless otherwise listed separately)." When a military installation or Government - related facility(whether or not specifically named) is located partially within more than one city or county boundary, the applicable per diem rate for the entire installation or facility is the higher of the rates which apply to the cities and / or counties, even though part(s) of such activities may be located outside the defined per diem locality.