CLEAR Feedback Act

Summary#

This bill amends the Small Business Act to require Federal agencies to give enhanced debriefing materials to small businesses that are denied Phase I, Phase II, or Phase III SBIR or STTR awards for reasons other than those listed in existing paragraphs. The enhanced debriefing is available if the small business requests it within 14 business days after the denial. The debriefing must include an agency evaluation of significant deficiencies, an overall ranking of the proposal compared to others, and a summary of the rationale for denial. After receiving the enhanced debriefing, the small business may submit additional questions within 7 business days. The agency must answer those questions within 14 business days of receiving them.

What it means for you#

• If you are a small business that applied for an SBIR or STTR award and were denied, you can request an enhanced debriefing within 14 business days.
• The debriefing will explain the main weaknesses in your proposal, show where your proposal ranked overall, and give the reasons the award was denied.
• You can send follow-up questions within 7 business days after you get the debriefing, and the agency must reply within 14 business days after it gets your questions.
• Federal agencies must set up a process to provide these materials and follow the deadlines above.

Expenses#

The bill text requires agencies to establish and operate a debriefing process and meet short response deadlines. No publicly available information on estimated costs, funding, or specific resource needs is included in the bill text or metadata.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.