FAR 52.201-1—Acquisition 360: Voluntary Survey.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 52.201-1, Acquisition 360: Voluntary Survey, is a solicitation provision that invites actual and potential offerors to give anonymous feedback on the Government’s preaward and debriefing processes for a specific acquisition. It explains who may participate, how feedback is submitted, the timing of submission (up to 45 days after award), and the fact that the survey is accessed through the Acquisition.gov 360 link. The provision also makes clear that the Contracting Officer will not review the information until after award and will not use it in making the award decision. Just as importantly, it states that the survey is entirely voluntary and does not create any protections, rights, or protest grounds for participants. In practice, this provision is meant to improve acquisition quality and debriefing practices by giving agencies candid, constructive feedback without affecting source selection or creating procedural entitlements for offerors.
Key Rules
Voluntary feedback only
Participation in the survey is optional for all actual and potential offerors. No one is required to submit feedback, and choosing not to participate has no adverse effect on the offeror’s standing in the procurement.
Applies to preaward and debriefings
The survey is intended to collect feedback on the preaward process and debriefing process, as applicable, for a specific acquisition. It is not a general complaint channel and is tied to the particular procurement experience.
Submission window ends at 45 days
Feedback may be provided to agencies up to 45 days after award. After that period, the survey is no longer the intended mechanism for that acquisition’s feedback.
Anonymous unless self-identified
Survey responses are anonymous by default. If a participant chooses to identify themselves in the survey, anonymity is lost only to that extent.
No award influence
The Contracting Officer will not review survey information until after contract award and will not consider it in the award decision. The survey cannot be used to influence source selection or evaluation outcomes.
No legal rights created
The provision expressly states that the survey does not convey any protections, rights, or grounds for protest. It is a feedback tool only and does not expand a contractor’s procedural remedies.
Responsibilities
Actual and potential offerors
May voluntarily submit feedback on the preaward and debriefing processes for a specific acquisition, using the Acquisition.gov 360 survey link, and must do so within 45 days after award if they want the feedback considered timely. They should understand that responses are generally anonymous unless they choose to identify themselves.
Contracting Officer
Must include the provision when prescribed and must not review survey information until after award. The Contracting Officer must also ensure the survey is not used in the award decision and should treat it as post-award feedback only.
Agency
May receive and use the feedback to improve acquisition and debriefing practices, but only as a constructive, post-award input mechanism. The agency should not treat survey participation as part of the procurement record affecting award or protest rights.
Practical Implications
This provision is about process improvement, not procurement leverage: contractors should not expect survey responses to affect award outcomes or create protest rights.
Because responses are anonymous unless self-identified, offerors should think carefully before including identifying details if they want candid feedback to remain private.
The 45-day post-award window matters; feedback submitted too late may not be captured as intended for that acquisition.
Contracting Officers should keep the survey completely separate from source selection and award documentation to avoid any appearance of improper influence.
Offerors should use the survey to give specific, constructive comments on communication, debriefing quality, and process clarity rather than to reargue the merits of the award.
Official Regulatory Text
As prescribed in 1.102-3 (b) , insert the following provision: Acquisition 360: Voluntary Survey (Sep 2023) (a) All actual and potential offerors are encouraged to provide feedback on the preaward and debriefing processes, as applicable. Feedback may be provided to agencies up to 45 days after award. The feedback is anonymous, unless the participant self-identifies in the survey. Actual and potential offerors can participate in the survey by selecting the following link: https://www.acquisition.gov/360 . (b) The Contracting Officer will not review the information provided until after contract award and will not consider it in the award decision. The survey is voluntary and does not convey any protections, rights, or grounds for protest. It creates a way for actual and potential offerors to provide the Government constructive feedback about the preaward and debriefing processes, as applicable, used for a specific acquisition. (End of provision)