Polaris Post-Submission and Evaluation Guide
Purpose: This comprehensive guide clarifies the status of your proposal after the submission deadline has passed. It explains the rules for data retention, how to handle government inquiries, and the process for accessing your official debrief documents.
Table of Contents
1. Monitor Proposal Status and Data Lock
3. Handle Requests for Clarification
4. Access Final Results and Debriefs
Before You Start
Make sure you know the following essential facts for the post-submission period:
Data Freeze: Your proposal is locked and cannot be modified, edited, or retracted. Changes made in My Company will not affect your submitted offer.
- GSA Contact: All official communications regarding the evaluation timeline must be directed to Polaris@gsa.gov.
Warning: The system's status (Submitted) will not update even if GSA issues the final award notification.
Steps
1. Monitor Proposal Status and Data Lock
After you certify and submit your proposal, the portal's function shifts to a read-only confirmation status.
- Monitor the portal for final determination messages from GSA.
- Check the status of your proposal on the Submitted (View) link.
Note: The status in Symphony (e.g., "Submitted") will not update during evaluation. Refer to GSA's official announcements for the source selection timeline. 
Submission Details screen showing the status as 'Submitted’.
2. Monitor Notifications
Symphony notifies key users when the Program Office requests clarification. It also sends updates on evaluations and awards.
- Sign in to the PSP (Polaris Symphony Portal).
- View the Dashboard for a notification icon next to your submission.
- Symphony will send notifications to SAM POC Administrators, the Open Market Proposal Manager, the submission Contract Manager, and the Program Manager.
User management screen showing the Group Membership options, Proposal Manager Assignment, and a role selected.
3. Handle Requests for Clarification
Notifications are how a user learns about a clarification. You must respond quickly to the request from the government during the evaluation phase.
- Access: When notified, log in and go to your submitted proposal's Clarifications tab.
- Review Inquiry: Review the Program Office's inquiry, noting the deadline.
- Submit Response: Enter your clarifying information and any supporting documents.
- Click Submit Response.
Warning: You cannot recall or edit your response after submission. If you need to correct a mistake, you must email the Program Office directly.
Clarifications tab showing an inquiry and the area for the response narrative.
4. Access Final Results and Debriefs
Final evaluation results and debrief documents are made available for download within the portal.
- Notification: When the final award is announced, you will receive a notification outside of Symphony.
- Access Debriefs: Log in and select the Submitted View for your proposal.
- Go to the Debrief tab.
- Click Download to retrieve the Debrief Letter and any attachments.
The Debrief section showing the download option for the Debrief Letter.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Fix |
I need to correct a mistake in my original submission documents. | Your proposal is locked. You must contact the Program Office at Polaris@gsa.gov directly and advise them of the correction. |
You cannot submit a clarification response. | You must be an Administrator or Open Market Proposal Manager to respond. Ask a company administrator to assign you the required role. |
The status shows Submitted, but no new information is available. | This is normal. The data is frozen during evaluation. Refer to GSA's official announcements on SAM.gov for the source selection timeline. |
I see errors in my Proposal Summary (Live Score). | The proposal is locked. These advisory messages were present at submission and are part of the evaluation record. They cannot be cleared. |
Related Articles / Links
- Manage Post-Submission Communications and Results—How to handle government inquiries
- GSA Polaris Official Website—Link to official program site
- Submit a Ticket to the Symphony Help Desk—For technical issues
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