1. Buyer
1.1.
Buyer
Official name: European Commission, ENEST - Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood
Legal type of the buyer: EU institution, body or agency
Activity of the contracting authority: General public services
2. Procedure
2.1.
Procedure
Title: ENEST regional communication programme (2027-2031)
Description: The European Union's engagement with partner countries has gained renewed strategic importance in response to the evolving geopolitical environment and the renewed momentum of the enlargement process. The programme covers partner countries at different stages of their relationship with the European Union, requiring communication approaches that reflect their respective political contexts, policy priorities and communication needs. Communication challenges differ by the fact that public awareness of the European Union's support remains uneven across the region. While the European Union is the largest donor, investor and trading partner for most partner countries, public understanding of the scale and impact of EU support, as well as of the accession process itself, remains limited. Recent perception surveys carried out under the regional communication programmes show that many citizens are insufficiently informed about the European Union's policies, financial assistance and priorities. Against this background, strategic communication has become an integral part of the European Union's engagement with partner countries. Previous regional communication programmes have successfully increased the visibility of the European Union, developed valuable communication tools and established networks of partners and multipliers across the region. The future programme will continue this effort and adopt a more strategic and service-oriented approach in supporting DG ENEST and EU Delegations communicating the European Union's priorities across partner countries. The programme will provide communication campaigns and products, strengthen engagement with key multipliers, improve the visibility of EU support, generate communication intelligence and audience insights, and offer flexible communication services that can be mobilised in response to operational needs. This approach will ensure greater coherence across partner countries while allowing communication activities to be adapted to national contexts and emerging geopolitical developments.
Procedure identifier: 950b9dc5-e4ae-43f4-8cb9-09754b5561ba
Internal identifier: EC-ENEST/2026/EA-RP/0081
Type of procedure: Restricted
The procedure is accelerated: no
2.1.1.
Purpose
Main nature of the contract: Services
Main classification (cpv): 79341400 Advertising campaign services
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Country: Albania
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Country: Armenia
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Country: Azerbaijan
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Country: Belarus
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Country: Georgia
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Country: Moldova
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Country: North Macedonia
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Country: Montenegro
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Country: Serbia
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Country: Türkiye
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Country: Ukraine
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Country: Kosovo
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.3.
Value
Estimated value excluding VAT: 12 000 000,00 EUR
2.1.4.
General information
Additional information: For any additional information, please refer to the document A5f "Additional information about the Contract Notice". In case of unavailability or disruptions in the functioning of the electronic means of communication provided in Section 5.1.11 in the last 5 calendar days before the time limit for receipt indicated in Section 5.1.12, the contracting authority reserves the right to extend this time limit and publish the extension at the Internet address provided in Section 5.1.11, without a preceding publication of a corrigendum to this notice. Economic operators interested in this procurement are invited to subscribe to the call for tenders at the address in Section 5.1.11 in order to get notified when new information or documents are published.
Legal basis:
Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509
LocalLaw - Procurement award procedure applying to European Union external actions financed from the general budget of the European Union and the European Development Fund (EDF)
2.1.6.
Grounds for exclusion
Sources of grounds for exclusion: Procurement Document
5. Lot
5.1.
Lot: LOT-0001
Title: ENEST regional communication programme (2027-2031)
Description: The European Union's engagement with partner countries has gained renewed strategic importance in response to the evolving geopolitical environment and the renewed momentum of the enlargement process. The programme covers partner countries at different stages of their relationship with the European Union, requiring communication approaches that reflect their respective political contexts, policy priorities and communication needs. Communication challenges differ by the fact that public awareness of the European Union's support remains uneven across the region. While the European Union is the largest donor, investor and trading partner for most partner countries, public understanding of the scale and impact of EU support, as well as of the accession process itself, remains limited. Recent perception surveys carried out under the regional communication programmes show that many citizens are insufficiently informed about the European Union's policies, financial assistance and priorities. Against this background, strategic communication has become an integral part of the European Union's engagement with partner countries. Previous regional communication programmes have successfully increased the visibility of the European Union, developed valuable communication tools and established networks of partners and multipliers across the region. The future programme will continue this effort and adopt a more strategic and service-oriented approach in supporting DG ENEST and EU Delegations communicating the European Union's priorities across partner countries. The programme will provide communication campaigns and products, strengthen engagement with key multipliers, improve the visibility of EU support, generate communication intelligence and audience insights, and offer flexible communication services that can be mobilised in response to operational needs. This approach will ensure greater coherence across partner countries while allowing communication activities to be adapted to national contexts and emerging geopolitical developments.
Internal identifier: EC-ENEST/2026/EA-RP/0081
5.1.1.
Purpose
Main nature of the contract: Services
Main classification (cpv): 79341400 Advertising campaign services
Additional classification (cpv): 79320000 Public-opinion polling services, 79341000 Advertising services, 39294100 Information and promotion products
Options:
Description of the options: provided they are in conformity with the basic project, new services or works consisting in the repetition of similar services or works, may be entrusted up to 50 % of the initial contract to the initial contractor by negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice.
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Country subdivision (NUTS): Extra-Regio NUTS 3 (RSZZZ)
Country: Serbia
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Country subdivision (NUTS): Extra-Regio NUTS 3 (ALZZZ)
Country: Albania
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere
Additional information: The contract will be performed in Armenia
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere
Additional information: The contract will be performed in Belarus
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere
Additional information: The contract will be performed in Georgia
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere
Additional information: The contract will be performed in Moldova
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere
Additional information: The contract will be performed in Ukraine
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Country subdivision (NUTS): Extra-Regio NUTS 3 (XKZZZ)
Country: Kosovo
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Country subdivision (NUTS): Extra-Regio NUTS 3 (TRZZZ)
Country: Türkiye
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere
Additional information: The contract will be performed in Azerbaijan
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Country subdivision (NUTS): Extra-Regio NUTS 3 (MEZZZ)
Country: Montenegro
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Country subdivision (NUTS): Extra-Regio NUTS 3 (MKZZZ)
Country: North Macedonia
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere
Additional information: The contract will be performed in Europe apart from EU
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere
Additional information: The contract will be performed in Region IPA instrument
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere
Additional information: The contract will be performed in Bosnia and Herzegovina
5.1.3.
Estimated duration
Duration: 48 Months
5.1.5.
Value
Estimated value excluding VAT: 12 000 000,00 EUR
5.1.6.
General information
Reserved participation:
Participation is not reserved.
Procurement Project fully or partially financed with EU Funds.
Information about European Union funds:
EU funds programme: Instrument for Pre-accession assistance (IPA III) (2021/2027)
Information about European Union funds:
EU funds programme: Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) (2021/2027)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA): no
Additional information: The procurement is funded by the following EU programme: Neighbourhood,Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance.
5.1.9.
Selection criteria
Sources of selection criteria: Procurement Document
Information about the second stage of a two-stage procedure:
Minimum number of candidates to be invited for the second stage of the procedure: 4
Maximum number of candidates to be invited for the second stage of the procedure: 8
5.1.10.
Award criteria
Criterion:
Type: Quality
Description: Please consult the procurement documents.
Category of award weight criterion: Weight (percentage, exact)
Award criterion number: 80
Criterion:
Type: Price
Description: Please consult the procurement documents.
Category of award weight criterion: Weight (percentage, exact)
Award criterion number: 20
5.1.11.
Procurement documents
Ad hoc communication channel:
Name: Funding and Tenders Portal
5.1.12.
Terms of procurement
Terms of submission:
Electronic submission: Required
Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted: English
Electronic catalogue: Not allowed
Deadline for receipt of requests to participate: 12/10/2026 12:00:59 (UTC+02:00) Eastern European Time, Central European Summer Time
Terms of contract:
The execution of the contract must be performed within the framework of sheltered employment programmes: No
Electronic invoicing: Allowed
Electronic ordering will be used: yes
Electronic payment will be used: yes
5.1.15.
Techniques
Framework agreement:
No framework agreement
Information about the dynamic purchasing system:
No dynamic purchase system
5.1.16.
Further information, mediation and review
Review organisation: Court of Justice of the European Union
Organisation providing more information on the review procedures: European Commission, ENEST - Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood
8. Organisations
8.1.
ORG-0001
Official name: European Commission, ENEST - Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood
Registration number: COM
Department: ENEST.01 - Strategic Coordination & Communication
Postal address: Rue de la Loi 15
Town: Brussels
Postcode: B-1049
Country subdivision (NUTS): Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad (BE100)
Country: Belgium
Telephone: +32 2 299 11 11
Roles of this organisation:
Buyer
Organisation providing more information on the review procedures
8.1.
ORG-0002
Official name: Court of Justice of the European Union
Registration number: CURIA
Postal address: Rue du Fort Niedergrünewald
Town: Luxembourg
Postcode: L-2925
Country subdivision (NUTS): Luxembourg (LU000)
Country: Luxembourg
Telephone: +352 4303-1
Roles of this organisation:
Review organisation
8.1.
ORG-0003
Official name: European Commission
Registration number: EUCOM
Postal address: Mondrian (CDMA), Rue du Champ de Mars 21
Town: Brussels
Postcode: B-1050
Country subdivision (NUTS): Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad (BE100)
Country: Belgium
Telephone: +32 2 299 11 11
Roles of this organisation:
TED eSender
Notice identifier/version: 50d923f7-b273-4835-99e6-ffbac7321edf - 01
Form type: Competition
Notice type: Contract or concession notice – standard regime
Notice subtype: 16
Notice dispatch date: 10/09/2026 09:14:50 (UTC+02:00) Eastern European Time, Central European Summer Time
Languages in which this notice is officially available: English
Notice publication number: 627722-2026
OJ S issue number: 176/2026
Publication date: 11/09/2026