Call for Tender for media monitoring services

The contract timeline is structured as follows:

• Framework Contract (FWC) Start Date: The FWC enters into force on the date the last party signs it.
• FWC Total Duration: The maximum duration of the FWC is 48 months from its entry into force.
• Specific Contract Start Date: Each Specific Contract enters into force on the date the last party signs it. The provision of services for a specific contract begins either on its entry into force date or the later of two dates: the date it is signed by the last contracting party and a specified DD-MM-YY.
• Specific Contract Duration: The maximum period for the provision of services under a specific contract is a specified number of days/months/years, which can only be extended by written agreement.
• Key Milestones/Phases:
• Phase-in and test phase: This phase will last up to six to eight weeks from the signing of the first specific contract and is scheduled for Q1 2027.
• Within one month after the signing of the first specific contract, the contractor must ensure all technical requirements for the delivery of the Basic Service are in place, in cooperation with the Joint Research Centre (JRC).
• By the end of eight weeks from the signing of the first specific contract, the delivery of the Basic Service must be fully operational.
• The contractor will also begin work on delivering up to three products (Daily Top Stories, Daily News Summaries, and Media Reviews) during this phase.
• The delivery of these initial products must be fully operational by the end of 12 weeks from the signing of the first specific contract.
• Calculation of Periods: All specified periods are calculated in calendar days, unless stated otherwise.

The core scope of work for this tender involves comprehensive media monitoring services. This includes monitoring e-papers of requested news outlets and selecting relevant articles based on pre-set criteria. The selected media items must be made available on the contractor's IT platform for up to 10 Commission staff.

A key aspect is the production of summaries:

• English summaries are required for each selected article, ranging from 500 to 800 characters without spaces.
• For items from paid sources, a summary in English (between 100 and 200 words) is required.
• For "Top items," an English summary (between 100 and 200 words) must be produced, emphasizing accuracy without paraphrasing or personal interpretation.
• For Top items and articles from paywalled online sources, summaries should be between 500 and 1500 characters, ensuring accuracy and precise quoting of speakers where applicable.

The contractor is also responsible for translating the headline of each item into English. If an article features specific high-ranking officials (e.g., Members of the College of Commissioners, senior Commission officials), this must be indicated in the headline, including the person's name and function.

For online media items, essential metadata such as the source name, date of publication, author's full name (if available), hyperlink/URL to the original article, and relevant policy areas must always be included.

Other core deliverables include:

• Daily News Summaries for EU Member States and potentially non-EU countries, with specific delivery timings (e.g., by 7:45 AM on working days and 8:30 AM on weekends and Commission holidays, with options for earlier or later delivery).
• Morning Media Reviews, which are English overviews summarizing key themes in the media about the EU, its leaders, institutions, policies, and activities, organized into main and sub-sections with accompanying media items.
• Emails containing these summaries, sent to a maximum of 10 specific Commission email addresses no later than 10:00 PM, following agreed standards and including hyperlinks to the contractor's IT platform.