20 Years of EU membership for Romania - anniversary campaign - social media component

Planned procurement by the European Commission Representation in Romania for the social media component of the 2027 campaign marking 20 years of Romania’s EU membership, procedure identifier EC-COMM/BUH/2026/MVP/0563-EXA (EXA notice indicating intent to launch a negotiated procedure). Estimated contract value €130,000 with a maximum duration of 15 months and this is a service contract rather than a grant. Expressions of interest must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using an EU Login account by 21 October 2026 at 20:59 Europe/Bucharest, and the full tender documents will be published on the portal when the negotiated procedure is launched.

Opportunity type

Planned negotiated procedure (low/middle value)

Procurement by the European Commission Representation in Romania for agency production of organic, virality-focused social media content to support the 2027 campaign marking 20 years of Romania's EU accession. Submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; this is a notice of intent to launch the procedure 1.

Footnotes

1. 1Full notice and future tender documents will be published on the Funding & Tenders Portal: Tender page.

Tender identification and core facts

Call identifier EC-COMM/BUH/2026/MVP/0563-EXA. Lead contracting authority European Commission, DG COMM - Communication (Representation in Romania). Main CPV 79341000 Advertising services. Nature of contract services. Planned contracted amount estimated at €130,000. Maximum contract duration 15 MONTH. Procedure type publication describes a planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract (reference ExA indicates an announcement of intent to launch such a procedure).

Important dates and submission method

This publication is not the tender itself but a prior information notice of intent to launch a negotiated low or middle value procedure. Key milestones published on the portal are: start date for expression of interest 08/10/2026 (Europe/Brussels), deadline for expression of interest 21/10/2026 20:59 (Europe/Bucharest), and indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure 22/10/2026 (Europe/Bucharest). Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using an EU Login account.

Eligibility, contractual and procedural details

The information published is limited to the planned procurement notice. The tender is classified under advertising services and is intended to procure creative social media production services. The contracting authority is the European Commission Representation in Romania and the procurement is linked to EU communication activities in Romania.

Procurement and technical scope specifics

Practical advice for potential applicants

Potential bidders should ensure they have or can quickly create an EU Login account and are familiar with the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission tools. Prepare standard company documentation commonly required for EC procurements: legal registration, VAT/tax registration, financial capacity proofs, professional and technical capacity statements, recent relevant references in social media campaigns and creative production, key personnel CVs, and examples/case studies of virality-driven social media content. Also prepare proposed approach outlines, content production planning, proposed channels, and indicative budgets that can be adapted into the negotiated tender when published.

Concluding summary

This procurement announcement signals the European Commission Representation in Romania's intention to commission a service contract for creative social media production to support a 2027 campaign marking 20 years since Romania joined the EU. The procedure is published as a prior notice (ExA) for a planned negotiated low/middle value contract. The estimated total budget for the procedure is €130,000 and the contract period may last up to 15 months. Expressions of interest are to be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login required) by the stated deadline. The full tender documents with technical specifications, selection and award criteria, and application templates will be published when the negotiated procedure is launched on the portal. Interested advertising, communications and digital agencies should prepare standard procurement documentation and a strong creative portfolio tailored to virality-driven, channel-specific social media content.

Footnotes

1. 1Opportunity page on the European Commission Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

Funding Opportunity Report

Executive summary

This opportunity concerns a European Commission service contract for the social media component of a communication campaign marking 20 years of Romania’s European Union membership in 2027. The European Commission Representation in Romania is seeking, through a planned negotiated procurement procedure, an agency capable of developing organic, high-impact content for several social media channels.

The estimated total contract value is €130,000, with a maximum contract duration of 15 months. The opportunity is not a grant, so applicants would not receive project funding through a funding-rate model. Instead, the successful economic operator would be paid under a service contract for delivering the required communication services.

The notice is identified as EC-COMM/BUH/2026/MVP/0563-EXA and is classified as a planned negotiated procedure for a low or middle value contract. The European Commission expressly states that an EXA reference announces an intention to launch a future negotiated procedure and is not itself a call for tenders.

Opportunity identity and status

Purpose and scope

The procurement forms part of a wider communication campaign planned by the EC Representation in Romania to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Romania’s accession to the European Union in 2027. This specific procurement covers only the social media component of that campaign.

The selected contractor is expected to provide agency-produced organic content designed for multiple social media channels. The description places emphasis on content with the potential to achieve strong organic reach and virality. The available notice does not specify the precise channels, number of assets, languages, formats, production volumes, approval process, paid media responsibilities, influencer activity, community management obligations, or performance targets. Those matters should be confirmed in the subsequent procurement documents.

Likely service requirements

The future tender documents are likely to define the detailed service requirements. Based on the published description, applicants should be prepared to demonstrate capability in the following areas:

Who can apply

At the current planned-notice stage, the portal does not publish a complete eligibility profile, selection criteria, exclusion requirements, minimum turnover thresholds, technical capacity thresholds, language requirements, or rules for subcontracting and consortium participation.

The opportunity is intended for professional communication, advertising, creative, digital marketing or social media production providers that can perform the required services. Potential applicants may participate as an individual legal entity or, if permitted by the final procedure documents, as a consortium or with subcontractors. The final invitation and tender specifications will determine the legally permitted forms of participation and the evidence that must be submitted.

The portal records the SME suitability indicator as false. This does not by itself establish that SMEs are excluded. It indicates that the opportunity has not been designated in the published data as specifically suitable for SMEs. Smaller agencies should assess whether they can meet the eventual financial, professional, technical and production requirements, potentially using a consortium or subcontracting arrangement where the procurement documents allow it.

Economic operators should expect the final procurement procedure to address standard European Commission requirements, including exclusion grounds, professional standing, legal capacity, financial and economic capacity, technical and professional ability, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, data protection, intellectual property and compliance with applicable EU procurement rules.

Funding, price and payment conditions

The estimated total value is €130,000. This is an estimated contract value and should not be treated as a guaranteed budget allocation or an amount automatically payable to every interested applicant.

No EU co-financing rate, grant percentage, eligible cost category, advance payment percentage, unit price, instalment schedule or reimbursement formula is stated in the planned notice. The successful tenderer would be remunerated under the financial terms of the eventual service contract, normally against accepted deliverables or services and subject to the final contract conditions.

Applicants should not assume that the €130,000 amount is exclusive or inclusive of taxes, nor assume how production expenses, travel, third-party licences, media costs, talent fees, translation, adaptations or subcontracting costs will be treated. The final tender documents should be checked for the applicable tax treatment, price schedule, budget ceiling and cost inclusions.

Duration and implementation timing

The 15 month maximum duration may include preparation, concept development, production, publication support, adaptation, monitoring, reporting and possible post-campaign activities. The notice does not state the expected contract signature date or the precise start date. Applicants should therefore plan for mobilisation after the negotiated procedure has been completed rather than assuming that work begins immediately after the expression of interest deadline.

Expression of interest and submission process

Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically through the address and mechanism indicated in the Funding and Tenders Portal. An EU Login account is required to submit an expression of interest, subscribe to the notice and communicate through the portal.

The published deadline is 21 October 2026 at 20:59 Europe/Bucharest. Applicants should submit before the deadline and allow time for EU Login access, organisation registration, document preparation and technical submission issues. A portal registration or expression of interest should not be treated as a tender unless and until the contracting authority launches the negotiated procedure and provides the relevant procurement documents.

The portal currently shows no public questions and answers. Questions may become available through the portal once the relevant procedure is launched or once authenticated users submit questions through the available functionality.

Important procedural distinction

This opportunity is not currently an open call for tenders. It is a prior publication of the contracting authority’s intention to publish a future negotiated low or middle value procedure. The notice does not contain the complete invitation to tender, technical specifications, draft contract, financial form, award criteria or full eligibility conditions.

Applicants should monitor the same portal record and any subsequent procurement publication. The final procedure may contain requirements that materially affect eligibility, pricing, deliverables, evaluation and contractual risk. The information in this report should therefore be used for opportunity preparation and not as a substitute for the final procurement documents.

What applicants should prepare

Key risks and uncertainties

Overall assessment

This is a focused public-sector communications procurement with a moderate estimated value and a strategically relevant anniversary theme. It is most suitable for an advertising, creative or digital communications agency with demonstrable ability to produce original organic social content at institutional quality and to deliver consistently across several channels.

The opportunity is particularly relevant to agencies with strong Romanian market knowledge, native-level Romanian content capability, experience translating complex public-policy messages into accessible formats, and evidence of successful audience engagement without relying exclusively on paid promotion.

The immediate action is not to submit a full tender, because the final tender documents are not yet available. Interested providers should register interest electronically by the stated deadline, ensure EU Login readiness, prepare relevant credentials and case studies, and monitor the portal for the subsequent negotiated procedure and its binding requirements.

Source and verification note

The report is based on the published European Commission Funding and Tenders Portal notice and the opportunity metadata available for procedure EC-COMM/BUH/2026/MVP/0563-EXA. The notice should be checked again after publication of the negotiated procedure because eligibility, evaluation, deliverables, contract terms and submission requirements may be added or changed. 1

Footnotes

1. 1The authoritative opportunity notice is available at Official Funding and Tenders Portal notice. The notice is a planned procurement announcement rather than an open call for grant applications or a currently published call for tenders.