Call for Expressions of Interest

The EU grant opportunity is a Call for Expressions of Interest (CEI) aimed at establishing a roster of external experts to assist the European Commission with its communication activities. Published in the Official Journal of the European Union on October 15, 2021, this call is set to remain open for submissions until July 1, 2025. The objective is to enhance the Commission’s existing in-house communication strategies by integrating external expertise in areas such as strategic, corporate, and operational communication.

Eligible applicants include individual consultants, consulting firms, universities, research institutes, and NGOs specializing in communication. The funding type for this call is categorized as a service contract, where selected experts will provide non-monetary advisory and operational support, rather than receiving direct financial grants.

There is no requirement for a consortium; applicants can apply as individuals or entities. While the call specifically mentions Brussels, Belgium as the place of delivery or performance, it is open to experts from across the EU and potentially other associated countries.

The project does not conform to traditional project stages but instead invites experts to offer their services on an as-needed basis. The funding amount is variable, as details are not specified in the call, and compensation will depend on the nature of the services requested. The application process involves submitting expressions of interest non-electronically, and documentation includes checklists and legal forms.

The selection process does not provide specific success rates, and there is no co-funding requirement noted. The call emphasizes the best price-quality ratio for selection purposes.

In conclusion, this initiative seeks to create a pool of pre-qualified communication experts ready to enhance the European Commission's outreach and messaging capabilities, further developing their strategic communications without imposing direct financial commitments.

This is a call for expressions of interest (CEI) with procedure identifier COMM/2021/CEI/0516. The call was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (TED) on 15 October 2021 with reference number 2021/S 201-520874 and a corrigendum was published on 31 May 2023 with reference number 2023/S 103-325143. The submission method is non-electronic, and the call is currently open for submission. The deadline for receipt of tenders is 01 July 2025 at 16:00 Central European Time.

The objective of this call for expressions of interest is to establish a list of external experts to provide support and advice on the European Commission's communication activities. This external expertise is intended to complement the Commission's existing in-house strategic, corporate, and operational capabilities and services. The overall goal is to improve the quality and impact of the Commission's communication efforts, taking into account the latest developments in the field.

The procedure type is a Call for Expression of Interest (CEI) involving the preselection of candidates. The contract type is for services. The estimated total value is not available (N/A). The award method will be based on the best price-quality ratio.

The main and additional CPV code is 79000000, which refers to business services, including law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing, and security. The place of delivery or performance is Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium (BE100 - Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale / Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad).

There are no specified question or answer deadlines.

The following documents are available for download:

1.  Annex V - Checklist of documents to be provided (Other Document, published 15/10/2021, Version 1, no translations available)
2.  Annex III - Financial identification form (Other Document, published 15/10/2021, Version 1, no translations available)
3.  Annex II - Legal entity form - natural person (Other Document, published 15/10/2021, Version 1, no translations available)
4.  Annex IA - Standard application form 2021 (Annexes, published 15/10/2021, Version 1, no translations available)
5.  Annex I - Standard application form 2021 (Annexes, published 15/10/2021, Version 1, no translations available)
6.  Annex VI - Draft contract (Draft Contract, published 29/07/2024, Version 3, no translations available)
7.  Annex IV - Declaration on honour (Declaration on honour, published 15/10/2021, Version 1, no translations available)
8.  Notice of call for expression of interest (Invitation, published 06/06/2023, Version 3, no translations available)

In summary, the European Commission is seeking external experts to support its communication activities. This is a call for expressions of interest, meaning the Commission is creating a list of pre-approved experts they can call upon for specific projects. The selection will be based on the best price-quality ratio, and interested parties must submit their applications by July 1, 2025. The selected experts will provide advice and support to enhance the quality and impact of the Commission's communication strategies. The call aims to supplement the Commission's internal resources with specialized external knowledge.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is looking for external experts, which suggests that eligible applicant types could include individual consultants, consulting firms, or other entities with expertise in communication activities. The legal entity form for a natural person is included in the documents, suggesting individuals are eligible.

Funding Type: This is a call for expressions of interest to create a list of external experts. The contract type is services, implying that selected experts will be providing services to the European Commission in exchange for payment. Therefore, the funding type is a service contract.

Consortium Requirement: The call does not explicitly mention a consortium requirement. It seems that both individual experts and firms can apply, so either a single applicant or potentially a group applying as a single entity could be eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The places of delivery or performance are indicated as BE100 - Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale / Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad, which is Brussels, Belgium. However, since this is a call for experts to support the European Commission's communication activities, it is likely open to experts from across the EU and possibly beyond, although this is not explicitly stated.

Target Sector: The target sector is communication. The call specifically seeks experts to provide support and advice on communication activities of the European Commission. This includes strategic, corporate, and operational communication. The CPV codes also point to business services, law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security.

Mentioned Countries: Belgium (specifically Brussels) is mentioned as the place of delivery or performance.

Project Stage: This call is not for a project stage in the traditional sense. It is for identifying and selecting experts to provide services on an as-needed basis. The experts would be providing support and advice, so it's more about their existing expertise and capabilities than a specific project stage.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value is indicated as N/A. This suggests that there is no fixed budget for this call, and the actual funding will depend on the specific services requested from the selected experts.

Application Type: The application type is a Call for Expression of Interest (CEI). The submission method is non-electronic and open for submission.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for providing communication services to the European Commission. Therefore, the nature of support is monetary.

Application Stages: This appears to be a pre-selection process, so applicants likely need to pass through an initial screening to be included on the list of experts. After being selected for the list, there may be further stages when specific services are required. Therefore, there are likely at least 2 stages: selection for the list and then selection for specific assignments.

Success Rates: The success rate for being included on the list of experts is unknown. The success rate for obtaining assignments after being included on the list would depend on the demand for specific expertise and the competition among the experts on the list.

Co-funding Requirement: There is no mention of a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This is a Call for Expressions of Interest (CEI) issued by the European Commission to establish a list of external experts who can provide support and advice on its communication activities. The aim is to supplement the Commission's in-house communication capabilities with external expertise in areas such as strategic communication, corporate communication, and operational communication. The selected experts will be providing services to the Commission on an as-needed basis and will be compensated for their work. The call is open to individual consultants, consulting firms, and other entities with relevant expertise. The application process involves submitting a non-electronic application by the deadline of July 1, 2025. While the place of delivery or performance is indicated as Brussels, Belgium, the call is likely open to experts from across the EU and potentially beyond. There is no fixed budget for this call, and the actual funding will depend on the specific services requested from the selected experts. Applicants who are successful in this call will be added to a list of pre-selected candidates.