Enhancing Resilience of Eastern Border: Latgale – where the European Union begins

European Commission DG COMM invites economic operators to bid for a planned negotiated tender (ExA reference EC-COMM/RIX/2026/MVP/0517-EXA) to deliver a 13-month integrated communications campaign titled "Enhancing Resilience of Eastern Border: Latgale - where the European Union begins" targeting the Latgale region in Latvia. Scope includes strategy fine-tuning, creative production, media planning and buying, stakeholder engagement with nine municipalities, events, baseline study, monitoring and post-campaign evaluation and is classified under CPV 79341400 (advertising campaign services). The procedure is a middle/low value negotiated services contract with expressions of interest submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login); the ExA does not disclose contract value and the full tender dossier will set formal eligibility, award criteria and contractual terms. Applicants should be established communications agencies, media or consortia able to demonstrate regional experience, media partnerships, research and evaluation capability and on-the-ground delivery capacity.

Opportunity type and authority

Planned negotiated tender (middle/low value) by European Commission DG COMM

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender notice and future procurement documents are on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal tender page (link above). An EU Login account is required for electronic submission and to access Q&A.

Summary of the opportunity

The European Commission Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM) plans to procure a comprehensive communication campaign titled Enhancing Resilience of Eastern Border: Latgale - where the European Union begins. The procurement is published as an intention to launch a future negotiated procedure for a middle/low value services contract (reference EC-COMM/RIX/2026/MVP/0517-EXA). The contractor will deliver end-to-end campaign services over an indicative maximum duration of 13 months, covering planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, creative development and production, stakeholder relations with nine municipalities, media planning and partnerships, a baseline study and post-evaluation, and reporting. The main CPV classification is 79341400 Advertising campaign services. Further details and the official portal record are available at the tender page Tender page 1.

Scope of services required

Administrative and procurement details

Eligibility, applicants and how to apply

This is a public procurement notice issued by the European Commission. The call is a planned negotiated procedure; the immediate step published is an expression of interest (ExA). Submissions for the expression of interest must be sent electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal using an EU Login account. The notice does not publish a full exclusion/selection/award questionnaire in the ExA publication; full tender documents and conditions are expected to be published when the negotiated procedure is launched. Applicants should therefore register interest and prepare to demonstrate technical capacity in integrated communication campaigns, experience working in regional/local contexts (preferably in Latvia and border regions), proven media planning and partnership relations, evaluation and research capability, and operational capacity for events and stakeholder coordination across multiple municipalities.

Eligible applicant types

The notice does not list a strict eligibility set in the ExA publication. Based on the contract nature and common procurement practice for integrated communication services, eligible applicants typically include legal entities established in the EU/EEA such as advertising and creative agencies, communication and PR consultancies, integrated marketing and media planning agencies, media buying houses, event production companies, research and evaluation firms, NGOs and cultural organisations with campaign delivery experience, consortiums or joint ventures combining those competences, SMEs and large enterprises. Applicants must meet any legal, financial and professional selection criteria set out in the eventual tender dossier; these are normally verified during the negotiated procedure.

Consortium requirement

The procurement text does not mandate a consortium. The procedure expects a single contract award to a successful economic operator. However, because the work is multidisciplinary, applicants may present consortiums, subcontracting arrangements or joint ventures to cover creative, media, research and event production capacities. The tender dossier (when published) will specify whether consortium/joint bid structures are required or accepted and any lead partner responsibilities.

Funding type and financials

Beneficiary scope and geographic eligibility

Target sectors and thematic focus

Project stage and expected maturity

This is an implementation-stage procurement. The Commission expects the contractor to operationalise a campaign strategy, deliver creative outputs and run evaluation and monitoring. The contractor must be experienced in implementation (not early-stage research).

Application process, stages and likely timeline

Number of application stages

Success rates and competitiveness

The ExA notice does not provide historical success rates. Negotiated procedures for communication campaigns with a limited number of invited candidates are typically competitive. Because this is a middle/low value negotiated procurement, the number of invited bidders may be limited by the contracting authority, implying a selective but competitive process. No numerical success rate is published.

Co-funding and financial obligations

No co-funding or matching contribution from applicants is described in the ExA publication. This is a procurement for services to be paid under the contractual terms of the winning bid. Normal public procurement provisions on invoicing, payments and financial guarantees will apply as set out in the contract documents.

Documents, templates and submission format

The ExA publication does not attach the full tender dossier or specific application templates. Submission of the expression of interest and later tender documents will be via the Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission). When the negotiated procedure is launched the contracting authority will publish the tender dossier including administrative, technical and financial forms, selection and award criteria, model contract, and any forms for legal and financial capacity. Bidders should be prepared to complete standard EU procurement forms, provide company registration details, declarations on eligibility and exclusion, proof of technical and professional capacity, CVs of key staff, relevant references and a detailed technical and financial offer.

Key technical and experience requirements bidders should prepare

Mentioned countries and regions

Contract classification and procurement codes

Practical advice for potential bidders

This ExA publication is not a call for tenders but an announcement of intent to launch a negotiated procurement. Interested economic operators should submit an expression of interest electronically by the stated deadline to ensure they receive the subsequent invitation to tender documents.

Long summary: What is this opportunity about and how to explain it

The European Commission (DG COMM) intends to commission an integrated communications campaign to strengthen trust in the EU among residents of Latgale, Latvia’s eastern border region, and to improve recognition of the region across Latvia. The campaign will translate existing EU investments and policy support into locally meaningful narratives and practical next steps that help people, businesses and communities see viable, secure and sustainable futures in the region. The required contractor will plan, produce and run a 13-month campaign including strategy, creative assets, media planning, event production, municipal stakeholder coordination (9 municipalities), a baseline study, continuous monitoring and a post-campaign evaluation. The procurement will follow a negotiated procedure for a middle/low value services contract. Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal with EU Login between 05/10/2026 and 16/10/2026. Bidders should be established communication and advertising service providers or consortia with a proven track record in regional outreach, media partnerships, research and evaluation, and event coordination. Financial value is not published in the ExA; the full tender dossier will provide contract value, award criteria, templates and formal eligibility and selection rules when the negotiated procedure is launched.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender publication: Enhancing Resilience of Eastern Border: Latgale - where the European Union begins. EU Funding & Tenders Portal tender details page: ec.europa.eu

This tender concerns a communication campaign in Latgale, Latvia's eastern border region, focused on strengthening trust that the European Union supports local security, resilience and long term development.1213

The wider policy background is the EU's growing focus on eastern border regions, which are described as needing action on security, investment, connectivity, preparedness and community resilience.712

What the opportunity is about

The campaign is designed to connect local ambitions with practical EU supported opportunities and next steps, while presenting the EU as a reliable long term partner for people, businesses and communities in Latgale. The approach is intended to be locally relevant, credible and tied to everyday concerns in a region that faces demographic, economic and geopolitical pressures.1312

Scope of services

The work described in the opportunity includes planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the campaign, together with strategy fine tuning, audience segmentation, selection of human interest stories, event and action design, stakeholder relations with nine municipalities, development of campaign assets and content, media planning, media partnerships, baseline study, post evaluation and reporting.

Who can apply

As a tender, this opportunity is aimed at economic operators that can deliver professional communications services rather than at grant applicants. The most likely bidders are communications agencies, media and public affairs firms, content production specialists, research and evaluation providers, or consortia that can jointly cover strategy, creative production, media buying, stakeholder engagement and impact measurement.

The accessible search results did not expose the official eligibility section, so the exact rules on consortium composition, subcontracting, minimum turnover, references, language requirements, exclusion grounds and other procurement conditions should be checked in the official notice before bidding.

Funding, contract value and commercial terms

Why this matters

Latgale sits on the EU and NATO external border, and EU level policy discussions have identified eastern border regions as needing stronger resilience, preparedness and investment.127

The Commission's eastern border policy also emphasises security and defence, securing investment, improving connectivity and focusing on people, which matches the logic of a campaign intended to turn EU support into visible local confidence.7

Practical bid considerations

Because the available sources do not reveal the full procurement notice, applicants should verify the official tender documents for technical specifications, award criteria, submission method, legal form requirements and any mandatory declarations before preparing a bid.