EU-ARMENIA STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION & COMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENT (2027–2031)

Restricted tender by the European Commission (ENEST) for strategic communication and engagement in Armenia (EU‑Armenia Strategic Communication & Communication Engagement 2027–2031) with an estimated value of €3,500,000 and a maximum duration of 48 months. The objective is to strengthen positive public perception of the EU, promote EU values and assistance, and counter EU‑related disinformation and misinformation. Requests to participate must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission by 14 October 2026 at 14:00 Asia/Yerevan, with a provisional invitation to tender in November 2026 and a provisional contract start in April/May 2027 under a restricted two‑stage procedure. Eligible applicants include natural or legal persons and consortia established in EU Member States or countries eligible under NDICI Article 28 and international organisations, and selection requires meeting specified financial, personnel and technical reference thresholds.

What it funds

Scope

A restricted tender to deliver strategic communication, media engagement and promotional activities to reinforce positive perceptions of the EU in Armenia, combat EU‑related disinformation and proactively promote EU assistance under the Closer than Ever EU‑Armenia partnership.

Who can apply

Key selection highlights

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents and additional information (A5f, request to participate form, declaration on honour) are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal at the tender details page linked above.

Opportunity summary

What this tender is for

This is a restricted procedure tender issued by the European Commission (ENEST - Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood) to put in place a fee-based service contract or framework agreement to deliver strategic communication and communication engagement activities in the Republic of Armenia for the period 2027-2031. The overall objective is to reinforce positive perception of the European Union among Armenian citizens, raise awareness about EU values and benefits of a closer EU-Armenia partnership, counter EU-related disinformation and misinformation, and proactively promote EU assistance in Armenia in the context of the Closer than Ever EU-Armenia partnership. The work is to be delivered in Armenia over a maximum contract duration of 48 months. Further procurement documentation and submission is managed via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and eSubmission system 1.

Key administrative and procedural details

Eligibility and who should apply

Eligibility is defined by Regulation (EU) 2021/947 (NDICI-Global Europe) for geographic programmes. Participation is open to natural persons and legal persons that are nationals of, and entities effectively established in, EU Member States or eligible countries/territories listed under Article 28 of Regulation (EU) 2021/947. International organisations may also participate. Candidates may apply individually or as a consortium (permanent or ad-hoc grouping). Subcontracting is allowed. Capacity-providing entities may be used but must meet the same nationality/eligibility rules and their data for selection criterion must be provided in separate documents as instructed in the procurement dossier.

Eligible applicant types (detailed)

Selection and award criteria

The tender uses a two-stage restricted procedure. Stage 1 is a request to participate (selection stage); stage 2 is the invitation to submit full tenders by shortlisted candidates (award stage). Selection criteria and technical/financial thresholds are set out in the Additional Information about the Contract Notice and in the request to participate form and selection documentation.

Procurement documents and required forms

Application process, format and templates

Requests to participate must be submitted electronically via the F&T Portal eSubmission system using an EU Login account and referencing the procurement project UUID. The request to participate must be a single signed request per legal entity or per consortium (group submission). The request to participate must contain the completed b3 request to participate form, the signed a14a declaration on honour, and any other documents required in the procurement dossier. Additional unsolicited brochures or material will not be considered.

Structure and contents of the request to participate (template guidance)

Technical scope and expected activities

Tenderers must propose a strategic communications programme and delivery plan tailored to Armenia that may include: strategic planning; mass media production (TV, radio, web video); social and digital media campaigns; community engagement, events and cultural diplomacy; targeted outreach to specific audiences; rapid rebuttal and fact-checking capacity to counter disinformation; media partnerships; monitoring and evaluation of communication impact; visibility and promotion of EU assistance and programmes; and logistical and operational support for communication activities. The CPV codes indicate film/video production and event services are core components.

Geographic scope and beneficiaries

Consortium, subcontracting and capacity-providing entities

Consortia are allowed and commonly used. A consortium may be permanent or set up for this tender. All consortium members are jointly and severally liable. Tenderers may rely on capacity-providing entities but must provide separate commitments and evidence that those entities will make resources available; when relying on other entities for economic/financial criteria those entities become jointly and severally liable. For technical tasks an operator may rely on other entities only where those entities will perform the specific tasks for which their capacities are relied upon.

Technical and documentary compliance

Strict compliance with document formats, page limits, evidence requirements and eSubmission technical requirements is mandatory. The procurement documents include precise instructions on naming files, maximum file sizes (system accepts files under 50 MB per attachment), permitted file formats and number of attachments (system supports up to 200 attachments). Draft submissions may be edited until the submission deadline. Declarations on honour must be signed and scanned into eSubmission in the specified attachment sections; originals may be requested later if shortlisted.

Selection process, timeline and evaluation

Commercial and financial terms

The contract is fee-based under NDICI financing. The estimated overall contract amount is €3,500,000. The contracting authority has indicated the award will be based on best price-quality ratio with quality weighting significantly higher than price. Exact payment, invoicing, VAT treatment, and financial conditions will be set out in the tender dossier and the contract forms; candidates should consult the tender dossier for details and note that the award is subject to the availability of appropriations. Electronic ordering and electronic payments will be used during contract execution.

Co-funding and foreign contributions

The procurement documents do not require co-funding by the tenderer; the contract is financed under a financing agreement and fee-based arrangements. However, applicants must declare any foreign financial contributions received in the last three years using Form FS-PP if required by the rules in the procurement documents (applicable thresholds and cases are specified).

Application stages and expected competition

Success factors and practical recommendations

High-scoring requests and tenders will be those that precisely map organisational capacities and prior projects to the selection and technical criteria: demonstrate relevant strategic communication experience for public sector clients in the region; provide evidence of at least two comparable contracts with a minimum share of €1,000,000 each performed by the candidate within the reference period; meet the financial threshold (average turnover >= €1,500,000 over last three closed years); demonstrate an available team (average at least 15 relevant personnel); provide credible capacity commitments from any third-party entities relied upon; and fully comply with all administrative evidence and signed declarations. Clear demonstration of ability to counter disinformation and to deliver cross-media campaigns in Armenian and other relevant languages, plus robust monitoring and evaluation and visibility of EU assistance, will be important.

Target sector and project maturity

Mentioned countries and geographic eligibility

Practical links and references

Full procurement dossier, document downloads and the eSubmission link are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal tender call page for this procedure. Tenderers must subscribe to the call page and consult the procurement documents and the Additional Information document (a5f) for detailed instructions, templates and deadlines 1.

Final summary: what is this opportunity about and how to explain it

This is a restricted EU external actions procurement to secure a single supplier or framework contractor (which may be a consortium) to deliver a comprehensive strategic communications programme in Armenia for 2027–2031. The aim is to strengthen public understanding and positive perception of the EU, promote EU values and benefits of closer EU-Armenia relations, proactively publicise EU assistance, and limit the impact of misinformation and disinformation. The contract is estimated at €3.5 million, will run up to 48 months, and is financed under the NDICI Neighbourhood programme. The procurement follows NDICI eligibility rules: organisations from EU Member States, eligible Article 28 countries and international organisations may apply. The procedure is a two-stage restricted process: interested parties must submit an electronic request to participate (using the provided b3 and a14a templates) by the stated deadline; 4 to 8 shortlisted candidates will be invited to submit full tenders which will be evaluated on best price-quality ratio with significant weight on quality. Tenderers must meet defined financial, professional and technical thresholds (including turnover and demonstrated experience delivering strategic communication/public-sector campaigns with minimum contract shares). Strict compliance with the published procurement templates, evidence requirements and eSubmission rules is essential. Interested organisations should begin by downloading and studying the a5f additional information, the b3 request to participate form and the a14a declaration on honour on the Funding & Tenders Portal, register or verify their PIC, prepare documentation demonstrating the selection criteria, and register and prepare to submit the request to participate via eSubmission before the deadline.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents and the eSubmission address are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal call page for EC-ENEST/EVN/2026/EA-RP/0079: ec.europa.eu

This is a €3,500,000 restricted services tender from the European Commission, ENEST, for a 48 month strategic communication and engagement programme in Armenia, aimed at strengthening the positive perception of the EU, promoting EU values and assistance, and countering EU related disinformation and misinformation. The deadline for requests to participate is 14 October 2026 at 14:00 Asia/Yerevan, and the contract is expected to start in April or May 2027.12

What the opportunity is about

The contract seeks a communications partner able to reinforce positive public perceptions of the EU among Armenian citizens, raise awareness of EU values and the benefits of the closer EU Armenia partnership, and improve proactive communication on EU assistance in Armenia. The wider policy context points to a strengthened EU Armenia relationship, including the Strategic Agenda for the EU Armenia Partnership and the Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia, both of which emphasize visibility, communication, and resilience against foreign information manipulation and disinformation.381012

Who can apply

Selection criteria and award logic

The procedure is restricted, so only short listed candidates will be invited to submit full tenders. The documents state that between 4 and 8 candidates will be invited, and if fewer than 4 meet the criteria the contracting authority may still invite the qualified candidates; short listed candidates cannot form alliances with each other for the second stage unless the contracting authority gives prior written authorisation.2

Submission and procedural rules

Budget, duration, and conditions

The estimated overall contract amount is €3,500,000, and the implementation period is 48 months. The notice also states that award is subject to the availability of appropriations, meaning the procedure may be abandoned or cancelled without compensation if the budget condition is not met.12

The legal basis is Regulation 2021 947 on NDICI Global Europe, and the notice says participation is open under the relevant eligibility and rules of origin framework for geographic programmes financed under that instrument. The additional information document also requires financial data in EUR and indicates that foreign currency amounts should be converted using the July 2026 InforEuro rate.2

Practical points applicants should note

Overall, this is a high visibility public diplomacy and strategic communications assignment aligned with the EU's deepening engagement with Armenia. Applicants with proven delivery in strategic communication, media engagement, and public sector outreach, plus sufficient turnover and staffing capacity, are the strongest fit for the shortlist.381012