Monitoring and analysis services of the Czech media

The European Parliament (DG COMM) invites tenders under procedure EP-COMM/2026/OP/0014 for a framework contract to provide daily media monitoring (print, online, radio, TV) and monthly media analysis of Czech media delivered via the EPMM platform. The estimated maximum value is €200,000 (approx. €150,000 for monitoring and €50,000 for analysis), initial duration 12 months tacitly renewable up to 48 months, and the award will be based on the best price-quality ratio. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission by 11/05/2026 17:00 Brussels time and a mandatory simulation is required as part of the qualitative assessment. Bidders must meet selection and exclusion criteria including minimum turnover, editorial team with Czech and English competence, technical capacity for PDF OCR and EPMM API integration, and compliance with EU restrictive measures.

Opportunity summary

What is being procured

The European Parliament (DG COMM) is awarding a framework contract for daily media monitoring (print, online, radio, TV) and monthly media analysis of Czech media, delivered into the Parliament’s media monitoring platform.

Contract type and value:Framework agreement (no re-opening). Estimated maximum total value €200,000 (media monitoring ~€150,000; media analysis ~€50,000). Maximum duration up to 48 months (initial 12 months, tacit yearly renewal up to 4 years) ¹.

Award method:best price-quality ratio. Main CPV: 92400000 News-agency services.

Who can apply

Open to natural or legal persons and public entities established in EU Member States and to entities from third countries covered by relevant procurement agreements. Joint bids and subcontracting are allowed; specific exclusion and selection rules apply (see procurement documents).

Key requirements (high level)

1. 1Daily detection and English summaries plus metadata, full-text clippings (OCR) and audiovisual metadata delivered via the EP Media Monitor platform.
2. 2Quantitative tagging and monthly analysis with tone/provenance/prominence tags; editorial coordinator with minimum experience required.
3. 3Technical interfaces for automated upload (APIs / RSS) and capacity to provide simulation deliverables as part of the tender evaluation.

Deadlines and submission

Electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal / eSubmission is mandatory. Tenders must remain valid for 6 months. Languages accepted: any official EU language.

How proposals will be assessed:Evaluation in two stages: qualitative (methodology, simulation, team and deliverables) with minimum thresholds, then price scored proportionally; final award by best price-quality ratio.

Interested bidders must register in the Participant Register (PIC) and submit via eSubmission. Check the full procurement documents and technical annexes for mandatory evidence, the simulation exercise and detailed technical specifications ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents (invitation, specifications, annexes, draft contract) and submission link are on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: F&T Portal - tender details

Opportunity type:Call for tenders published by the European Parliament, Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM). Purpose: award a framework contract for daily media monitoring (written national and regional press, main online media, radio, TV) and monthly media analysis relating to topics of relevance to the European Parliament, the European Union, and the activities of its President and Members in Czechia. Services will be delivered via the EP global media monitoring and analysis platform (EPMM).

Deadlines, publication and procedural details

TED publication date:01/04/2026. Submission method: Electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission. Deadline for receipt of tenders: 11/05/2026 17:00 Europe/Brussels. Date and time of public opening: 12/05/2026 10:00 Europe/Brussels. Deadline for questions: contracting authority not bound to reply to questions submitted after 04/05/2026 23:59 Europe/Brussels. The contracting authority: European Parliament, COMM - Directorate-General for Communication.

What the tender requests (scope and deliverables)

The framework contract covers:daily monitoring of Czech media across formats (print, online, radio, TV), preparation and delivery of press reviews (English summaries), metadata tagging for each media item, provision of full-text enclosures (PDF OCR for print articles) and audiovisual metadata, monthly media analysis reports and ad-hoc thematic/event reports on request (e.g. plenary weeks, visits, awards). Delivery is via the European Parliament Media Monitor (EPMM) platform and the contractor must be able to interface with EPMM using the specified APIs and RSS metadata formats supplied in Annex I E.

Maximum contract duration:Initial duration 12 months, tacitly renewable up to a total maximum of 48 months (initial + 3 renewals).

Estimated total value:€200,000 (maximum value for the whole contract including renewals).

Award, evaluation and contract model

Procedure type:Open procedure. Nature of the contract: services. Framework agreement: without reopening of competition. Award method: best price-quality ratio. The framework contract will be concluded with a single supplier.

1. 1Qualitative evaluation: two qualitative criteria weighted across 100 quality points — Criterion 1: quality and consistency of the proposed simulation (70 points, threshold 35). Criterion 2: proposed methodology (30 points, threshold 15). Minimum combined quality threshold to pass to price evaluation: 65 points.
2. 2Price evaluation: price scores converted to maximum 100 points using Pm/Po * 100 formula where Pm is lowest price.
3. 3Final ranking: sum of quality points and price points; highest total wins.

Core technical and methodological requirements (selection and technical capacity)

Tenderers must supply evidence of legal, financial and technical capacity. Key technical and professional requirements specified in Annex I and Annex I A:

1. 1Minimum 3 years experience in services similar to media monitoring and analysis.
2. 2A dedicated team including an editorial coordinator with at least 3 years proven experience in the field; other team members at least 1 year each. All team members must be fluent in English and in the relevant monitored languages (Czech) at minimum C2 level where required; acceptable evidence includes diplomas, certificates, CVs and signed declarations for native speakers.
3. 3Availability of technical facilities: keyword-search electronic program and a news database; ability to provide full-text articles in PDF with OCR and audiovisual enclosures; capacity to interface with EPMM APIs (I_REFERENCE, I_PRESSREVIEW, I_ENCLOSURES) and to post RSS-style metadata items as specified.
4. 4Demonstrated capacity to produce English summaries (800 characters max, Times New Roman 12), mandatory metadata with each media item (publication date, themes, category, source, media type, presence of EP/MEPs in title for core sources, news type, page number or broadcast time/duration, etc.) and to assign quantitative tags for media analysis (tone, role of EP, quoted speakers, prominence, main topic).

Tenderers must complete the requested simulation (Annex I C) as part of the qualitative assessment. The simulation replicates delivery for a plenary period: production of a sample daily press review (press and audiovisual reviews), PDF clippings with OCR, and a quantitative tagging table per Annex I D. The simulation cost is borne by the tenderer and must use prices identical to those in the Annex F price list.

Administrative, exclusion and contractual requirements

Tenderers must use the EU Participant Register and obtain a PIC. Submission exclusively by eSubmission on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Tender validity: 6 months. Languages accepted: any EU official language; documentation is published in English. The tender dossier includes Invitation letter, Tender specifications, Methodological annexes, Simulation annex, Quantitative analysis annex, EPMM interface specification, environmental policy, Declaration on honour (Annex III), Financial identification (Annex IVa), and other administrative forms.

Exclusion and selection criteria apply in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 and are detailed in the Tender Specifications (Annex III, sections 14 and 15). Tenderers must submit the Declaration on honour and be prepared to provide documentary evidence within the time limits specified (typically 5 to 10 working days).

Restrictions linked to sanctions / Russia:Tenderers must certify compliance with EU restrictive measures under Regulation 833/2014 as amended. Tenderers, subcontractors or entities relied upon must not be Russian nationals or entities established in Russia with >50% ownership unless an applicable exemption applies. Annex VIII must be completed and evidence provided where applicable.

Costs, funding type and payment model

Funding type:procurement — a paid service contract. Beneficiaries receive monetary payments under the contract (service fees) in exchange for delivering monitoring and analysis services. The estimated total contract value is €200,000 (split: €150,000 media monitoring activities, €50,000 media analysis) for the full maximum duration including renewals.

Eligibility and who should apply

Eligible applicant types:natural or legal persons established in EU Member States and natural or legal persons from third countries that have concluded public-procurement agreements with the Union granting access on the same terms. Groups of economic operators (consortia) may apply; joint tenders must demonstrate joint and several liability and describe roles of each member (Annex V). Subcontracting is permitted but the contracting authority may require proof of subcontractors' compliance with exclusion/selection criteria.

1. 1Recommended applicants: media monitoring agencies, news-agency service providers, specialised media analysis consultancies, research institutes with media analytics capacity, SMEs and larger companies that can supply editorial teams fluent in Czech and English and provide the required technical interface to EPMM.
2. 2Not suitable: applicants unable to provide the mandatory metadata, full-text PDF clippings with OCR, audiovisual enclosures, or who cannot demonstrate the required editorial staffing and language skills.

Geographic eligibility and mentioned countries

Beneficiary scope (geographic eligibility):EU Member States are explicitly eligible. The monitoring activity target country is Czechia (Czech Republic). The contracting authority is based in Brussels, Belgium. The Tender Specifications allow participation from third countries only if a specific public-procurement agreement with the EU grants access on the same terms.

Project maturity and targeted sector

Project stage:operational delivery and service provision (production, real-time monitoring and analysis). Target sector: media monitoring, communications, public affairs, news-agency services, media analysis and public-sector communications support.

Consortium requirement, application type and submission

Consortium requirement:single tenderer or joint tender allowed. Groups of economic operators must submit Annex V and undertake joint and several liability. Application type: open call (open procedure) via eSubmission on the Funding & Tenders Portal. EU Login and Participant Register (PIC) required for submission. Only electronic submissions accepted; submissions via email or post will be rejected.

Application stages, evaluation stages and success rates

Application and award stages:1) Submission of tender (single stage), 2) Virtual public opening (administrative check), 3) Evaluation of qualitative criteria and simulation (technical and methodological assessment), 4) Price evaluation for those meeting quality thresholds, 5) Award decision and standstill/possible suspension prior to signature. The tender specifications require documentary evidence for exclusion/selection before contract signature. Number of application stages to succeed: effectively 3 to 4 (administrative validation, qualitative evaluation including simulation, price evaluation, award/standstill).

Success rates:not published. As an open EU procurement with quality thresholds and a single winner, success depends on meeting strict minimum scores for qualitative criteria (thresholds 35/70 for simulation criterion and 15/30 for methodology; combined minimum 65/100) and on competitive pricing. No historical acceptance rates provided in the dossier.

Co-funding and financial guarantees

Co-funding requirement:No co-funding from the tenderer is requested by the contracting authority. Financial guarantees: not applicable according to the Tender Specifications. Prices must be quoted in euros, VAT excluded, all-inclusive. Price revision rules are provided in the draft contract. Payments will be made following contract terms and invoicing as set out in the draft framework contract.

How to prepare a compliant tender — templates and application structure

The tender dossier includes an Invitation letter, Tender specifications and Annexes I to VIII (technical annexes A–F, simulation template Annex I C, quantitative analysis template Annex I D, EPMM interface specification Annex I E, environmental policy Annex II, Declaration on honour Annex III, Financial identification form Annex IVa, Information sheet for groups Annex V, subcontractor declaration Annex VI, financial data sheet Annex VII, Annex VIII on restrictive measures). The following structure and documents are mandatory or strongly required:

1. 1Administrative part: completed Annex III (Declaration on honour), Annex IVa (Financial identification form), proof of legal status (registration documents) and any requested certificates. For consortia, Annex V completed for each member.
2. 2Selection evidence: Annex VII (financial data sheet), audited financial statements or extracts for the last up to three years, proof of minimum turnover (minimum yearly turnover €100,000 over the last three closed years), CVs and evidence of professional qualifications and language skills for editorial coordinator and team, list of principal services provided in the past three years with client contacts.
3. 3Technical offer: Methodology narrative describing monitoring and analysis workflows, sources coverage and prioritisation (core and non-core sources listed in Annex A), technical solution for clipping and enclosures, data workflows and interface to EPMM, security and copyright compliance, staffing plan, sample deliverables format, production timelines, quality assurance and environmental compliance per Annex II.
4. 4Simulation deliverables: as required in Annex I C — a sample daily press review and audiovisual review for a specified date, PDF OCR clippings, a table with tags produced for the quantitative analysis (Annex D), and a short description (max one page) explaining methodology and how deadlines were met. Include separate cost breakdown for the simulation using the prices proposed in Annex F.
5. 5Price offer: completed price tables (Annex F), grand total (Po) used for price scoring. Prices must be presented in euros, VAT excluded and all-inclusive.

Tenderers must ensure compatibility with eSubmission technical requirements (file types, sizes, supported browsers) and follow eSubmission guidance. Submissions after the deadline will be rejected. Tenderers are responsible for all costs incurred in preparing and submitting tenders. For details on eSubmission see the portal documentation and the eSubmission Quick Guide F&T Portal eSubmission Quick Guide.

Technical integration with EP systems

The tender requires capability to interface with the EP Press Review subsystem. Annex I E defines APIs and message formats: reference metadata endpoints (getSources and getCategories), the press review submission endpoint (sendItems via HTTPS multipart/form-data), batch status check (getBatchStatus), and enclosures download (GetEnclosure). RSS item structure, mandatory fields and business rules are defined (mandatory fields: English title and description, publication date, theme and policy area, source; for THEME_EP or THEME_MEP in core sources additional media analysis fields are mandatory). Date formats, enclosure attributes (mediaType W/I/T/R, page, broadcastTime, broadcastDuration) and authentication (IP based preferred) are specified. The contractor must be able to push items and monitor batch processing status and to supply enclosures (PDF, MP3/MP4) either uploaded to EPMM or via external URLs depending on source storage.

List of example core and non-core sources to be monitored (Czechia)

1. 1Core online: aktualne.cz, ct24.cz, denik.cz, Denikn.cz, E15.cz, update-eu.cz, idnes.cz, hn.cz, CNN.iprima.cz, lidovky.cz, novinky.cz, irozhlas.cz, SeznamZpravy.cz, TN.CZ, ceskenoviny.cz
2. 2Core printed press: Blesk, Deník, Ekonom, Hospodářské noviny, Deník N, Metro CZ, Mladá fronta Dnes, Právo, Respekt, Týdeník Forum
3. 3Core radio/TV: ČRo Radiožurnál, HitRádio, Čro Plus, ČT24, TV Nova, CNN Prima News
4. 4Non-core sources and podcasts are explicitly listed and may be monitored as available; the contractor must prioritise core sources when volume is high.

Templates and application form structure (how to present the offer)

The procurement documents impose a clear structure. Applicants should follow this order in their submission:

1. 1Administrative envelope: completed Annex III (Declaration on honour), Annex IVa (Financial identification), proofs of registration and legal status, completed Annex VI for subcontractors (if any), Annex V for groups, proof of PIC registration.
2. 2Selection evidence: Annex VII financial data sheet, last up to three years financial statements or extracts, bank references if requested, statement on minimum yearly turnover (≥ €100,000 for the last three closed years), insurance certificates if applicable.
3. 3Technical envelope: Methodology (detection, filtering, summarising, tagging, QA), technical architecture and capacities (news database, keyword tools, OCR process, copyright compliance and licensing arrangements for clippings), staffing plan and CVs (including language proficiency evidence), demonstration of EPMM interface capability and sample data mapping to the RSS metadata structure described in Annex I E.
4. 4Simulation annex: full simulation deliverables required in Annex I C (press and audiovisual review Word documents, PDF OCR clippings, Annex D quantitative table), plus a one-page explanation of how the simulation was performed and a cost breakdown for the simulation using prices from the Price list.
5. 5Price envelope: completed Annex F (price tables), grand total, unit prices aligned with the simulation cost breakdown. Prices must be in EUR, VAT excluded.

Tenderers should ensure the simulation is annexed to the offer and that all attachments meet the eSubmission technical requirements (file size limits, naming conventions, supported file types). The eSubmission system encrypts attachments on upload; ensure you receive a submission receipt to prove compliance with the deadline. For system issues contact the eSubmission Helpdesk.

Eligible applicant types — extracted and summarised

Eligible applicant types:legal persons (companies, agencies), public entities and natural persons established in EU Member States and third countries with public procurement agreements granting access. Commonly applicable applicant profiles include: media monitoring agencies, news agencies, communications consultancies, market research and media analytics companies, SMEs, large enterprises, research institutes and non-profit organisations with relevant service capacity. Consortia are allowed and must provide agreements demonstrating joint and several liability.

Key mandatory deliverables and metadata (technical reproduction)

Mandatory metadata for each media item:date of publication/broadcast, themes (THEME_EP, THEME_MEP, THEME_EU, THEME_NA, THEME_THEMATIC), one policy area category, source name and source identifier, media type, news type, presence of EP/MEPs in title for core sources, page number for print, broadcast time and duration for AV, English summary (800 characters max), original title/description where relevant, and enclosure attributes (mediaType W/I/T/R, page, MIME type, URL if applicable). Tagging for media analysis must include EP/MEPs in title, news type, tone (positive/neutral/negative/mixed) with short justification, place of EP (primary/secondary/simple mention), role of the EP (decision maker/venue for debate/other), reported speakers, main topic, and prominence. Contractors must follow the codebook and deliver data through the EPMM interfaces and the NewsDesk workspace.

Procurement contacts and where to find documents

All procurement documents are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal Tender Details page. The primary address for procurement documents and eSubmission is the F&T Portal tender page and the eSubmission endpoint; see the tender documents on the portal for attachments, tender specifications, annexes and the draft framework contract Funding & Tenders Portal Tender Details. ¹

Concise structured extraction (answers to categorisation questions)

Final summary — what this opportunity is about

This is an open EU procurement by the European Parliament (DG COMM) seeking a single external supplier to provide an English-language daily press review service and periodic media analysis for Czechia. The contract is a framework agreement for services (maximum value €200,000 including renewals) with an initial 12-month duration tacitly renewable up to 48 months. The contractor must deliver daily monitoring across print, online, radio and television, supply English summaries and full-text clippings (PDF OCR), apply a structured tagging and codebook for quantitative analysis (tone, role of EP, quoted speakers, etc.), integrate technically with the EPMM platform via defined APIs and deliver monthly and ad-hoc analytical products. The award is based on a best price-quality ratio with specific minimum quality thresholds. Applications are submitted electronically through the F&T Portal; tenderers must follow the tender specifications and deliver the required simulation as part of the qualitative assessment. The opportunity targets media monitoring and analysis providers that can demonstrate editorial capacity, language competence, technical integration capability and compliance with EU procurement and exclusion rules.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender documents, annexes and the eSubmission link are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal tender page: ec.europa.eu and electronic submission through the portal.

Opportunity Overview

The European Parliament, through its Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM), has launched an open procedure (EP-COMM/2026/OP/0014) to award a framework contract for daily monitoring of written press (national/regional), audio-visual media (radio, TV), and main online media in Czechia, plus monthly media analysis. The services aim to deliver timely press reviews on EU and European Parliament (EP) topics to enhance communication of EU policies to citizens. Deliveries occur via the EP's global media monitoring platform (EPMM).

Key Dates:TED publication: 01/04/2026. Deadline for tenders: 11/05/2026 17:00 (Brussels time). Public opening: 12/05/2026 10:00. Questions deadline: 04/05/2026 23:59.

Contract Details:Estimated value: €200,000 (all renewals included). Duration: Initial 12 months, renewable up to 48 months total. Type: Framework agreement without reopening competition. Award: Best price-quality ratio. CPV: 92400000 (News-agency services). Budget split: Media monitoring €150,000; Analysis €50,000.

Eligibility and Participation

Open to natural/legal persons and public entities from EU Member States or third countries with specific procurement agreements. No variants permitted. Groups allowed (joint and several liability). Subcontracting permitted with EP approval. Compliance with EU restrictive measures (e.g., re Russia/Ukraine) required; declaration in Annex VIII.

Exclusion Criteria

• Bankruptcy/insolvency.
• Tax/social security breaches.
• Grave professional misconduct (e.g., fraud, corruption).
• Criminal convictions (e.g., terrorism, money laundering).
• Significant contract performance deficiencies.
• Irregularities or resistance to audits.
• Full details in Articles 138-143 of Financial Regulation and Annex III.

Selection Criteria

Legal/regulatory:Trade register enrolment or authorization. Financial/economic: Minimum yearly turnover €100,000 (last 3 years). Technical/professional: 3+ years similar experience; team with editorial coordinator (3+ years) and fluent English/Czech experts; keyword-search tools/news database. Proof via CVs, client lists, etc.

Technical Requirements and Services

Daily monitoring of core/non-core sources (e.g., idnes.cz, lidovky.cz, ČT24, TV Nova). English summaries (max 800 chars), metadata (date, theme, source, tone, etc.), PDF clippings/OCR. Monthly quantitative analysis (tags: tone, EP role, speakers). Ad-hoc reports possible. Delivery via EPMM platform. Full source lists/methodology in Annex I A.

Tender Simulation Required

Mandatory simulation:Daily monitoring sample (30/04/2026); plenary analysis (27/04-03/05/2026) with tagging table (Annex I D). Cost breakdown per price list (Annex F). Assessed on relevance, quality, methodology consistency.

Award Criteria

Minimum 65/100 combined for price stage. Price formula:(Lowest price / Your price) x 100. Total score: Quality + Price.

Submission Process

1. 1Register EU Login and PIC (Participant Identification Code).
2. 2Download documents (20 items) from Funding & Tenders Portal: Funding & Tenders Portal.
3. 3Submit electronically via eSubmission only.
4. 4Include: Declaration on Honour (Annex III), Financial ID (Annex IVa), simulation, price list.
5. 5One tender per tenderer; validity 6 months.

Electronic submission required. Max 200 files, <50MB each. Supported browsers:Chrome/Firefox. Q&A via portal.

Additional Requirements

• Environmental compliance (Annex II).
• Equal opportunities policy.
• Prices exclude VAT; fixed in EUR.
• No financial guarantees.
• SME status declaration for stats.

Contact:media-tenders@europarl.europa.eu for opening attendance. Full documents essential for evaluation.

Footnotes

1. 1All data from official tender documents on EU Funding & Tenders Portal and TED notice 224081-2026.