Monitoring and analysis services of the Irish media

The European Parliament (DG Communication) has published an open tender (EP-COMM/2026/OP/0042) for a framework contract to provide daily monitoring and analysis of Irish media (print, online, radio, TV) with summaries, clippings and metadata delivered into the Parliament’s media platform. The estimated total value is €250,000 for the full duration and the contract runs for an initial 12 months with up to three tacit renewals (maximum 48 months); award is on the best price-quality ratio and submission is electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Key deliverables include daily press and audio-visual reviews, periodic thematic and quantitative analysis, licensing of clippings (reimbursed separately), and the tender submission deadline is 20 October 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.

What it funds

Scope

Framework contract to provide daily media monitoring (print, online, radio, TV) and monthly quantitative media analysis for Ireland. Deliverables: English summaries, metadata and full-text clippings (PDF or publisher hyperlinks) uploaded to the European Parliament Media Monitoring and Analysis platform (EPMM).

Who may apply:Natural or legal persons and public entities established in an EU Member State or in a third country with a procurement agreement with the EU; groups/consortia and subcontracting permitted; tenderers must meet exclusion, selection and financial criteria described in the specifications ¹.

1. 1Daily monitoring of national/regional press, main online sites and audio‑visual media in Ireland
2. 2Production of daily press and audio‑visual reviews (English summaries) with mandatory metadata
3. 3Monthly quantitative media analysis and ad‑hoc thematic reports on EP/MEP coverage
4. 4Delivery through EPMM; contractor must ensure licensing for clippings (copyright fees reimbursed on actual costs)
5. 5Simulation exercise required as part of the tender (practical sample and tagging task)

Key deadlines:deadline for receipt of tenders 20 October 2026 (17:00 Brussels time). Public opening of tenders 22 October 2026. Note an earlier system / registration deadline may apply for eSubmission and EU Login accounts.

Footnotes

1. 1Full contract notice, specifications, annexes and submission details are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal Tender details.

Overview and purpose

The European Parliament (Directorate-General for Communication, Directorate for Media) has published an open tender to award a framework contract for daily media monitoring and quantitative media analysis covering Ireland (print, online, radio, TV). Services include daily press reviews (English summaries and clippings), audio-visual summaries, periodic ad-hoc thematic reports and quantified tagging/analysis delivered into the Parliament’s global media monitoring platform (EPMM) and to a restricted list of recipients. The contract is a framework agreement concluded for an initial 12 months, renewable up to three times (maximum total 48 months). Estimated total procedure value is €250 000 (all renewals included): €200 000 for monitoring and €50 000 for analysis. Submission is electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission). More documents and technical annexes are published with the call F&T Tender Details ¹.

TED reference and contract type:TED reference 178/2026 — Framework service contract for news-agency services (CPV 92400000). Nature: services (framework contract, without reopening of competition).

Key dates and practical milestones

Publication date on F&T Portal:15/09/2026. Deadline for receipt of tenders (electronic via eSubmission): 20/10/2026 17:00 Brussels time. Virtual public opening of tenders: 22/10/2026 10:30 Europe/Brussels. Contract maximum duration: 48 months (12 months initial + 3 tacit renewals). The contracting authority will no longer reply to procurement questions submitted after 12/10/2026 23:59 Europe/Brussels.

1. 1Publication: 15/09/2026
2. 2Deadline for questions: 12/10/2026 23:59 Europe/Brussels
3. 3Submission deadline: 20/10/2026 17:00 Europe/Brussels (eSubmission)
4. 4Opening session: 22/10/2026 10:30 Europe/Brussels
5. 5Framework contract maximum duration: 48 months
6. 6Estimated total value: €250 000

Eligibility and who should apply

This tender is open to all natural or legal persons and public entities established in a EU Member State and to natural or legal persons and public entities from third countries that benefit from public procurement agreements giving them access to EU contracts. Participation can be as a single tenderer or as a group of economic operators (consortium). Subcontracting is permitted subject to disclosure and approval provisions in the tender specifications and contract.

Eligible applicant types:Startups, SMEs, large enterprises, news-agencies/media-monitoring firms, consultancies, research institutes / universities (with media expertise), non-profits or NGOs providing media intelligence services, public entities and consortia combining the above are eligible provided they meet the selection and exclusion criteria and can perform in Ireland. In practice the contracting documents require proof of registration and the capacity items set out below.

Selection and exclusion essentials (summary)

Tenderers must submit a Declaration on honour (Annex III). Mandatory exclusion checks follow the Financial Regulation (e.g., bankruptcy, fraud, tax/social security non-compliance, serious professional misconduct). Selection minimums include a minimum annual turnover of €125 000 (last three closed years) and demonstration of technical capacity: at least 3 years relevant experience, an editorial coordinator with 3 years’ proven experience, team members with minimum 1 year experience, native/fluent language skills for English and monitored languages, and keyword/search program and news database availability. Financial statements and an Annex VII financial sheet are required. Groups (consortia) must demonstrate joint and several liability and submit Annex V. Subcontractors must be declared (Annex VI) and may be checked against exclusion criteria.

Service requirements and what to deliver

The Technical Specifications (Annex I and A–F) define detailed deliverables. Core obligations include: daily national press review (English summaries max 800 characters, plus clippings) delivered before 08:00 CET weekdays; national audio-visual review (English summaries max 1600 characters) delivered before 08:30 CET; weekend/holiday consolidated edition delivered before 09:00 CET on the next working day; metadata for each item (date, theme, category, source name, media type, page/broadcast time/duration, EP/MEP in title, news type, etc.); upload to EPMM platform via API or manual upload; PDF clippings with OCR or links where licensing requires; helpdesk availability; training on EPMM; performance and quality reporting; periodic ad-hoc and monthly quantitative analysis and tagging with mandatory parameters (tone, place and role of EP, quoted speakers, main topic, prominence, etc.).

1. 1Daily press review: ~18 summaries/day (print and online), press clippings (~18/day).
2. 2Daily audio-visual review: ~8 summaries/day (radio/TV).
3. 3Weekend/holiday consolidated reviews: delivered next working day.
4. 4Ad-hoc thematic reports (estimated 3/year).
5. 5Quantitative media analysis packages (various package sizes per Annex F).
6. 6Uploads into EPMM platform (API or manual), with full metadata and OCR PDFs when available.

Intellectual property and copyright handling

Summaries and editorial material produced by the contractor become owned by the European Parliament; the Parliament acquires broad exclusive rights to reproduce, translate, adapt and publish results as described in the framework contract. Copies of full-text articles (clippings) are pre-existing materials: the contractor must secure appropriate licences for the European Parliament (upload, storage, internal distribution to a restricted list). Any licensing costs for copyrighted third-party materials (publishers/CMOs) are reimbursed separately on the basis of actual costs incurred and supporting invoices, not included in unit prices. Tenderers must disclose licensing limitations and include a consolidated table for sources in their tender (Annex I E and Annex F price tables and simulation rules).

Required rights and reporting:Contractor must provide a list of pre-existing rights incorporated in results (Annex V), obtain licences covering internal storage, display and restricted internal distribution, and notify the Parliament in advance if certain rights cannot be obtained so the Parliament can accept conditions or require alternatives.

Financial and contracting details

Estimated total procedure value:€250 000 for the framework (all renewals included). Budget split: €200 000 media monitoring activities, €50 000 media analysis. Tenderers must submit a price list (Annex F) with unit prices (VAT excluded) for defined service items (summaries, clippings, additional recipients, audiovisual summaries, ad-hoc reports, monthly quantitative analysis packages, consultancy hours). Price evaluation uses a 4-year simulated contract calculation and price scoring formula. Copyright/licensing costs are reimbursed separately on actual evidence. Price revision annually on anniversary using HICP index formula; revision applies only to service prices, not reimbursement of licensing fees.

Application and evaluation process

Submission is electronic only via the F&T Portal eSubmission. Tenderers must register in the Participant Register (obtain PIC) and attach all required administrative, financial and technical documents. The evaluation is two-stage: first quality/methodology (qualitative): tenderers must pass minimum thresholds (35/70 on simulation quality and 15/30 on methodology for advance to price stage); second: price evaluation compares grand total price (simulation budget) to lowest price. Award is the highest combined score (quality + price). The tender includes a mandatory simulation exercise described in Annex C (monitoring sample for 8 October 2026 plus media-analysis tagging exercise), which is evaluated as part of the quality score. Tenderers bear the cost of the simulation.

1. 1Register and obtain PIC in Participant Register; create EU Login account.
2. 2Prepare administrative documentation (Annex III declarations, Annex IV financial identification, Annex VII financial sheet, financial statements).
3. 3Prepare technical offer including team CVs, methodology, EPMM API readiness (Annex E), and simulation deliverables (Annex C).
4. 4Submit financial offer (Annex F price list) in eSubmission prior to deadline.
5. 5If requested, supply documentary evidence of exclusion/selection compliance within specified days.

Scoring, thresholds and penalties

Quality scoring:two qualitative criteria — (1) quality/consistency of proposed simulation (70 points, pass threshold 35) and (2) methodology (30 points, pass threshold 15). Combined threshold 65 points to qualify for price evaluation. Price scoring: lowest-priced tender receives 100 points; other tenders scored proportionally: (Pm/Po)*100. Final ranking is quality points + price points. Performance metrics and penalties are defined in the technical specifications (Section 4) including delivery timeliness targets (90% on-time = baseline; monthly service credits applied for shortfalls), accuracy/completeness targets (98% relevant coverage), metadata accuracy (98%) and summary quality (thresholds with invoice reductions for excess errors). Flat-rate daily delay penalties and proportional price reductions for quality failures are defined in the draft framework contract and technical specifications.

Co-funding and payments

No co-funding from the contracting authority is required. The contract is service-based with invoicing monthly for services actually provided and accepted. Copyright/licensing fees for third-party content are reimbursed separately on the basis of actual paid invoices and supporting evidence (submitted with monthly invoice). Payments are made in EUR excluding VAT. Annual price revision applies based on HICP (euro area) index formula as described in the draft framework contract.

Co-funding requirement:No co-funding required. Contractor finances delivery; copyright and licensing costs are reimbursed by the European Parliament based on original invoices and proof of payment (separately invoiced).

Templates, required forms and submission structure

Tenderers must use and complete the published annex templates and forms supplied on the F&T Portal. The documents required include (not exhaustive): Invitation letter conditions, Tender specifications (Annex I), Annex I.A–F (methodology, example clipping, simulation, quantitative analysis template, EPMM interfaces, price list), Annex II EP environmental policy, Annex III Declaration on honour (exclusion and selection), Annex IVa Financial identification form, Annex IVb guide to completing the financial form, Annex V group of economic operators information, Annex VI subcontractors declaration, Annex VII financial data sheet, Annex VIII restrictive measures declaration, Annex IX PEPPOL/F&T invoicing guidance, Annex X electronic invoicing form, and the draft framework contract and model order form. The simulation deliverables must follow the formats and templates in Annex C and D, and price tables must be submitted in Annex F spreadsheets.

1. 1Annex III: Declaration on honour (exclusion / selection)
2. 2Annex IVa: Financial identification form (bank details)
3. 3Annex VII: Financial data sheet and financial statements (last 3 years)
4. 4Annex I.F: Price list template and simulation budget (Annex F spreadsheet)
5. 5Annex C and Annex D: Simulation and quantitative analysis templates (deliverables must match format and content requirements)

Success chances and application stages

The exact success rate is not published. This is an open procurement with competitive scoring based on quality and price; success depends on meeting the selection minima, scoring above qualitative thresholds and offering competitive price in the 4-year simulated price evaluation. The procurement uses a two-step evaluation (quality thresholds, then price scoring). Applicants should expect multiple competitors including specialist national media monitoring agencies and news-agency service providers. The number of evaluation stages is effectively two (qualification/selection and award with price evaluation) though administrative checks and potential clarifications may introduce additional interactions.

1. 1Stage 1: Administrative & exclusion checks (documents, declarations).
2. 2Stage 2: Selection criteria verification (financial, technical capacities).
3. 3Stage 3: Qualitative evaluation (simulation and methodology scoring).
4. 4Stage 4: Price evaluation (simulation budget / Annex F).
5. 5Stage 5: Final ranking and award decision, standstill, signature of framework contract and issuance of order forms.

Success rate guidance and competitiveness

No published numerical success rate is provided in the tender documents. Typical public procurement open procedures for specialised national monitoring in a single country attract a small pool of qualified specialist providers (often single-digit to low double-digit bidders). Success depends on meeting mandatory thresholds, excelling in the simulation and methodology, and offering competitive four-year prices. Tenderers should plan for robust simulation outputs and demonstrable licensing arrangements to score well.

Practical checklist for bidders

1. 1Register organisation and obtain PIC in the Participant Register; have EU Login accounts for submitting users.
2. 2Download and study all annexes and the draft framework contract on the F&T Portal (Annex I A–F, Annexes II–X, draft FWC and model order form).
3. 3Prepare Annex III Declaration on honour and Annex VIII restrictive measures form if applicable; verify exclusion situations.
4. 4Prepare financial evidence: Annex VII financial data sheet, last 3 years financial statements (turnover >= €125 000 per last year requirement across 3 years), Annex IVa financial identification form (bank details).
5. 5Assemble technical offer: team CVs (editorial coordinator with 3+ years experience), proof of keyword search tools/news database, EPMM API readiness and tests (Annex E), methodology and workflow, sample deliverables, final simulation (Annex C/C requirements) and quantitative tagging (Annex D template).
6. 6Prepare price offer using Annex F templates and simulation budget (4-year calculation) and ensure separate handling/explanation of licensing fees for clippings.
7. 7Submit complete tender via eSubmission before the deadline; keep all supporting documents ready in case the contracting authority requests documentary evidence within the specified short deadlines.

The opportunity combines classical media-monitoring operational delivery with methodological tagging and quantitative media analysis. Competent providers must demonstrate editorial capacity, analytical rigour, technical interoperability with the EP’s EPMM platform (API and upload workflows), copyright/licensing management and stable operational availability to meet strict early-morning delivery times and quality KPIs.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender details, documents and eSubmission access point are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

This is a European Parliament procurement tender for a framework contract covering daily monitoring and analysis of Irish media, including national and regional written press, radio, television and major online sources. The service is intended to produce daily press reviews and media analysis that help the Parliament understand how EU and Parliament related topics are reported and support its communication work.

Opportunity at a glance

What the contractor will do

The selected contractor will provide daily monitoring of written, audio-visual and online media in Ireland and deliver up to date press reviews and related analysis through the European Parliament's global media monitoring and analysis platform. The service is intended to give the Directorate-General for Communication a timely evidence base for communication and audience targeting.

Who can apply

As an open procedure, the tender is open to economic operators that can meet the selection and technical requirements set out in the procurement documents. The opportunity is not marked as suitable for SMEs, so applicants should assume that the contracting authority is looking for established providers with strong operational capacity, Irish media coverage and the ability to integrate with the Parliament's platform.

• A PIC is required for participation and for consortium members if bidding in a group.
• Submission must be made electronically through the portal.
• The contracting authority is not bound to answer questions submitted after 12 October 2026 at 23:59 Brussels time.
• The public opening is scheduled for 22 October 2026 at 10:30 Brussels time.
• No public Q and A items were listed in the portal excerpt provided.

Documents and likely bidder expectations

The document set includes technical specifications, methodological guidance, example press clipping, simulation and quantitative analysis guidance, content provider system interfaces, financial offer form, financial identification form, declaration on honour, consortium and subcontractor declarations, restrictive measures declaration, electronic invoicing form, financial data sheet, environmental policy and the draft framework contract. This suggests that bidders should be prepared to demonstrate methodology, pricing structure, platform compatibility, governance of subcontracting and compliance with the Parliament's administrative and environmental requirements.

Submission timeline

The opportunity metadata also contains an additional deadline of 1 January 2026, but the portal details show 20 October 2026 as the live submission deadline, so applicants should rely on the portal deadline and the procurement documents rather than the earlier date.