Public Diplomacy and Cultural Relations in China

This open tender from the European Commission Service for Foreign Policy Instruments seeks a service provider to deliver public diplomacy and cultural relations activities in mainland China excluding Hong Kong and Macao to reinforce the EU Delegation’s long-term engagement. The estimated contract value is €3,000,000 for a 36 month services contract planned to start on 2 July 2026, with submission deadline 14 August 2026 at 16:00:59 UTC. The scope includes events, exhibitions, media and stakeholder engagement and facilitating exchanges between EU and Chinese think tanks and research institutes. Award criteria weight quality 80 percent and price 20 percent.

What it will fund

Scope summary

Contracted services will support the EU Delegation to China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao) to deliver public diplomacy and cultural relations activities. Typical tasks include designing and delivering cultural events and exhibitions, media and stakeholder engagement, facilitating exchanges between EU and Chinese think tanks and research institutes, organising interactive outreach and providing consultancy and technical assistance. A minority of activities may be implemented in the EU for reciprocal exchanges.

Who can apply:Legal entities (companies, consultancies, cultural organisations, or consortia) able to operate in China and deliver the listed services to the EU Delegation; applications via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal are required ¹.

1. 1Estimated contract value: €3,000,000 (total)
2. 2Planned duration: 36 months (start indicated July 2026)
3. 3Procedure: open tender via eSubmission on the Funding & Tenders Portal

Lead contracting authority:European Commission, FPI Service for Foreign Policy Instruments. Selection and award criteria emphasise quality (80) and price (20). For full procurement documents and to submit, use the portal EU Tender page ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official call and procurement documents are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

Key facts

Opportunity Title:Public Diplomacy and Cultural Relations in China. Procuring Authority: European Commission, FPI - Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (lead contracting authority). Procedure type: Open procurement tender published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Reference / Call Identifier: EC-FPI/PEK/2026/EA-RP/0011. Estimated total contract value: €3,000,000. Planned duration: 36 months. Main CPV codes: 79416000, 79951000, 79952000, 55120000, 55520000. Geographic focus for implementation: China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao) with a minority of activities possibly implemented in the EU for reciprocal exchanges.

Deadlines and timeline

Official tender publication date:2026-07-02. Main submission / participation reception period end date: 14 August 2026 at 16:00:59 (Asia/Shanghai timezone indicated; end time listed as 16:00:59+08:00). The scraped metadata lists an additional deadline date entry of 2026-01-01T08:00:59.000Z but the tender materials and portal show the active call with a submission deadline of 2026-08-14. Start of contract (planned): 2026-07-02 (start date field present).

Official procurement documents:An invitation to submit a request to participate and additional information about the Contract Notice are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Applicants must consult the full tender dossier available on the portal for submission rules, selection criteria and tender specifications Funder Portal Tender Page ¹.

What the contract covers (scope of services)

Objective:To support the EU Delegation to China in carrying out a range of public diplomacy and cultural relations activities to (1) improve understanding, perceptions and attractiveness of the EU as a global actor among key stakeholders and audiences in China and (2) enhance the EU’s reach and capacity to hold influential and informative engagements with key Chinese stakeholders over the long term. Scope includes technical assistance and implementation of activities such as facilitation of interactive engagement with target audiences, organisation of events including cultural events, facilitation of exchanges between selected EU and Chinese think tanks and research institutes, media and press engagement, organisation of exhibitions, consultancy services and related activities. A minority of activities may be implemented in the EU (reciprocal exchanges).

Procurement specifics and commercial details

Estimated overall contract amount:€3,000,000. Contract nature: Services. Planned contract duration: 36 months. The procurement is listed as suitable for EU-funded programmes under the Asia and the Pacific context (RELEX). Submission method: mandatory electronic submission via the Funding and Tenders Portal (esubmission). Contracting authority expects award based on quality (weight 80) and price (weight 20) — applicants must consult procurement documents for full award criteria and sub-criteria. The tendering dossier includes at least one additional document titled Addtional information about the Contract Notice.

Eligible applicant types

The procurement is for a services contract and therefore is open to economic operators that meet the selection and qualification requirements set out in the procurement documents. Based on the nature of the contract and typical EU procurement practice, eligible applicant types that should consider bidding include the following categories (applicants must verify exact eligibility, exclusion and selection criteria in the official documents):

1. 1Consultancies and professional service providers specialised in public diplomacy, cultural relations, communications and stakeholder engagement.
2. 2Event management and cultural programming organisations capable of delivering exhibitions, performances and cultural events.
3. 3Media, communications and public relations agencies with experience in engagement with Chinese press and media audiences.
4. 4Think tanks, research institutes and universities able to facilitate exchanges and collaborative research activities between EU and Chinese counterparts.
5. 5Non-governmental organisations and cultural institutions with experience in international cultural relations and exchanges.
6. 6Large enterprises or SMEs offering consultancy, training, policy outreach or implementation capacity relevant to the scope.
7. 7Consortia or joint ventures combining the technical, logistical, cultural and language skills necessary (subject to procurement rules and required declarations).

Note:The call indicates SME suitability flag as false; however SMEs may still participate as part of a consortium or as contracted suppliers. Exact bidder eligibility, exclusion grounds and required documentation (financial capacity, technical capacity, declarations) are specified in the procurement dossier.

Funding type and nature of support

Funding type:Procurement contract (paid services contract) awarded by the EU under public procurement rules. Nature of support: monetary payment for services delivered under the contract (fee-based commercial contract). The contracting authority intends to pay the awarded contractor(s) for service delivery; no grant co-financing mechanism is described in the call. This is not a research grant, loan or equity instrument.

Consortium requirement

The tender does not mandate a consortium structure as the sole option; selection and award rules are defined in the tender documents. EU service contracts commonly accept bids from single legal entities or consortia (including temporary associations of economic operators) provided they meet selection and qualification criteria and submit required supporting documents. Tenderers should consult the selection criteria and tender rules in the dossier to confirm whether joint bids are permitted, and whether subcontracting is allowed and under what terms.

Beneficiary scope and geographic eligibility

Primary implementation zone and beneficiaries:China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao) as the main area for activities. The contracting authority is the European Commission (FPI). Geographic eligibility for bidders: standard EU procurement practice allows economic operators established in EU Member States and, where specified, in other eligible countries to bid; bidders must consult the procurement documents for precise rules on eligible nationalities and establishments. Activities may include a minority implemented in the EU to facilitate reciprocal exchanges.

Target sectors and thematic areas

This is a cross-cutting public diplomacy and cultural relations contract targeting the intersection of diplomacy, culture, education, research exchange, media relations and event management. Primary sectors include public diplomacy, culture and cultural relations, communications and media engagement, think-tank and research exchange facilitation, exhibitions and events, consultancy and capacity building.

Explicitly mentioned countries and zones

Explicitly mentioned country for implementation:China. Hong Kong and Macao are excluded from implementation for the main activities. The contracting authority is an EU institution (European Commission).

Project maturity and expected stage

Expected project stage:Implementation and service delivery. The opportunity is for operational delivery of public diplomacy and cultural activities rather than basic research: it requires demonstrated operational capacity to design and run events, exchanges and communications campaigns, to engage stakeholders and to implement cultural programming. Activities may include design, facilitation, outreach, logistical delivery and evaluation over a multi-year period.

Application method and stages

Application type:Open tender published on the Funding & Tenders Portal with mandatory electronic submission (esubmission) via the portal. The portal reference and tender dossier contain the formal invitation to submit a request to participate and other documents. The call appears to be a single-stage procurement where bidders submit their tender in response to the call by the deadline; the procurement metadata does not indicate a multi-stage negotiated or restricted procedure, though clarifications and additional information periods are available as per standard process.

Application stages:1 (single-stage submission) but the process will include internal administrative checks, selection/eligibility assessment and award evaluation based on quality and price. Tenderers should expect at least the following internal steps: (1) submission and eligibility check, (2) evaluation of technical/quality offer and price, (3) award decision and contract signature. If the procedure includes a request to submit a request to participate (RTP) step in practice, bidders must follow the order specified in the procurement documents.

Success rates and competition

The tender metadata does not provide explicit historical success rates. As an open EU services tender of significant value (€3 million) there will typically be multiple competing bidders including national and international consultancies, cultural organisations and consortia. The success rate will depend on the number and quality of submissions; no numeric success rate is provided in the call.

Co-funding and financial requirements

Co-funding requirement:none specified. This is a procurement contract where the contracting authority will pay the contractor for agreed services. Tenderers may need to demonstrate sufficient financial capacity and provide financial guarantees or references as required by the tender documents, but no applicant co-financing (counter-funding) is indicated in the published metadata.

Templates and application structure guidance

The procurement dossier includes formal documents such as the Invitation to submit a request to participate and additional information about the Contract Notice. Applicants must use the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission tool and must complete the forms and declarations contained in the tender package. Typical required submission elements (detailed format and templates found in tender dossier) are likely to include:

1. 1Administrative form(s): identification of economic operator, contact details, legal status, evidence of legal establishment and power to sign.
2. 2Exclusion and eligibility declarations: signed statements on exclusion grounds, conflicts of interest, and compliance with applicable procurement rules.
3. 3Selection/qualification evidence: financial statements, turnover data, relevant insurance coverage, capacity to deliver (staff, offices) and references for similar contracts.
4. 4Technical offer and methodology: a structured technical proposal describing approach to public diplomacy and cultural relations, workplan and timeline, stakeholder mapping and engagement strategy, proposed activities (events, exchanges, exhibitions, media engagement), monitoring and evaluation plan, risk assessment and mitigation measures.
5. 5Key experts and CVs: profiles of proposed team members, roles and responsibilities, and evidence of relevant experience (project leader, communications specialists, cultural producers, event managers, China-based staff or partners, language skills).
6. 6Consortium agreements or letters of intent (if bidding as a consortium): formal designation of lead contractor and responsibilities, subcontracting plan and partnership arrangements.
7. 7Financial offer / price schedule: completed price form and any required breakdowns (unit prices, travel and subsistence, per-event costing), and any required declarations on price reasonableness.
8. 8Supporting annexes: sample deliverables, past project descriptions, letters of reference, proof of eligibility for activities in China (local permits or partner arrangements) where relevant.

Applicants must follow the exact submission templates and forms provided in the procurement documents on the Funding & Tenders Portal. The tender dossier contains the authoritative templates and the award criteria with their weights (quality 80, price 20 as shown in metadata).

Evaluation and award criteria

Award criteria indicated in the metadata allocate weights to quality (80) and price (20). The procurement documents will set out the specific sub-criteria within quality (for example methodology, relevance, team CVs, past performance, impact and sustainability, risk mitigation). Tenderers must consult the invitation and tender specifications for precise scoring matrices, minimum thresholds and the required documentary evidence for each criterion.

Risks, compliance and operational considerations

Key operational considerations for bidders include:compliance with rules for operations in China (permissions, local partners, visa and event regulations), ability to run culturally and politically sensitive programmes, robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks, safeguarding of participants and data protection in cross-border exchanges, contingency planning for adjustments to public diplomacy activities, and capacity to manage financial reporting and audits under EU contracting rules. Bidders should ensure compliance with EU exclusion criteria and procurement integrity rules.

CPV codes and activity classification

Summary assessment and recommended next steps

This is a high-value EU public procurement contract to procure communication, cultural relations and public diplomacy services to be implemented primarily in China over a 36-month period with an estimated budget of €3,000,000. The award will be based predominantly on quality (80) with price (20) as a secondary factor. Interested bidders should immediately consult the tender dossier and the invitation to submit a request to participate on the Funding & Tenders Portal, verify eligibility and nationality rules, assemble a team with strong China experience (logistics, events, cultural programming, media relations and research exchange facilitation), prepare the technical offer addressing the award sub-criteria, and complete the portal eSubmission by the deadline 14 August 2026 at 16:00:59 (local time indicated).

Recommended immediate actions:1) Download and read the full procurement documents, 2) Clarify any questions through the portal's clarifications mechanism within the allowed period, 3) Prepare administrative, selection and financial evidence early, 4) Assemble partnerships or consortium agreements if required for delivery in China, and 5) Align the technical proposal to the quality award criteria, providing clear indicators and a robust monitoring and evaluation plan.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender dossier and official procurement documents are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu. Consult the Invitation to submit a request to participate and all referenced annexes for full submission templates, forms and legal requirements.

Opportunity Summary and Strategic Objectives

This tender, published by the European Commission's Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), seeks service providers to support the EU Delegation to China in executing public diplomacy and cultural relations activities across mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao) ¹. The primary goal is to reinforce the Delegation's capacity for constant, long-term engagement to improve understanding, perceptions, and attractiveness of the EU among key Chinese stakeholders ².

The contract aims to enhance the EU's reach and ability to hold influential, informative engagements with Chinese think tanks, research institutes, media, and the general public over the long term ³.

Key Contract Details

Scope of Services and Activities

Technical assistance will include facilitating interactive engagement with target audiences, organizing cultural events and exhibitions, and managing press and media engagement ⁴.

1. 1Facilitating exchanges between selected EU and Chinese think tanks and research institutes
2. 2Providing consultancy services on public diplomacy strategies
3. 3Organizing events to showcase EU culture and values
4. 4Supporting reciprocal exchanges, including activities potentially implemented in the EU

Eligible Applicants and Requirements

Eligible applicants are organizations capable of delivering service contracts in public diplomacy, cultural relations, strategic communications, and event management ⁵.

Key Competencies Required:Applicants must demonstrate experience in EU-China relations, strong networks with Chinese stakeholders, and the ability to operate in a complex diplomatic environment ⁶.

The tender is not suitable for SMEs (SME Suitability Indicator:False), indicating a preference for larger, established entities with significant operational capacity ⁷.

Strategic Context and Importance

This tender aligns with the EU's broader strategy to foster people-to-people exchanges and soft power influence in China, recognizing that tourism and cultural centers strengthen ties beyond official state visits ⁸.

The initiative supports the EU's 'de-risk, not decouple' approach to China, emphasizing dialogue and fair competition while maintaining strategic autonomy ⁹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official Tender Details: EU Funding Portal - Public Diplomacy and Cultural Relations in China
2. 2Call for Tender Summary: EEAS - Call for Tender: Public Diplomacy and Cultural Relations in China
3. 3Development Aid Tender View: Development Aid - Public Diplomacy and Cultural Relations in China
4. 4Cultural Diplomacy Context: Carnegie Endowment - China-EU Relations and the Role of Cultural Diplomacy
5. 5Eligibility Criteria: Development Aid - Eligible Applicants Description
6. 6EU-China Relations Policy: European Movement - EU-China Relations Policy Recommendations
7. 7Tender Metadata: MangoFetch - Public Diplomacy and Cultural Relations in China
8. 8Soft Power Strategy: LSE Ideas - China-EU Relations and the Future of European Soft Power
9. 9EU Commission Press Briefing: YouTube - EU Commission on AI Envoy, Hungary & China Trade