Provision of Media Monitoring and Media Analysis

Item Description:

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), (referred to below as the contracting authority) is planning to award the contract resulting from the above procurement procedure. The procurement documents consist of the contract notice, the invitation letter, the draft framework contract and tender specifications with their respective annexes. All documents are available in the attached ZIP File.

Background and objectives

ECHA delivers information to the chemical industry, a variety of stakeholders and the general public. It does so through different communications channels including media and social media. ECHA operates in a complex environment and the Agency needs to raise awareness and help duty holders in complying with the chemicals legislation.

This requires a pragmatic, business-driven presentation of scientific and technical content for the growing number of companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Agency also needs to use the results of the legislative processes to promote the safe use of chemicals among downstream users, workers, consumers and other general audiences.

Ensuring a balanced presentation of the Agency’s work in the specialised and general media, as well as maintaining the good reputation of the Agency by providing accurate and timely information to duty holders and to the public at large is an overriding goal of ECHA’s communications activities.

The objective of this call for tenders is to conclude a service contract to provide the European Chemicals Agency with daily media monitoring and monthly and annual media analysis services in all European Union (EU) Member States (including the UK post-Brexit), EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and the USA.

Monitoring and analysing ECHA’s presence in the media is an essential source of information for the Agency to help steer its communications. The information helps the Agency to identify sensitivities, react to on-going discussions and prepare for potential risks. It also enables ECHA’s Communications Unit to rebut incorrect information published in the media and the information is valuable feedback to measure the Agency’s success in reaching out to its stakeholders, such as SMEs and other duty holders.

In 2019, ECHA published approximately 65 news releases, conducted almost 80 interviews, produced a total of 50 video-related projects and organised 11 live web events. In the period 2014-2019, ECHA’s communications activities resulted in approximately 27 000 articles published in print media and online sources from all over the world with sometimes daily, weekly and monthly peaks during particular periods and related to topics of interest. The majority of the articles were published in English. The top 10 countries were the United Kingdom, France, Germany, USA, Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Finland and Sweden.

Detailed characteristics of the purchase

The subject matter of the contract is the provision of media monitoring and media analysis services in all European Union (EU) Member States (including the UK post-Brexit), EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and the USA on issues of interest to the European Chemicals Agency. To this end, attention should be given to monitoring media coverage in general and specialised print and online media. The media analysis to be provided based on the monitored sources should suit the Agency’s needs in giving direction to ECHA’s communications efforts.

Media monitoring of print and online media – coverage

The monitoring should cover the media coverage of ECHA’s publications such as press and news releases, press briefings, interviews with contributions from ECHA’s management and staff, events and meetings (conferences, briefings, etc.), and important aspects of EU and national policies and developments in EU Member States and elsewhere in the field of chemicals and areas of work indicated previously. An indicative list of key words of ECHA’s interest and indicative list of media are provided below.

Download all available documents in: [ZIP]