Selection of the implementing agency for the promotional campaign for sheep and goat meat in the domestic market, Spain, and Hungary (2028–2030)

Breve descripción

The selected agency will act as the implementing body for the European campaign for the promotion of sheepmeat and goatmeat (2028–2030) in Spain and Hungary. It will work with INTEROVIC and JKAE on the design and submission of the proposal to REA and, once approved, will take on the full implementation of the campaign: strategy, creative work, public relations, advertising, digital media, events, point-of-sale promotion and communication materials. It will also be responsible for the coordination, budget management and technical and financial reporting of the programme in accordance with EU rules.

Principales características del procedimiento

NATURE OF THE PROCEDURE
The purpose of the procedure is to select the implementing body responsible for the design, development and implementation of an EU co-funded promotion campaign for sheepmeat and goatmeat in the internal market over the period 2028-2030, with Spain and Hungary as the main target markets. The contract is not divided into lots, to ensure strategic and creative consistency. This procedure is not subject to the European Union public procurement Directives. INTEROVIC and JKAE are interbranch organisations governed by private law which, in accordance with Article 6.2B of the Model Grant Agreement, apply their usual purchasing practices, ensuring best value for money and the absence of any conflict of interests. This is therefore a voluntary publication, carried out as a best practice recommended by REA in its guidance note "AGRIP Multi – Best practices for the selection of subcontractors", in order to ensure the widest possible EU-wide publicity and compliance with the principles of transparency, competition and equal treatment.
PHASES OF THE PROCEDURE
The procedure is organised in two successive phases.
Phase 1 – Pre-selection. Interested agencies submit their credentials, evidencing their experience and their technical, organisational, economic and financial capacity to deliver a multinational European programme. Documentation must be sent to interovic@interovic.es before 23:59 on 15 September 2026, in digital format and in English or Spanish. The application letter, the sworn declaration (covering the disclosure of any conflict of interests and the absence of grounds for exclusion under Articles 138 and 143 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509) and the audited annual accounts for the last two financial years constitute admissibility requirements, assessed on a pass/fail basis only and not scored; their absence or incomplete submission renders the application inadmissible.
Only admissible applications proceed to the scoring stage, based on a 100-point scale: experience in European programmes (25 points), knowledge of the European target markets (15 points), capacity to implement and coordinate multinational projects (25 points), presence in each target market (10 points) and level of experience of the team assigned to the project (25 points). The minimum threshold to proceed to the next phase is 60 out of 100 points. In the event of a tie, the score obtained for the capacity to coordinate multinational projects prevails. A maximum of three agencies is shortlisted; should fewer than three reach the threshold, the procedure may continue with those that do, provided the Joint Evaluation Committee considers that sufficient competition is ensured.
Phase 2 – Tender. Shortlisted agencies receive the full campaign briefing together with the scoring scale applicable to this phase. They have approximately one month to prepare their strategic, creative and financial proposal, which they subsequently defend before the Joint Evaluation Committee. The specification accompanying the briefing sets out pre-defined award criteria, weighted between 30 % and 40 % for price and between 60 % and 70 % for quality, assessed separately. The indicative budget of EUR 2-3 million per campaign year is not a target amount: lower offers are accepted and encouraged. Previous experience in AGRIP Multi campaigns accounts for no more than 20 % of the award criteria.
EVALUATION BODY
Applications and tenders are assessed by a Joint Evaluation Committee composed of representatives of INTEROVIC and JKAE, with balanced representation of both organisations. The Committee is formally appointed in writing before the deadline for the receipt of credentials and includes a chair and a minimum of three members. All evaluators sign, beforehand, a declaration of absence of conflict of interests and of confidentiality. Preparatory administrative verification work may be carried out by the consortium's technical team, expressly subordinated to the Committee, which is the sole body competent to award scores and decide on the shortlisting.
COMMUNICATIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
Questions submitted by candidates, together with the corresponding replies and clarifications, are communicated simultaneously to all participants, in order to guarantee equal treatment. After the submission deadline, the Committee may request clarifications in writing on the content of the tenders; tenderers have two (2) working days from the communication in which to reply. Clarifications may not alter, complete or improve the substance of the tender and are documented in the evaluation report.
RECORD KEEPING AND NOTIFICATION
In accordance with Article 20 of the Model Grant Agreement, INTEROVIC and JKAE keep complete and verifiable records of the procedure: evidence of publication, tenders received with date and time, appointment of the Committee, signed declarations, the evaluation report with scores and reasoning, the award decision, notification letters and the correspondence exchanged. All candidates, whether successful or not, receive written and reasoned notification of the outcome, and may request clarifications or submit complaints in writing, which will be answered within a reasonable period.
SUSPENSIVE CONDITION
The award is conditional upon the approval and funding of the programme by the European Commission, whose decision is expected in November 2027. Until then, the parties sign a Preliminary Cooperation Agreement and the successful agency maintains the validity of its offer. Should European funding not be obtained, the procedure is declared void.
FULL RULES OF THE PROCEDURE
The full rules — required documentation, admissibility and evaluation criteria, tender conditions and the fee regime — are set out in the call document, available at www.interovic.es and on the JKAE website. The English version is the only authentic and binding one. Administrative and technical queries: interovic@interovic.es, tel. +34 91 833 64 72