Call for tenders: Digital branding services for the Green European Journal

About the Green European Foundation

The Green European Foundation (GEF) is a European-level political foundation funded by the European Parliament. GEF is affiliated to but independent from the European Green Party and Green movement in Europe. Our mission is to encourage European citizens to participate in European political discussions and in particular when it comes to envisioning what a Green Europe would look like. As a forum for cooperation at the European level, we work closely with our national member foundations and thereby aim to strengthen the Green political movement and green ideas in Europe.

 

About the Green European Journal 

The Green European Journal (GEJ) is Europe’s leading political ecology magazine. The Journal stands for an open, sustainable, social and feminist Europe. In print and online, it publishes quality articles which track political currents and ideas offering fresh perspectives and frontline analysis. Editorially independent, it has been published in 28 languages since its foundation in 2012 and collaborates with partners across Europe to connect with new audiences and open up spaces for real debate. Based within the Green European Foundation, the spirit of the magazine is that of a broad conversation about political ecology and what it means for our society, today and for the years to come. 

 

Purpose of Tender 

The purpose of this tender is to seek proposals from qualified branding agencies to collaborate with the Green European Journal in revamping its digital branding.  

The overall goal of this tender is to enhance the coherence and effectiveness of its online presence across various communication channels, including our website, newsletters, and social media platforms. 

We aim to select a branding agency that can effectively work with the GEJ’s team to address our specific needs and deliver solutions for our digital branding revamp.  

We will establish a framework agreement with the selected agency or agencies to facilitate ongoing collaboration and support. 

 

Mission 

The Green European Journal, with a decade-long presence in the publishing sector, has a well-known brand identity for its print editions.  

However, there is a need for enhanced coherence among its digital communication channels, including its website, newsletters, social media, and videos.  

As the GEJ continues to evolve and innovate in response to changes in the media and digital landscape, we are seeking expertise from branding agencies to provide the necessary elements to ensure consistency and alignment with our established print magazine branding.  

Therefore, the mission given to the service provider is to collaborate with the Green European Journal in enhancing the coherence and effectiveness of its online products.  

The selected branding agency will equip GEJ with the necessary resources and guidance to strengthen its digital presence, maintain brand consistency, and effectively engage with its audience in the ever-evolving digital sphere. 

 

Technical Specifications  

1. Developing a Brand Book for GEJ’s online channels and digital products, ensuring that the brand book elements maintain consistency with the existing brand identity of the print editions.   The brand book should include:

• Icon version of GEJ’s logo: Creation of a simplified and versatile icon version of the existing logo. 

• Animated version of GEJ’s logo: Development of a dynamic and captivating animated version of the logo suitable for video content.  

• Colour palette: Establishment of a cohesive colour palette for our online channels complementary to the print magazine branding.  

• Patterns Design: Crafting of a unique and adaptable pattern for use across assets. The pattern design should be adaptable for use as a background or design element, both online and offline. 

• Slogans: Creation of impactful and resonant slogans aligned with GEJ messaging and online products. 

2. Deliver a style guide, banners and recommendations for newsletters and its website. The guide should include graphical rules for consistent branding for each channel (GEJ’s website and its different newsletters).

3. Developing social media style guide and templates for Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. The templates should be adaptable to each social media platform’s needs, consider the specific needs of a written media outlet such as the Journal and maintain consistency with GEJ’s digital brand identity. Templates must be editable (Adobe Illustrator format) for the team and adaptable for different types of content. At least, this should include:

• Carrousel templates to adapt articles and interviews and to be used mainly on Instagram and LinkedIn.  

• Preview card templates for all articles published in the Journal. They will be visible on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and FB.  

• Single image templates for special content (such as quotes, columns, focus) and other pages of the website of the Journal.  

• Cover templates for videos shared on social media.  

• In all the listed templates there should be a version/element to distinguish social media content based on the printed editions, which are also promoted on social media.  

4. Developing audiovisual branding and video templates tailored for social media. With video content dominating social media channels, the chosen agency will play a pivotal role in establishing video content to enhance the Journal’s presence on social media while ensuring branding consistency. The videos should adhere to Instagram (reels) recommendations and be optimised for distribution on Youtube and TikTok. This endeavor unfolds in two distinct phases:

• During the first phase, the agency will work as a consultant for the Journal team. The agency will propose and develop an intro, outro and overall format styles. The agency will handle the editing and post-production of the videos on demand, maintaining quality and adhering to social media platform recommendations. 

• During a second phase, once the video formats are established, the agency will deliver a suite of assets and templates (Adobe Premiere format) to the Journal team, facilitating the repurposing and reproduction of established video formats. The overall goal is to have customizable video templates to be used by the GEJ team, similar to the social media deliverables listed above, along with training sessions to ensure proficiency in the template utilization.  

The selected economic operators will be contracted via a framework agreement for the duration of one year. 

 GEF reserves itself the possibility to propose to renew the collaboration for up to 4 years, depending on its needs.  

Fixed prices for the deliverables and the video services will be listed in the contract. This flat-rate will provide the contractual basis for any possible collaboration in the following 4-year period listed above. Any possible need for indexation of the prices in the future will be negotiated in good faith.  

In case more tenderers are to be awarded the framework agreement, the assignment of the single contracts for the deliverables will take into account the capacity and responsiveness of the selected tenderers, which will be awarded on a first came first served basis. 

GEF reserves the right to not proceed if no reasonably priced tenders are received (or for any other objective reason).  

 

Exclusion Criteria 

Please find as follows criteria to fulfill in order to not be excluded by the tendering procedure. 

• The tender and tenderer do not incur in any exclusion criteria as per art 136 FR 2018/1046, and any kind of conflict of interest. 

• Only offers submitted via the application form will be evaluated. 

• Minimum requirements that all tenderers shall meet in order to be considered for evaluation include compliance with applicable environmental, social and labour law obligations established by Union law, national law, collective agreements or the applicable international social and environmental conventions listed in Annex X to Directive 2014/24/EU. 

 

Selection and Award Criteria 

Selection Criteria: 

The selection criteria are assessed with comply or fail questions. The tenderers that comply with the criteria are going to be further examined and considered for award. The tenders that do not comply shall be rejected. 

The selection criteria for this tender are: 

• Proven experience of digital rebranding for magazines, media outlets or similar organisations. Examples of brand books and other relevant work are required for the purposes of the evaluation. 

• Demonstrated ability to adapt branding elements to different channels, namely website, social media and newsletters. Examples or portfolio are required for the purposes of the evaluation. 

• Proven ability to develop templates (in Adobe formats) that can be adapted to different content and to the needs of the distinct social media channels. Examples of previous works are required for the purposes of the evaluation. 

• Capacity to realise this project in the requested timeline (second half of the year), and adequate human resources and project management approach for this initiative. In particular, tenderers shall confirm to be able to appoint at least Producer/Creative Director and a Motion Design/Video Editor or Producer.  

• Availability to start the delivery of services as soon as possible and in late July 2024.   

• Tenderers shall confirm their work schedule runs from 09h00 to 18h00 Brussels times. 

• Only complete offers, that are tailored to the technical specifications of the tender and are not a generic price listing will be evaluated. 

 

Award Criteria 

The award criteria for this tender is the one of the best value for money. 

The following criteria will be evaluated according to the listed weight: 

Price of deliverables	Provide a financial proposal including  fixed prices in euro, VAT excluded, for each of the specified deliverables as mentioned in the technical specifications, namely the creation of the brand book, creation of the social media templates and the creation of style guide for website and newsletters.  Please, make sure to express all the prices in euro, VAT excluded, and to mention on the side the VAT rate applicable.	Weight of this criterion: 20%
Price of audiovisual branding	Provide a financial proposal including the hourly rates for video editing and post-production, with a breakdown of costs based on the anticipated hours required per task.  Please, make sure to express all the prices in euro, VAT excluded, and to mention on the side the VAT rate applicable.	Weight of this criterion: 20%
Experience in working with media outlets	Tenderers will be evaluated on their ability to produce the deliverables tailored for media outlets. A maximum score of “3” will be awarded to those with proven experience in producing all the specified deliverables for a media outlet. Tenderers with experience in producing at least one of the deliverables (brand book, style guide for newsletters and websites, social media templates or audiovisual branding) for media outlets will receive an intermediate score of “2”. Tenderers who do not, will be evaluated with a “0”. The portfolio provided will be used for evaluation.	Weight of this criterion: 40%
Project implementation proposal	The tender outlines their methodology and approach to ensure the accurate and timely delivery of services. This should include:   • Collaboration methos: Describe the processes and workflows you will implement to ensure high-quality deliverables, including testing procedures of the templates and deliverables.  • Timeline: Provide a tentative timeline for the deliverables, including key milestones.  • Tenderers who prove to have a collaborative, dynamic and quality focused approach will be evaluated with the maximum score for this criterion “3”. Tenderers who do not, will be evaluated with a ”0”. The project implementation proposal presented will be used for the purposes of the evaluation.	Weight of this criterion: 10%
Location and willingness to travel.	The tenderer is based in Europe and willing to travel to Brussels in the framework of contractual needs and deliverables.	Weight of this criterion: 5%
Environmental and Social Responsibility	The tenderer’s enrolment in an environmental and social certification program, or alternatively, the submission of its environmental report or implementation of a sustainability action plan. Tenderers who are able to share such documentation will be evaluated with the maximum score for this criterion “3”. Tenderers who do not, will be evaluated with a ”0”.	Weight of this criterion: 5%

The methodology for ranking the tenderers is numerical scoring system, with weights.  

Each criterion will be evaluated with a score ranging from 0 (lowest score for the criteria) to 3 (highest score for the criteria). These values will be multiplied by the weight associated with each criterion. 

The tenderer ranking the highest after the evaluation shall be selected for the award. 

 

Practical Information 

All tenders should be submitted by Tuesday, 09 July, at 09h00 via the application form.  

The selection committee reserves the right to schedule short exchanges to clarify unclear information. 

Tender(s) selection: 10-15 working days after the deadline to submit the applications. 

Start of the service provision agreement: as soon as possible once selected. 

Please submit your application by providing a detailed proposal in English, encompassing the following elements: 

• A brief introduction of the tenderer outlining their background, interest, and competences in line with the selection and award criteria.  

• A competitive price offer matching the mission scope and purpose, expressed in the form of a price per deliverables 1-3  (brand book, social media templates and style guide for website and newsletters) and hour fee for deliverable 4 (video editing and post-production), VAT excluded. Please, mention the applicable VAT rate in your application.  

• Feedback and recommendations from previous clients  

• Officially declare that that you do not incur in any exclusion criteria as per art 136 FR 2018/1046, and any kind of conflict of interest. 

 

We actively encourage tenderers from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented and marginalised communities, to apply. 

Please ensure that your proposal addresses each of these elements comprehensively. Incomplete submissions affect the evaluation of your proposal. Thank you for your interest in providing services to The Green European Foundation (GEF). 

A rolling Q&A document is available at this link. Please, make sure to write anonymous questions and to not write above other questions. 

 

Confidentiality 

Tenderers accept to not disclose nor communicate in any way and at any time confidential information regarding their relationship and work with GEF. This commitment remains valid after the termination of the service, permanently. 

The winning tenderer will commit to sign a declaration to certify the absence of conflict of interest in relation to the tasks and mission contracted by GEF and will make sure to inform the organization of any changes in this status. 

 

Terms and Conditions 

The collection of the tenders, the first screening, selection, and award procedures shall be conducted by distinct members of the GEF team and an appointed selection committee, with the aim of guaranteeing adherence to standards concerning conflicts of interest. 

GEF retains the right to reject any or all proposals, either wholly or partially, initiate a new call for proposals if deemed necessary, cease the requirement for services, or amend or terminate this call for tender before the written contract is finalized. Moreover, GEF maintains the discretion to waive certain formalities in the tender process. 

GEF is not bound to reply to requests for additional information made less than 6 working days before the deadline for receipt of tenders. 

The completion of the tendering process does not oblige GEF to grant the contract.  

If the tender encompasses multiple items or lots, GEF maintains the right to award a contract for only a portion of them. GEF will not be held responsible for compensating tenderers whose proposals have not been accepted, nor will it be liable if it chooses not to award the contract. 

By submitting an offer, the tenderers authorize GEF to safely and privately archive the offers received for auditing purposes and agrees to not advance any claim or cause of action against GEF based on any misunderstanding on the information provided relatively to the tender, or any eventual failure to provide pertinent information as intended by this call for tender. 

The tenders will remain confidential until opening and archived accordingly to GDPR. 

Submission of a tender implies acceptance of the terms and conditions set out in the procurement documents and that such submission binds the contractor to whom the contract is awarded, if any, during the performance of the contract. 

Submission of a tender implies acceptance of receiving notification of the outcome of the procedure by electronic means. 

 

Contracting Party 

Green European Foundation (GEF) 

Legal and billing address: Rue du Fossé 3, 1536 Luxembourg, Luxembourg. 

VAT: LU24419770 

Headquarters: Avenue des Arts 7-8, 1210 Brussels, Belgium. 

 

Contacts 

For any questions regarding this call for tender, please refer to xenia.samoultseva@gef.eu.