How can EU communication tenders work better for SMEs?

Real conversations, bold ideas, and a shared ambition to make things better – all at IHECS Academy.

On May 20th 2025, IHECS Academy opened its doors to a vibrant and insightful panel discussion that brought together communication professionals, EU and bidding experts to tackle an important question: How can we make EU communication tenders more accessible and fairer for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)?

The event was part of the Jean Monnet Module 2025, hosted by the Executive Master’s in European Public Affairs and Communication (EPAC) and was generously sponsored by Seven of Nine and IHECS.

With SMEs frequently facing barriers in EU procurement processes, the discussion opened the door to exploring alternative approaches and potential reforms to make these processes more inclusive.

Guiding the conversation with clarity, curiosity and great enthusiasm, Paulien Dirckx, a student of the EPAC program, moderated the evening and introduced a standout panel of experts, among whom:

• Gökçe Kalaycı, Founder of Seven of Nine.
• Benoît Dubuisson, Managing Director at Downtown Europe.
• Nicolas Chomel, Executive Commercial Director at SUEZ Consulting.

Why is it so hard for SMEs to compete?

Panelists spoke candidly, sharing personal experiences and highlighting the real hurdles that SMEs face when trying to break into the tendering system:

• Excessive administrative burden:

“I had to submit 80 references and tick specific requirements, and the documents had to be signed for all of these 80 references. So for that, we had to prepare 160 references because you never know who’s going to respond and which ones will be signed. SMEs don’t stand a chance in that.” – Gökçe Kalaycı

• Consortia domination by larger players: although they are essential for participating in EU tenders, navigating them isn’t easy for SMEs.

“SMEs have to do their own homework on consortia and build their own trustworthy working relathionships. A consortia is key to enter big tenders and it will bring experience to you and to your partners.” – Nicolas Chomel

• EU tenders seen as prestige-driven, not automatically profitable:

“The reason why companies participate in tenders is because the European Commission is prestigious. They don’t do it to make profit. It’s really for the prestige and opportunities that come with it.” – Benoît Dubuisson

These challenges are real, but the conversation remained hopeful and full of ideas for change.

What is next?

Rather than prescribing fixed solutions, speakers and attendees shared insights that opened the door to new ways of thinking about EU procurement: more transparent, more inclusive, and more tailored to today’s communication landscape.

All of these ideas will be explored in greater depth in the research report to be published by Protagoras and available on www.epac.brussels in September 2025.

After all, let’s not forget: SMEs are not just capable, they are essential. With the right adjustments, public procurement can become a more powerful engine for creativity, diversity and innovation across Europe.