TNS Secures €65 Million Eurobarometer Contract

European Commission Awards Contract To Tns For A Further Four Years

LONDON - TNS, the global market insight and information group, has announced today that it has successfully - and for the second time - won its frame-work contract with the European Commission and European Parliament to produce its Standard Eurobarometer studies. This agreement will be one of the largest market research contracts ever commissioned and is valued at € 65 million over four years. TNS won the contract through a competitive pitch against IPSOS, Gallup and Synovate, only four months after it was also awarded the Eurobarometer Qualitative Studies worth €15 million over four years.

The Eurobarometer will be co-ordinated within TNS’ highly established Political & Social sector, by TNS Opinion, who interview approximately 200,000 citizens every year in more than 34 countries across Europe: the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU), the three candidate countries (Turkey, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia); Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, and the Turkish Cypriot Community (located in the area not controlled by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus). All interviews are conducted face to face, in 44 different languages, by 9,200 dedicated TNS interviewers.

The Eurobarometer is the most significant and regular measure of public opinion in Europe and covers a number of important issues facing the EU, including globalisation, unemployment, the protection of the environment, immigration, poverty and international affairs, many of which can be tracked over several years. TNS has worked for the European Institutions since 1974 when it first won the contract for the quantitative Standard Eurobarometer studies.

Leendert de Voogd, Global Head of TNS Political & Social sector, said: “TNS is extremely proud to have been rewarded with this very prestigious contract again, and to have been chosen to run what is known as the biggest Political and Social research contract ever commissioned. It is a testament to TNS’ professionalism and capability to run extremely large studies using our strong European face to face field force. We have a fantastic team at TNS who have being running this study proficiently for four years and are the reason we are seen as a trusted partner for major global research projects such as this. The contract also underpins the strength of our Political and Social sector and gives us a platform for growth and innovation in many areas. The combination of both qualitative and quantitative Eurobarometer contracts will enable us to provide European elites with the most exhaustive sources of information and help them in their decision-making process and the drafting of European-wide public policies.

About TNS
TNS, who recently merged with Research International, is the world’s largest custom research agency delivering actionable insights and research-based business advice to its clients so they can make more effective business decisions. TNS offers comprehensive industry knowledge within the Consumer, Technology, Finance, Automotive and Political & Social sectors, supported by a unique product offering that stretches across the entire range of marketing and business issues, specialising in product development & innovation, brand & communication, stakeholder management, retail & shopper, and qualitative research. Delivering best-in-class service across more than 70 countries, TNS is part of Kantar, the world’s largest research, insight and consultancy network. Please visit www.tnsglobal.com for more information.

The Kantar Group
The Kantar Group is one of the world’s largest research, insight and consultancy networks. By uniting the diverse talents of more than 20 specialist companies – including the recently-acquired TNS – the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of compelling and actionable insights for the global business community. Its 26,500 employees work across 80 countries and across the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group to offer clients business insights at each and every point of the consumer cycle. The group’s services are employed by over half of the Fortune Top 500 companies. The Kantar Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WPP Group plc. For further information, please visit www.kantargrouptns.com