CEC: Media Promotion Procurement Over the Past Decade Based on Comprehensive Evaluation; No Favoritism

(CNA, Lai Yu-yen, Taipei, May 29) CEC Chairperson Yu Ying-lung recently promised to look into the handling of media promotion fees in recent years. The CEC stated today that between 2015 and 2025, there were seven media promotion procurement cases. These were determined after comprehensive evaluation of the manufacturers' project content, media integration capabilities, execution experience, price reasonableness, and overall performance capabilities. There was absolutely no designation or favoritism toward any specific media. During the review of the 2026 central government budget by the Legislative Yuan's Interior Committee on the 27th, KMT legislator Wang Hung-wei questioned whether the CEC's media procurement fees over the past decade were concentrated on FTV and SET. Yu Ying-lung stated at the time that media promotion fee handling follows open bidding and strictly adheres to relevant procedures, and that he would look into it and provide a summary to the committee. The CEC stated in a press release today that the seven media promotion procurement cases conducted between 2015 and 2025 were mainly for election affairs and voting information for presidential, legislative, local, and national referendum elections, including voting dates, times, and precautions. The CEC stated that each procurement case was conducted through open bidding and selection in accordance with the Government Procurement Act. Media integration or marketing companies participated in the bidding, and a legally established procurement selection committee evaluated the manufacturers' project content, media integration capabilities, execution experience, price reasonableness, and overall performance to determine the best manufacturer. It was not designated to any specific media, nor was any specific media favored. According to CEC data, between 2015 and 2018, 2-3 companies participated in each case, including Weiken, FTV, and Carat, with FTV winning. The 2021 national referendum promotion was bid on by SET. Between 2022 and 2025, 2-3 companies participated in each case, including SET, FTV, Taiyi, and Era, with SET winning. The CEC stated that all bidding and award information is publicly announced on the Government E-Procurement System, ensuring transparency. The CEC also emphasized that the winning manufacturer is responsible for overall promotion strategy planning, material production, and media placement, rather than the CEC directly purchasing slots from specific media. Actual placement covers wireless TV, cable TV, radio, internet, social media, and print media, not concentrated on a single media group. For the local elections on November 28 this year, the CEC emphasized that it will continue to use diverse media channels to ensure election information is fully communicated. (Editor: Lin Hsing-meng)