​Hidroelectrica, the largest electricity producer in Romania, recently purchased advertising and information services for the next 3 years worth more than 1.5 million euros. The state-owned company, which currently has the lowest electricity prices, wants to improve its image and attract more customers.

Hidroelectrica put more than 8.2 million lei at risk. Which companies submitted proposals

The largest electricity producer in the country, Hidroelectrica, in which the state owns more than 80% of shares, in June of this year launched an open tender for the purchase of information and advertising services for a period of 3 years, an approximate contract for more than 8.2 million lei (excluding VAT).

• “We want to develop, conduct and implement an information campaign regarding the activities of Hidroelectrica in order to increase the popularity of the company and the services it offers among existing and potential customers.
• The general purpose of the contract is to strengthen the general image of the company, with an emphasis on information and advertising activities regarding the products, services and facilities offered by Hidroelectrica in the electricity supply market.”, it is shown in the specifications.

Hidroelectrica wants TV and radio spots, social media campaigns and media partnerships with print and online media

The subject of the contract is the purchase of the following services:

• 1) Market research and focus groups;
• 2) Implementation of the concept of a communication and promotional campaign at the national level;
• 3) Production and broadcast of TV and radio stories in accordance with the advertising plan and approval of Hydroelectricity;
• 4) Creation of advertising materials;
• 5) Organization and promotion of conferences on behalf of Hidroelectrica;
• 6) Diffusion of external materials;
• 7) Social media campaigns and administration of Hidroelectrica online channels;
• 8) Online broadcasting and media partnership
• 9) Monthly reporting;
• 10) Analysis of campaign results;

In parallel with the national market research, 2 focus groups will be organized in Bucharest and Constanta to define and test the messages that will be used in the campaign to promote Hidroelectrica’s services.

TV and radio spots will be at least 30 seconds to 1 minute long and will be broadcast on stations with national coverage. As part of the campaign, 6 press conferences will be organized to promote Hidroelectrica’s services, and outdoor exhibitions will be broadcast in the most important cities of 8 regions.

Hidroelectrica also wants to run social media campaigns (Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn) and spread its messages both in print and online through media partnerships.

3 offers were submitted for the auction:

• 1. My Secret Treasure SRL (representative of Ioana Octavia Croitoru)
• 2. Amicom Consulting & Strategy (representative of Radu Mihai Florin)
• 3. Association between the companies GMP Advertising (representative Constantin Felix Tătaru) and GMP Public Relations (representative Ioana-Corina Manoiu Burlan)

Amicom Consulting & Strategy won. The contract is over 1.5 million euros

According to the announcement published on October 1 in the Electronic State Procurement System, the Hidroelektrica company also determined the winner of the tender. It is about the company Amicom Consulting & Strategy.

The final value of the contract concluded last month is 7.5 million lei (over 1.5 million euros).

Who owns Amicom. Connections with the family of the former deputy from the PSD Julian Janka and the oil magnate Gabriel Comanescu

Amicom Consulting & Strategy is controlled by Radu Mihai Florin (40%) and his wife Radu Yulia (20%), while Rogobete Costena-Kristina owns 40% of the firm’s shares, according to Trade Register data consulted by HotNews.ro.

Rise Project writes that Amicom developed several contracts with the group of oil magnate Gabriel Comanescu and had large clients (Roșia Montană Gold Corporation, Chevron, BAE Systems or KPMG).

Amicom is the parent company for another communications company, Digitix Media SRL, founded by Radu Petrescu, communications director of GSP (Grup Servicii Petroliere), according to the Rise Project.

Now the agency Digitix Media (https://digitix.ro/) is owned equally by Amicom and Maahs Digital SRL.

Maahs Digital is owned equally by Horace Jank (son of former PSD MP Julian Jank, who was appointed to ANRE’s Regulatory Committee this summer) and Mihai-Ionuts Pop, according to Trade Register data consulted by HotNews.ro.

Nicoleta Iancu (formerly Tortolea), daughter-in-law of PSD MP Juliana Iancu, also worked at Amicom until 2018, when she was hired as an expert in the Public Relations and Communication Service of the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE).

Mihaela Janku, mother of Horatio Janku and wife of former PSD MP Julian Janku, also works at Maahs Digital, also writes Profit.ro.

Returning to Horatio Janka’s business partner at Maahs Digital, Mihai-Ionuc Popa, Rise Project writes that he started the business in 2014, when he was only 23 years old, and founded his first company together with Gabriel Comanescu, a businessman with a net worth of that time in 500 million euros.

The business initiated by Comanescu and Mihai Pop (UGM Energy Trading) was an energy broker, and the sons of the famous Ristea Priboja, a former SIE officer, also entered the equation.

The Rise Project also notes that Digitix is ​​located in the same building as Just News Media SRL (Jurnalisti.ro), the former company of Ovidio Marinch, current SRI spokesperson and communications advisor to director Eduard Hellwig.

ROTLD data shows that both internet domains journalisti.ro and amicom.ro have the same email address at the registrant’s contact address: [email protected], which would have been the old email address of Digitix Media SRL when it was owned by Radu Petrescu , journalist Sorina Matei reports.

The latest data from the Trade Register show that the company Just News Media SRL (which owns Jurnalisti.ro) is owned by a certain Koler Eduard Virgil (born 1975 in Drobeta-Turnu-Severin, Mehedinci).

A person with the same name, Kohler Eduard Virgil, president of PMP Mehedinți, is a local councilor in Drobeta-Turnu-Severin City Hall, but he did not mention that he owns Just News Media in any of his declarations of interests.

• VIEW THE DECLARATION OF INTEREST FROM JUNE 2022 HERE

When asked by HotNews.ro about the changes in the Just News Media shareholding and the new owner, Ovidiu Marincha, SRI spokesman stated:

• “Since 2015, when I joined SRI, I am no longer a shareholder in the company that owned the news website you mention. I don’t know the person you’re talking about,” said Ovidiu Marincha.

HotNews.ro also asked PMP de Mehedinți president Kohler Eduard Virgil for his perspective, and we’ll be back with his answers when we get them.