You should consider a call for projects only if you are obliged to for professional reasons or if you want graphic input for your project (and if your budget allows).

Nowadays designers are called to competitions and pitches even though the organisers themselves don’t really understand what purpose they serve, nor the right way of doing things (competitions with little or no selection, no clear brief, wrongly-used terms and often little or no payback).

The quality of the pitch still has a direct impact on potential creativity.

What when and how to choose?

A pitch

is a joint call for offers or a graphic proposal. This means payment should be made for work provided.

An invitation to tender

is an invitation to collect financial proposals for the project in question. As above, you should always select 2 or 3 agencies or freelance graphic designers you have an affinity with. Invite tenders on the basis of existing references if you want to compare market prices for a well-defined
call. If however you want a visual example to base your decision on, organise a pitch. In this case make sure you have a budget set aside to pay the work of the 2 or 3 studios/designers you call to pitch but don’t retain.