Review of the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO)
25 September 2009
ICANN is seeking to appoint an independent consultant to undertake the first External Review of the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO). The request for proposal (RfP) can be found here [PDF, 172K].
The Review is designed to determine: i) whether the ccNSO is fulfilling its purpose in the ICANN structure; and (ii) if so, whether any change in its structure or operations is desirable to improve its effectiveness and facilitate further membership of the wider ccTLD community.
The RfP contains a first Section, providing instructions to bidders for formulating their proposals (Instructions to Bidders — ItB) and a second Section containing the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the consulting activity to be carried out. The two sections shall be read in conjunction.
The Review is due to begin in December 2009 and will include both deskwork and interviews with key informed stakeholders to be conducted at the March 2010 ICANN meeting in Nairobi (Kenya). The draft Final Report should be delivered in early May 2010, and will be presented at the ICANN meeting in Europe (location TBD) in June 2010.
ICANN will provide the Review Team with background documentation, reports and access to a range of historical data on a confidential basis; applicants were encouraged to suggest additional forms of data gathering.
The bidding phase is now closed.
ICANN received eight proposals from interested consultants. Three bids have been received from USA-based consultants, and one each from Russia, New Zealand, Senegal, France and SouthAfrica. The proposal assessment panel will now evaluate the proposals received, basing its assessment on the criteria formulated in the assessment grid contained in the Request for Proposal, and will provide the Structural Improvements Committee of the Board with its recommendations for the contracting of the consultant to carry out this review.
We would like to thank all the consultants that participated to this bidding phase, and we very much appreciate their interest in ICANN; all of them will be informed of the outcome of the selection process.
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