Board Finance Committee (BFC) Minutes
10 September 2009
Committee Members Present: Rajasekhar Ramaraj – Chair, Raimundo Beca, Steve Crocker, Dennis Jennings, and Bruce Tonkin (observer)
Additional Board Member Present: Steve Goldstein
Staff Members Present: Doug Brent, Samantha Eisner, Dan Halloran, Kurt Pritz, and Kevin Wilson
The following is a summary of discussion, actions taken and actions identified:
- Discussed the online approval of the minutes prior to BFC meeting.
- Action:
- Staff to identify system for generating reminders to BFC members for online approvals to allow the minutes to be posted soon after the meeting date.
- Received update on the framework for reporting on ICANN financials including a review of new and revised reports and information posted on ICANN’s website.
- Action:
- Staff to review and consider alternatives discussed including functional costs, forecasts, variance analyses, and run rates for subsequent budget years. At meeting in Seoul, Staff to research and provide the BFC with alternatives and recommendations of how to post data in more machine processable/accessible formats.
- Received update on a framework for ICANN’s procurement guidelines, and discussed key points such as transparency, proper setting of levels of approvals, and principles to guide publication of and distribution of requests for proposals to allow for easier access by potential vendors, and allowing ICANN to achieve the best economic value for its expenditures. Also discussed the need for retrospective reviews and periodic re-bid requirements for incumbent vendors.
- Actions:
- Staff to research procurement requirements for offices outside of the United States.
- Staff to provide data to BFC regarding historical procurements.
- Staff to provide a draft procurement guideline for review in Seoul.
- Received update on drafting of the Board Member Expense Guidelines.
- Action:
- Staff to finalize proposed Board Member expense guidelines for review.
- Discussed proposed contract for meeting support vendor to help reduce costs of meetings. BFC voted to recommend the full Board approve of the contract.
- Action:
- Staff to clarify terms of contract and submit to Board for approval.
- Received update on performance under Reserve Fund including transfer of $11 million to the Reserve Fund.
- Received update on the educational plans for Board Members for the new IRS Form 990.
- Action:
- Staff to circulate summary information for BFC and Board member review.
- Received update on finance-related issues related to launch of New gTLD program.
- Discussed proposed lease agreement, and voted unanimously to recommend that the Board approve the lease from a finance perspective.
- Action:
- Staff to submit lease approval request to the Board.
- Discussed request for approving the expenditure of funds out of the contingency budget for the SSAC Retreat, and voted, with one abstention, to recommend the approval of the contingency budget expenditure to the Board.
- Action:
- Staff to submit request to the Board for approval.
- Reviewed additional outstanding items with Staff.
- Actions:
- Staff to provide written response to BFC member inquiry on A/R aging reports.
- Staff to provide update in Seoul on insurance renewals.