Today, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) issued a request for information (RFI) seeking input from potential providers on the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: Next Round auctions. This request focuses on which of ICANN's proposed rules and procedures align with a prospective provider's current processes and what aspects might present challenges or require changes.
The objective of this RFI is to assess the market's capabilities and to:
- Validate that potential providers can meet ICANN's policy and operational requirements.
- Identify gaps between ICANN's procedures and standard industry practices.
- Invite feedback from providers related to the ascending-clock, second-price auction method rules and procedures, and to improving the efficiency, transparency, and fairness of the process. For clarity, ICANN will not be changing the type of auction but is seeking guidance on how best to implement the auction within standard industry practices.
- Develop information on how best to include auction costs in the overall process for the auction rules and procedures.
- Understand industry and vendor practices on the cost and structure of payments to the auction vendor and practices for escrow accounts.
The procedures referenced in the RFI align with the latest Draft Applicant Guidebook (May 2025) for the next round.
Responses to this RFI will assist ICANN in refining the requirements and expectations for the future request for proposal to perform the auction processes and determine the feasibility of different approaches that may be proposed by potential providers.
This is a public RFI, meaning that any prospective vendor may participate. For a complete overview of this RFI, including the timeline, please consult the overview document.
Indications of interest should be emailed to [email protected] and provide the following information:
- Name of organization
- Contact name
- Contact email address
Official responses to the RFI should be electronically submitted using ICANN's sourcing tool by 23:59 UTC on 3 October 2025. Access to this tool may be requested via the same email address.