ICANN New Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Program has enabled hundreds of new generic top-level domains to enter into the domain name system (DNS) since the first delegations occurred in October 2013.
A number of safeguards were built into the Program that were intended to mitigate rates of abusive, malicious, and criminal activity in these new gTLDs, such as phishing, spam, malware distribution, and botnet command-and-control. ICANN is currently engaged in a review of these safeguards and their effects on rates of DNS abuse, and is seeking a provider to conduct a study examining rates of malicious and abusive behavior in the global DNS.
RFP timeline at a glance:
| Activity | Dates |
|---|---|
| RFP published | 2 August 2016 |
| Participants to indicate interest and submit any questions to ICANN via the ICANN Sourcing tool | 12 August 2016 by 23:59 UTC |
| ICANN responds to participant questions | 19 August 2016 |
| Participant RFP proposals due by | 25 August 2016 by 23:59 UTC |
| Initial evaluation of responses | 26 August thru 10 September 2016 |
| Supplier presentations including Q&A via conference call/remote participation with shortlisted candidates | 13 thru 16 September 2016 |
| Final evaluations and selection of supplier (includes negotiations, contracting and award) | Â 19 September thru 14 October 2016 |
| Estimated start of study | 17 October 2016 |
| Draft report with preliminary findings due | 2 January 2017 |
| Final report due (incorporating revisions and updated research findings) | 17 March 2017 |
For an overview of the RFP, please click here [PDF, 244 KB].
Indications of interest are to be received by 23:59 UTC on 12 August 2016 by emailing DNSAbuse-Study-RFP@icann.org. Proposals should be electronically submitted by 23:59 UTC on 25 August 2016 using ICANN‘s sourcing tool, access to which can be requested via the same email address. Submissions should be provided using supplied templates, supplemented by additional information, as necessary.