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Request for Proposal: NomCom Review

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN") is seeking a provider to conduct an independent assessment of its Nominating Committee (NomCom).

The Nominating Committee (NomCom) is an independent committee tasked with selecting members of the Board of Directors as well as other key positions within ICANN's structure. It is designed to function independently from the ICANN Board, Supporting Organizations, and Advisory Committees. NomCom members act only on behalf of the interests of the global Internet community and within the scope of the ICANN mission and responsibilities assigned to it by the ICANN Bylaws.

NomCom members contribute understanding of the broad interests of the Internet community as a whole, and knowledge and experience of specific Internet constituencies who have appointed them.

The objective of this RFP is to identify an independent assessor to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the NomCom including (but not limited to) the continued purpose of the NomCom within the ICANNstructure; how effectively the NomCom fulfills its purpose and whether any change in structure or operations is needed; and the extent to which the NomCom as a whole is accountable to the wider ICANNcommunity.

The Review is scheduled to take place from 17 April 2017 through 31 May 2018.

For a complete overview of the RFP including the timeline, please see here [PDF, 548 KB].

Indications of interest are to be received by emailing NomComReview-RFP@icann.org. Proposals should be electronically submitted by 23:59 PST, 17 February 2017, using ICANN's sourcing tool, access to which may be requested via the same email address above.

Analysis Group selected as Independent Examiner

5 June 2017 – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has appointed Analysis Group to conduct an independent review of the ICANN Nominating Committee (NomCom). This review, mandated by its Bylaws, is part of ICANN's commitment to its own evolution and improvement, accountability and transparency. The review will begin immediately and is expected to conclude in 2018.

The selection of an independent examiner followed ICANN's rigorous procurement process. This process includes independent evaluation of submissions, presentations by the highest scoring proposals, follow-up interviews, and reference checks. The process was led by the ICANN Organization and validated by the Board’s Organizational Effectiveness Committee, which is responsible for overseeing ICANN’s Organizational Reviews process.

The selection criteria for the independent examiner was developed in collaboration with the NomCom Review Working Party. The criteria emphasized expertise in talent acquisition, board selection procedure and experience in the not-for-profit sector. In addition, criteria such as understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology, knowledge of ICANN and the independence of the proposed review team were assessed.

Call for Action

• Are you a former/current candidate who applied for selection by the NomCom?  
• Are you a former/current NomCom appointee?
• Are you a former/current member of the NomCom?

If so, we would like to hear from you. If you are traveling to ICANN59 and would like to be considered for a one-on-one interview with the independent examiner, the Analysis Group, please reach out to lars.hoffmann@icann.org at your earliest convenience.

NomCom will also be publishing a survey in September 2017 and would love your input - look out for more information on this after ICANN59.  

Background

The NomCom is an independent committee tasked with identifying and selecting individuals for ICANN leadership positions. The ICANN Bylaws call for the NomCom to make a specified number of appointments to the ICANN Board of Directors, the Generic Names Supporting Organization Council, the Country-Code Names Supporting Organization Council and the At-Large Advisory Committee.

The purpose of this Bylaws-mandated NomCom review is to determine (i) whether the NomCom has a continuing purpose in the ICANN structure, (ii) if so, whether any change in structure or operations is desirable to improve its effectiveness and (iii) whether the NomCom is accountable to its constituencies, stakeholder groups, organizations and other stakeholders. This review will also assess whether the improvements resulting from the last review (2007-2010) were effective.

The Analysis Group

The Analysis Group team is led by Dr. Greg Rafert, and includes experts Dr. Mark Engle and Dr. William Brown. The Analysis Group team has deep practical and research experience in analyzing non-profit (including volunteer-based organization) governance structures and how organizations can develop more effective boards of directors. The team has conducted previous work with ICANN including the Trademark Clearinghouse Review and a two-phase Economic Study Evaluating Competition in the Domain Name Space. Their knowledge of, and contributions to, the non-profit management literature, will allow them to provide specific, actionable recommendations for the NomCom.  For more information on Analysis Group, visit their website.

• William A. Brown is a professor in the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University where he serves as the program director for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management. Dr. Brown’s research focuses on non-profit governance, strategy, and organization effectiveness and he has authored numerous research articles, technical reports, and several practice-oriented publications.

• Mark Engle is a principal with Association Management Center in Chicago, IL, where he strives to develop and share new research that leads to advancing the association management profession. Dr. Engle has a Doctor of Management degree and is a frequent author and speaker on governance and high-performing organizations.

• Greg Rafert is a Vice President at Analysis Group where he specializes in the application of economic theory to business strategy, policy, and litigation matters. Dr. Rafert has been engaged on numerous business strategy and policy projects involving technology companies and non-profit organizations, and has led several past independent reviews that were commissioned by ICANN.