ICANN looking for new gTLD testing provider on very tight deadline

ICANN is seeking one or more pre-delegation testing providers for its new gTLD program on a very ambitious timetable.

An RFP issued yesterday calls for a company that can scratch-build a testing suite to put new gTLD applicants through the ringer before they go live, and have it up and running by March 25, 2013.

Pre-delegation testing is the last stage of the new gTLD program’s approval process.

Some new gTLD applicants have recently called on ICANN to begin testing as soon as possible — before even Initial Evaluation has finished — in order to speed up time to market.

The Applicant Guidebook suggests that ICANN itself would be doing the testing, and some applicants had made that assumption, but that’s clearly not the case.

The RFP spells out exactly what is required of the testing providers.

First, they’re expected to build bespoke software to run the tests.

In addition to load-testing and verifying the registry’s compliance with standards such as EPP, DNSSEC and Whois, it also needs a custom-made user interface for applicants and back-end integration with ICANN’s wobbly TLD Application System.

ICANN also wants to be able to open-source the software, which seems to rule out any off-the-shelf testing suites.

RFP respondents also need to be able test 20 applicants’ back-ends per week — potentially scaling up to 100 per week — as soon as ICANN starts signing registry agreements next year.

ICANN does not expect to announce the winning provider(s) until December 5. The deadline for responses is November 20.

In short, it looks like a challenging project on a very tight deadline.

I wonder how much institutional knowledge there is out there of, say, DNSSEC, in companies that are not also involved in new gTLD applications as either applicant or back-end.

The pool of possible RFP respondents is likely very small indeed.

The ability to run tests on the testing suite itself may also be limited by the timetable and the possible shortage of guinea-pig registry back-ends.

Why ICANN has waited until this very late date to issue the RFP is a real head-scratcher.

ICANN is offering a 24-month contract with a possible 12-month extension. The RFP can be downloaded here.

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Tagged: ICANN, new gTLDs, pre-delegation testing, rfp