Historical Resolution Tracking Feature » Information Transparency Initiative Vendor Contracting Approval

Important note: The explanatory text provided through this database (including the summary, implementation actions, identification of related resolutions, and additional information) is an interpretation or an explanation that has no official authority and does not represent the purpose behind the Board actions, nor does any explanations or interpretations modify or override the Resolutions themselves. Resolutions can only be modified through further act of the ICANN Board.

Information Transparency Initiative Vendor Contracting Approval


Resolution of the ICANN Board
Meeting Date: 
Fri, 3 May 2019
Resolution Number: 
2019.05.03.06 – 2019.05.03.07
Resolution Text: 

Whereas, as part of the Information Transparency Initiative (ITI), ICANN organization completed a review of available vendors that met requirements for the User Experience, User Interface, Information Architecture, Navigation, and Tree Testing work, and found Publicis.Sapient to be the most suitable.

Whereas, the Board Finance Committee (BFC) has reviewed the financial implications of the proposed engagement.

Whereas, the expenses of the proposed engagement were budgeted as part of the ITI, which was approved by the ICANN Board on 23 September 2017.

Whereas, both the organization and the BFC have recommended that the Board authorize the President and CEO, or his designee(s), to take all actions necessary to engage in and facilitate all necessary contracting and disbursements for Publicis.Sapient.

Resolved (2019.05.03.06), the Board authorizes the President and CEO, or his designee(s), to engage in and facilitate all necessary contracting and disbursements for Publicis.Sapient, in an amount not to exceed [REDACTED FOR NEGOTIATION PURPOSES].

Resolved (2019.05.03.07), specific items within this resolution shall remain confidential for negotiation purposes pursuant to Article 3, Section 3.5(b) of the ICANN Bylaws until the President and CEO determines that the confidential information may be released.

Rationale for Resolution: 

Valuable ICANN information has accumulated in thousands of pieces of unstructured public content spread across 38 different public ICANN and SO/AC sites. This content continues to grow at rates of 25-30% per year. ICANN org currently surfaces this content through multiple, unconnected platforms with differing foundational technologies that are non-scalable, may be vulnerable, and are no longer fit for purpose.

ICANN has commitments to accountability and transparency to provide up-to-date and easy-to-find information in all six official U.N. languages, but ICANN org has no integrated system or process in place to efficiently create, govern, store, and manage that content.

The Information Transparency Initiative (ITI) is aimed at improving ICANN org's internal and external content governance, its public content findability in all six U.N. languages, and its technical foundation for the entire ICANN ecosystem (community, Board, organization).

The obligation under the intended vendor contract will exceed US$500,000 and as such, entering into this engagement requires Board approval per ICANN's Contracting and Disbursement policy (https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/contracting-disbursement-policy-20...). The Board Finance Committee (BFC) has reviewed the fiscal impact for the proposed engagement and recommended Board approval, which the Board has done through this resolution. The Board notes that the expenses of the proposed engagement were budgeted as part of the ITI that was approved by the ICANN Board on 23 September 2017. Therefore, the Board is comfortable taking this decision.

Taking this decision at this time is in the public interest in that it will enhance and improve the public's access to, and findability of, data surfaced by the ICANN organization in support of ICANN's mission.

While this will have a fiscal impact on ICANN, it is an impact that was contemplated in the FY19 budget and as part of the ITI work.

This is an Organizational Administrative Function that does not require public comment.