Subject: RFC Production Center and RFC Publisher Contracts Awarded

From: Ray Pelletier <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:22:07 -0400

The IAOC is pleased to announce that the Internet Society has executed  
an RFC Production Center and an RFC Publisher contract with  
Association Management Solutions LLC.  The IAOC believes AMS will be  
able to deliver consistent, professional, quality, timely, and cost  
effective services in fulfilling these responsibilities.

AMS was selected for the RFC Production Center award following a  
lengthy process and competition from two other bidders.

The RFC Production Center RFP with its Statement of Work was developed  
by the IAOC using the new RFC Editor Model developed by the IAB <draft- 
iab-rfc-editor-model-07.txt> and considered community input received  
during the preparation of the Statement of Work and RFI, issued on 15  
December 2008, and the draft RFP, issued on 7 May 2009. The RFC  
Production Center RFP was issued on 22 May 2009.

A Bidders Conference was conducted on 3 June at the University of  
Southern California's Information Sciences Institute and the  
transcript was posted online. Answers to questions at the Bidders  
Conference and received by 5 June were likewise posted online on 12  
June.

Three bidders submitted proposals on 29 June for the RFC Production  
Center opportunity.

The IAOC thoroughly reviewed the competing proposals.  The review  
included interviewing all bidders, conducting editing tests,  
evaluating editing skills, reviewing responses to written questions,  
and reviewing references.

The AMS key personnel gave them the clear edge over the competitive  
bidders in the areas of experience, existing relationships with others  
in the process and community, demonstrated performance, established  
formal and informal communication lines to get the job done, a  
demonstrated flexibility and willingness to work with the stream  
managers, contract administrators, IETF, IAB, RFC Series Editor, and  
the community, and a good understanding of the IETF culture.

We are very pleased to report that Sandy Ginoza and Alice Hagens,  
currently with the RFC Editor at USC-ISI, will be joining the staff at  
AMS as RFC Production Center Director, and Senior Editor and IT  
Development Project Manager, respectively.

The RFC Production Center contract is for a two year period, with an  
option for two, two-year renewal terms.

Also in accordance with the new RFC Editor Model developed by the IAB,  
and following input received from an RFI issued in December 2008, the  
IAOC decided to sole source instead of doing a competitive bid for the  
RFC Publisher and negotiated an agreement with AMS as the IETF  
Secretariat to provide the RFC Publisher services.

The RFC Publisher contract is for a two year period, with an option  
for two, two-year renewal terms.

Both contracts include a provision that allows for the agreement and  
Statement of Work to be changed in the event the IAB Model changes.

The contracts will commence on January 1, 2010, following a transition  
period that will begin on October 13, 2009.

The IAOC would like to thank the community for its input during this  
period.  It influenced and improved the process, the RFI, the RFP, and  
the Statements of Work.  Thanks.

Ray Pelletier
IETF Administrative Director