ICANN Issues Request for Proposal: 2026 Round Auction
02-Apr-2026
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Source : The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
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LOS ANGELES - The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) issued a request for proposal (RFP) seeking a provider to design, administer, and operate auctions to resolve string contention in the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round, which is due to launch on April 30, 2026, according to the official website of ICANN.
The New gTLD Program: 2026 Round auction process is intended to be used when multiple applications are in contention for the same gTLD strings or strings that have been determined to be confusingly similar, and the contention has not been resolved in the course of the application process (i.e., via Community Priority Evaluation or a .Brand TLD String Change Request). In contrast to the 2012 round, private resolution of contention sets is prohibited in the 2026 Round. (See Applicant Guidebook Section 5.2.3.) ICANN therefore expects there will be a higher volume of ICANN auctions in the 2026 Round (see the 2012 Round Auction Results page for reference).
In collaboration with ICANN, the selected provider will oversee the auction process according to the principles set forth in the 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook. The selected provider will implement the ascending-clock, second-price auction method and must have the capability to accommodate a high volume of auctions, including both direct and indirect contention sets. (See Applicant Guidebook Section 5.6.)
Prospective providers are invited to submit proposals for ICANN to evaluate capabilities and expertise. The RFP is public and any potential provider may respond.
Indications of interest should be emailed to 2026-round-auctions-rfp@icann.org and provide the following information:
• Name of the organization.
• Contact name.
• Contact email address.
Official responses to the RFP should be electronically submitted using ICANN's sourcing tool by 23:59 UTC on June 2, 2026. Access to this tool may be requested via the same email address.