The Internet Society, on behalf of the IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC), and the IETF Trust announces this Request for Proposals for legal services. The successful bidder will enter into a contract with the Internet Society. The Provider will provide legal advice to the leadership bodies and contractors of the IETF as requested. The leadership bodies and contractors consist of the IESG, IAOC, IAB, IRTF, RFC Series Editor and the Independent Submissions Editor. The Provider’s point of contact at ISOC will be the IAD, but will often work directly with the IAOC Legal Committee and other relevant people. The IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC) desires a long-term relationship commencing on January 1, 2018 of three (3) years with a successful Provider. The contract may be extended twice for up to two years for each extension. The IETF is a community of volunteers interested in contributing to the long-term vitality of the Internet. The Internet Society is the organizational home of the IETF and is itself a non-profit organization. Pro bono bids are welcomed, however, where that is not possible, the IETF is seeking a fixed price contract with the understanding that for certain services, as noted herein, additional costs may apply. The closing date for submission of proposals is Monday, October 9, 2017. Traditionally, the legal services that IETF has required have included the following: The IETF seeks a legal services provider (Provider) to advise it on all aspects of its operations. Traditionally, the legal services that IETF has required have included the following: a) Advice regarding the conduct of standard-setting activities, particularly antitrust, intellectual property and data privacy implications of IETF policies and activities; b) Development, drafting and interpretation of IETF policies relating to intellectual property (copyright and patent), data privacy, antitrust, and other matters; c) Advice regarding routine contracts with vendors and service providers (e.g., meeting sponsors, meeting hosts, hotels); d) Response to third party subpoenas served on the IETF by litigants in cases, typically patent infringement suits, in which IETF standards or activities are implicated; e) Governance and procedural issues relating to the IETF; f) Analysis and advice relating to relationships with other standards development organizations, governmental entities, and the like; g) Preparation of responses and comments to external agencies; h) Recommendation and oversight of non-U.S. counsel working on IETF-related projects; i) Training sessions for IETF leadership on the above topics. j) Preparation of sponsorship MoUs, statements of work, software development contracts, task orders, and vendor contracts - such as Secretariat and NOC service providers, and related RFIs, RFPs, and RFBs; and review of venue and hotel contracts. Industry experience. Given the technical nature of the IETF’s work, the Provider should demonstrate familiarity and experience with: a) Internet infrastructure and architecture, b) Standards organizations working in the telecommunications and Internet space, including ITU, ETSI, IEEE, W3C and the like, c) Telecommunications and networking industry players and industry, d) Software development and licensing practices, including open source software licensing. The RFP can be found at: https://iaoc.ietf.org/rfps.html Proposals must be received via email at counsel-search@ietf.org no later than October 9,2017. All questions/inquiries must be submitted in writing and must be received no later than September 20, 2017. Responses to questions and inquiries shall be posted online at: https://iaoc.ietf.org/rfps.html by September 25, 2017. Ray Pelletier IETF Administrative Director
