Thanks for this thoughtful RFC. This is a heady issue, and our opinion at AGF is that is valuable to have one party serving as the fact finders and filter through which we can evaluate potential service providers. There’s still lots of room for community involvement; if anyone has particular technical concerns that a potential provider should answer, they can and certainly should speak up here or reach out to Other Internet.
I anticipate more forum participation after the next post where a comparison table and recommendation has been presented. Given that this is a highly technical RFQ that is sort of defining a category of service in flight, concrete examples of what will be provided and the benefits that will be conferred will be useful for those of us who are wrapping our heads around what the implications of this engagement might be.
Ultimately, the community will express its view on whether Other Internet has recommended the right candidate by vote; if the vote is successful we’ve likely saved time and money for many stakeholders (and arguably candidates). If it is not, we have more information about what we’re looking for in this vendor and can be more specific in our asks the next time around.