Re: IETF Secretariat continues under new approach

Hi Mirjam,

I was just reading through this blog post and found it opaque. Are the Secretariat now LLC staff? I.e., are their performance reviews and compensation determined by the LLC? Is there any difference between their status as employees and the RPC staff, which the LLC also took over several years ago? These seem like the kinds of things that would have been straightforward to explain in the blog post. If these are the implications of the announced changes, it seems that the LLC now employs 30 people.

If it is the case that the Secretariat staff are now being managed by the LLC rather than AMS, that seems like a very significant change. It would be good to understand what the “major strategic risk” was that the LLC perceived, especially given the unique investment that AMS has made over decades to adapt to so many particular needs and wants that the IETF has expressed. When bidding out the contract, there was always a chance that AMS could take its business elsewhere, but presumably the process of the competitive bidding has functioned as an important check and motivator for AMS to deliver the services that meet the IETF’s needs. If the Secretariat staff are now LLC employees, that check is gone. Gone too are all the benefits to the IETF of the cross-pollination that occurred within AMS, as AMS staff support multiple different kinds of technical organizations and bring their knowledge of how other orgs do things to their work for the IETF. I always appreciated that broader perspective in my interactions with AMS staff. The IETF is a special place, but it can be incredibly helpful to learn from outside.

If this is the change that led to Stephanie’s departure, what a true loss for the IETF community! 

Alissa


> On Mar 31, 2026, at 4:53 PM, IETF Administration LLC Board of Directors Chair <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> As of 1 April 2026, the IETF Secretariat function will be staffed through an Employer of Record (EOR) arrangement rather than a service contract awarded through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process as it has been until now.
> 
> The IETF Secretariat provides important support for two key parts of the IETF:
> 
> 1. IETF meetings, and 
> 2. Community & leadership groups (IAB, IESG, LLC Board) support. 
> 
> The transition is being structured so as not to affect the kind or quality of support provided. IETF participants should see no difference when the changeover happens. For more detail, see:
> https://www.ietf.org/blog/secretariat-continuation
> 
> Sincerely,
> Mirjam Kühne
> Chair, Board of Directors
> IETF Administration LLC
> 
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