Currently, the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) only supports .eth names that have 7 or more characters. In the next few months, we plan on making 3–6 character .eth names available. And we’re looking for help to make it happen.

This will be a three step process. First, there will be a reservation process in which we allow brands and others to claim relevant 3–6 character .eth names. Second, there will be a temporary auction for names not claimed in the reservation process. Lastly, after the completion of the short name auction, all remaining names will be made available for instant registrations, as +7 character names already are.

Outsourcing the ENS Short Name Auction

We originally planned to build the short name auction in-house. After launching the permanent registrar, planning the ENS roadmap, and being approached by a couple of projects who’ve offered to build the auction for us, we’ve decided to outsource the work to a third party. Doing this will allow us to stay focused on building core ENS functionality.

In the interest of inclusiveness, fairness and transparency, we’ve decided to release a Request for Proposals (RFP) to the community. The intention is that anyone interested in building the auction can submit a response and have it considered.

The RFP describes the auction’s deadlines and requirements. It also leaves room for the respondent to decide how best to build the auction.

Here’s How to Submit a Proposal

Note: Proposals are due by June 21, 2019.

1 — Review the RFP

You can find it here.

2 — Let the ENS team know if you have any questions

Please add you questions as a comment to this RFP post.

3 — Prepare and submit your proposal

Send your proposal to rfp@ens.domains.

We’ll keep responses confidential during the review and selection period. We will publish the selected response to the community.

The team submitting the selected response will have the option to exclude pricing information in the published version.

4 — Be available to answer questions

Let the ENS team know how best to contact you if we have questions.

Let’s See What You Can Build

We’re excited to engage with the ENS community through this process. We look forward to your response!

Originally posted here by Chris Remus.