Federal Procurement and Digital Accessibility
Government Agencies: Procurement Support
Procurement teams dedicated to the acquisition of accessible Information and Communication Technology (ICT) / Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) and/or technology-based services, may be required to evaluate numerous Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPAT®) in the form of both VPAT® 2.1 responses and Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACR applicable to VPAT® 2.3). Evaluating these documents presents a challenge for purchasers. Purchasers must interpret the compliance documents and frequently seek clarification from vendors on their response.
To help in streamlining the purchasing process, Microassist offers evaluation, testing, and training services designed to aid procurement professionals.
VPAT Evaluation Services
Baseline VPAT/ACR Review
Our Baseline VPAT/ACR focuses on the accuracy of the VPAT/ACR response provided by the vendor to procurement. Our team reviews the VPAT for compliance with WCAG and 508 standards. As part of the review, Microassist may contact the vendor to get clarification on issues of concern. Our goal is to verify to the extent possible the accuracy of the vendor’s accessibility declaration and provide a report to your procurement group.
Baseline VPAT/ACR + Vendor Qualification Review
Microassist can supplement the Baseline VPAT/ACR review, by gathering additional information from the vendor. Microassist will work with your team to determine additional information that is needed from the vendor to attest to the accessibility of the vendor’s product. For example, our team can review vendor-supplied accessibility audits from internal or third-party quality assurance (QA) testing. We can also review the PDAA (Policy-Driven Adoption for Accessibility). If needed we can produce a custom accessibility questionnaire for the vendor and help your purchasing team in interpreting the survey.
Contact Our Accessibility Team
Ensuring accessible ICT procurements means being confident in the information you have about the product or service being considered. Make sure your digital environment complies with accessibility standards and welcomes people of all abilities to access your content and tools. Contact us about our accessibility evaluation services for procurement today and see how we can help.
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Understanding Digital Accessibility in the Procurement Process