Procurement for accessible IT products and services

If the purchase is for any of the items listed in the examples above or pre-existing software/applications (Consumer off the shelf/COTS) we require the vendor to provide the following:

• Completed Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).
  • Note: Completed VPATs are called Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs). More details in the VPATs/ACRs section below.
• Answers to narrative questions about the vendor’s internal support for accessibility.
• Optional: The PDAA worksheet (Excel). (See PDAA section below for more information.)

If you are buying a non-standard IT product that doesn't fit neatly into any of the examples listed, you should still require the vendor to provide an ACR and a narrative with information about the accessibility of the product.

Demonstrations

If your procurement includes a demonstration, specify the vendor include demonstrations of deliverable accessibility, specifically:

• Keyboard operation
• Magnification of content (Zoom) to 200% and 400%
• (Optional) Using assistive technology

If the procurement may involve professional services to configure a software product (minimal customization) or provide custom development, then include:

• A completed VPAT for a similar past deliverable. Note: We assume these proposals will come from vendors with prior experience in this field, so they can meet this requirement.
  • Alternatively, a completed VPAT of the product to be configured along with notes re how vendor will improve accessibility upon implementation.
• The appropriate narrative questions answered about the vendor’s internal support for accessibility.

If the purchase is solely for professional/technical (P/T) services or heavily depends on P/T services, such as product integration or customization, include:

• The appropriate narrative questions about support for accessibility; and
• The PDAA worksheet (Excel)

If deliverables include digital documents, include the Expectations for Accessible Documents in the contract.

Other considerations:

• Perform accessibility tests (either in-house or via a third-party vendor) on prior work.
• Run a quick automated test on the vendor's website and try navigating it using only the keyboard. If the site handles these basic accessibility checks well, it's a good sign the vendor keeps accessibility in mind.
• Ask if any of their employees have IAAP certification.
• Include a demonstration of either past work or platform capabilities.

PDAA is a tool that allows vendors to document their internal support for accessibility. The stronger a vendor's support for accessibility, the more likely their products and services will be accessible and usable. The PDAA applies for the entire company. If the company has multiple sales divisions, they can all use the same PDAA score.

The State of Minnesota is developing a web-based version of the PDAA. In the meantime use these resources:

• PDAA FAQ for companies/vendors.
• PDAA FAQ government organizations/agencies.
• PDAA worksheet (Excel) for vendors.
• Slide deck on PDAA (PPT) (PDF).

A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is a form vendors fill out to demonstrate how well their product meets accessibility requirements. Completed VPATs are called Accessibility Conformance Reports, (ACRs).

• Have vendors obtain VPATs from the Information Technology Industry Council VPAT web page.
• The INT (International) form is the only version with both WCAG 2.1 and revised Section 508 criteria included. Our solicitations direct the vendor to use this form to complete the following sections:
  • WCAG 2.0 and 2.1, Level A and Level AA
  • Revised Section 508 standards

Vendors can leave the WCAG 2.0 Level AAA and WCAG 2.1 Level AAA, the WCAG 2.2, and the EN 301 549 sections blank or delete them.

If a product includes multiple interfaces, such as admin and end-user interfaces, the ACR must address each one. The ACR must also include information about the accessibility of any support documentation or training content.

ACRs do not replace acceptance testing upon delivery, third-party testing, other accessibility verification, and end-user testing.

In addition, we provide some background and guidance for all parties in the process:

• Vendor VPAT Guidance (PDF)
• Scoring VPAT Guidance (PDF)

Many companies provide ACRs for their products on their website. This is a great way to facilitate procurement by government entities. However, in most cases, ACRs must not be more than two years old.