Procurement/Purchases

The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) Electronic Information and Technology (EIT) Policy establishes that electronic/digital products or services purchased by the university be accessible to individuals with disabilities. It is important that all individuals involved in a procurement process adhere to and ensure policy compliance when purchasing electronic/digital products or services. This applies to individual department/office purchases as well as through the official procurement process for goods and services exceeding $10,000.

Depending on the product/service being purchased, suppliers must demonstrate compliance with one of two standards:

Required by EIT Policy:

Individual Department/Office Procurement Checklist:

Request a copy of the product’s Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).
Require the vendor to complete the Product Accessibility Roadmap Template.
Request vendor to demonstrate the accessibility of the product for purchases less than $10,000.
Contact Digital Accessibility Compliance (DAC) committee to review VPAT and Accessibility Roadmap Template prior to purchase.
Obtain approval for ITI for purchases of software or hardware from Information Technology & Innovation.

Official WCSU Procurement Checklist:

Include text in the solicitations that requires the supplier to submit information about the accessibility of the product. VPAT preferred.
Require the vendor to complete the Product Accessibility Roadmap Template.
Request the vendor to demonstrate the accessibility of the product during the evaluation process.
Contact DAC committee to review VPAT and Accessibility Roadmap Template prior to purchase.
Use the standard CSCU procurement Terms and Conditions for Goods and Services, which require accessibility.
Obtain approval for ITI for purchases of software or hardware from Information Technology & Innovation.

Sample Text for Solicitations:

The sample text which is to be inserted in all solicitation is: “Please confirm in this proposal that the product/service conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (minimum Level AA conformance), or the most recent WCAG guidelines, whichever is the current standard, and describe how this compliance has been verified by providing a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) and a written description of compatibility of the product/service with commonly used assistive technology products, such as screen readers, and a description of the process used to evaluate such compatibility. In addition, a completed Product Accessibility Roadmap Template will need to be completed to document any accessibility gaps and plans for remediation.”

In some cases, a fully compliant EIT is not available. In this case, RFPs should include the following language:

“Please include in any proposal that the product/service conforms to the guidelines for accessibility as set forth in Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (minimum Level AA conformance) or the most recent WCAG guidelines, whichever is the current standard. If the product/service is not in compliance, please describe plans and a timeframe for achieving compliance by providing a VPAT and written description of compatibility of the product/service with commonly used assistive technology products, such as screen readers, and a description of the process used to evaluate such compatibility. In addition, a completed Product Accessibility Roadmap Template will need to be completed to document any accessibility gaps and plans for remediation. A vendor providing electronic information and technology products or services to CSCU is required to promptly respond to and resolve any complaint regarding the accessibility of its platform.”