All Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products and services we purchase or use from third party vendors must be accessible to people with disabilities. Procurements that go through Purchasing and Contracting Services (PCS) follow their accessibility review process before the contract is approved, but purchases and use that don't go through PCS (including use of free and/or open source products) should be submitted directly to the Digital Accessibility Architect for review and consultation.
- If your procurement has already been submitted to PCS, the Digital Accessibility Architect will send you detailed instructions (they'll initiate the process).
- If you want to start the review before going to PCS or don't plan to go through PCS, submit a Request for Digital Accessibility Procurement Review or email the Digital Accessibility Architect.
- If your procurement must be approved within two weeks, consider an Emergency Deferral.
The Procurement Accessibility Guide/FAQ provides an overview of how and why accessibility is included in procurement, and explains what you need to do.
Whenever possible, it's best to include accessibility in the early stages of the process, for example when drafting an RFP or when exploring potential options to purchase. Leaving accessibility until the end of the procurement process makes it more likely that the purchase will be delayed, and could result in a procurement unexpectedly being denied. To avoid issues, submit a Request for Digital Accessibility Procurement Review or contact the Digital Accessibility Architect before you start working with PCS (the earlier, the better).
For any procurement including a contract or agreement, appropriate language regarding accessibility must be included. For procurements going through PCS, this is already integrated into the process.
In some qualifying circumstances, we may need to procure a product or service that is not fully accessible or that is in the process of being remediated. In those cases, the department responsible for the procurement must create an Equally Effective Alternative Access Plan (EEAAP) and get it approved.
