Information for Vendors

All ICT or digital content (including software, web services, hardware, and digital content) procured by the University of Oregon is subject to the university’s ICT Accessibility Policy. Accessibility language is part of the university’s Standard Terms and Conditions.

Depending on the audience, size, and type of contract, many purchases must go through an accessibility review process outlined below before a contract can be signed. Some purchases are not subject to detailed review; if review is required, you will be notified. This process has changed over time, and accessibility review is now required for many purchases that were not reviewed in the past.

Many purchases are also subject to other types of review (e.g., information security), which are not related to accessibility. If you have general procurement/purchasing questions, please contact the relevant person or office. Do not contact the Digital Accessibility Architect with any issues not directly related to digital accessibility.

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Review process for commercial off-the-shelf products and services

  1. You will be asked to provide a current, complete Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR)/VPAT (https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat) using WCAG 2.1 AA and/or Section 508 (2018 Revision) standards for the product or service. Third-party ACRs/VPATs are preferred.

    If an ACR/VPAT is not available, you will be required to fill out a form to provide access to a demo or trial that the University can use to conduct its own accessibility evaluation (access must be available for at least two weeks).

  2. The university’s Digital Accessibility Architect will review your ACR/VPAT or conduct an evaluation of your product or service.
  3. If the Digital Accessibility Architect determines that additional investigation is needed, you will be asked to provide access to a demo or trial, if you have not already done so.
  4. If your product or service is determined to meet the university’s accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA and/or Section 508), accessibility approval will be granted, and the procurement can proceed.

  5. If any accessibility violations are found, you will be asked to provide a remediation plan, including timelines, for resolving them. If the university conducted an independent evaluation, you will be provided with a high-level accessibility report detailing findings. Your remediation plan must account for all violations that have been identified.

    Detailed remediation plans are appreciated, but at a minimum, a remediation plan must include a statement that all accessibility violations are planned to be fixed by a set date (quarter and year are sufficient if a specific date cannot be provided).

  6. The university will go through an internal process to determine whether an exemption should be granted to allow the purchase to proceed despite the current accessibility violations. If you have provided a remediation plan, it will be a factor in this determination (providing a remediation plan is strongly encouraged). This internal exemption process typically takes about two weeks.
  7. If an exemption is granted, accessibility approval will be provided, and the procurement can proceed. Exemptions are only valid for one year; the product will be re-reviewed when the exemption expires.

Review process for custom-developed products and services (e.g., university web pages)

  1. If you agree to the standard accessibility terms, the contract can be immediately approved. Per the standard terms, you are responsible for ensuring that the content you create meets the university’s accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA and/or Section 508).
  2. You will be required to provide access to the university’s Digital Accessibility Architect prior to the university accepting the deliverable. If the Digital Accessibility Architect identifies any accessibility violations, you will be responsible for fixing them (at no additional cost to the university) before the deliverable is accepted.

Review process for RFPs, RFQs, and other types of competitive procurements

  1. For commercial off-the-shelf products and services, you may be required to provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR)/VPAT (https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat) using WCAG 2.1 AA and/or Section 508 (2018 Revision) and/or evaluation access for the university to conduct an independent investigation of the accessibility of the product/service (access must be available for at least two weeks). For custom-developed products and services, you may be asked to provide documentation or a portfolio that demonstrates your capacity to develop accessible materials. The RFP/RFQ may include additional requirements related to digital accessibility.
  2. You may be asked to provide a remediation plan for resolving accessibility violations, if any are identified.
  3. If your product is selected, the standard accessibility contract approval requirements will be used at the time of contracting (commercial off-the-shelf or custom development). If you have already provided documentation, evaluation access, or remediation plans, the process will proceed more quickly.