Accessiblity in Procurement
The best accessibility efforts can be stalled, or even derailed, if you are locked into a product with accessibility problems. Think of the impact of licensing a web template or buying a fundraising platform only to find out that it is not accessible. You can spend considerable time and effort to fix these problems, assuming they can be fixed. However, with the right organizational strategies, you can mitigate the risk.
It is essential that you include accessibility requirements in all your communications with vendors—before, during, and after contract negations.
Featured Resource
For a complete procurement model, see Buy IT!—Your Guide for Purchasing Accessible Technology. This model breaks accessible procurement process into eight steps, divided into three phases.
The Steps Are:
Planning
Solicitation
Post-Award
- Step 5: Negotiating Contracts
- Step 6: Testing & Validation
- Step 7: Managing Performance & Relationships
- Step 8: Reviewing & Learning
The strength of this resource may also be its greatest weakness—it is very comprehensive, maybe too comprehensive for some groups. But if you are new to procurement, it does a good job of outlining important principles and terminology.
Related Resources
- Technology Vendor Contracts and Accessibility: What Every Business Lawyer Should Know—Despite being written by attorneys for attorneys, this is a very approachable introduction to accessibility in contracts.
- Accessibility questions to ask current or potential vendors—Getting the right information requires the right questions. This brief article contains a list of questions to ask vendors regarding the accessibility maturity of their processes and products.
- The Role of Procurement in Digital Accessibility—This resource is written for higher education, but the five actionable steps to accessible procurement can be applied to any group.
