University bidders and vendors must show that the information technology they provide conforms to or addresses accessibility guidelines with WCAG 2.1 Level A/AA success criteria and requirements of  Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Vendors may do so by providing either of the following:

• An independent third party evaluation from an accessibility consultancy (the vendor's responsibility)
• A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). If a VPAT is used, it must use the VPAT 2.5 template, which is based on WCAG 2.1 Level A/AA and WCAG 2.2. The VPAT 2.5 template (opens in Word) is available from the Information Technology Industry Council.

Our recommended resources for this phase include:

• Guide: Understanding an Accessibility Compliance Report (State of Colorado OIT).
• Guide: Interpreting a VPAT (Harvard University).
• Guide: Asking the Right Questions for Procuring Accessible Technology (EDUCAUSE).

As of October 2024, the CU Anschutz Technology Risk Assessment Process will now include a risk assessment of the requested technology's compliance with digital accessibility requirements. For more information, please visit the Information Security and IT Compliance website.

Once accessibility information has been received, it is best practice to validate the information provided by the vendor. You can do this by following any of the following processes:

• Performing a risk assessment of the vendor and its digital accessibility conformance criteria. A guide on how to conduct a risk assessment is provided by the The State of Colorado OIT. They recommend sending the vendor a list of these checklist questions related to the vendor's digital accessibility strategy. You can input the vendor's answers into the State of Colorado OIT's Accessibility Risk Assessment Template to score their answers. 
• Consulting with an independent third party that can evaluate the product or service for accessibility. The CU Denver Center for Inclusive Design and Engineering (CIDE) offers fee-based access and usability testing for applications. Visit their site to learn more. 
• Conducting an internal evaluation of the accessibility of the product.

Additional resources to support you in this phase include:

• The State of Colorado OIT's product owner and project manager guide.

Following discussions about accessibility, the procurement contract should outline the agreement between the vendor and procurer regarding how progress on accessibility will be measured. For instance, the vendor might provide a roadmap as an addendum to the contract, detailing a prioritized list of accessibility issues and a timeline for addressing each one. Contract extensions could then be contingent on satisfactory progress toward resolving these issues. It is highly recommended that an accessibility roadmap should be established, identifying specifically which accessibility gaps and issues will be addressed and upon what timeline. 

If the best product for a specific need falls short of meeting accessibility requirements, vendors should commit to improving accessibility within a specified timeline, possibly collaborating with campus staff. Even if the product is currently accessible, the contract should ensure continued accessibility through updates, particularly for products on a rapid release cycle.

The State of Colorado OIT requires that standard boilerplate language should be included in your contract with any vendor. Below is their recommended language in contracts:

A. Accessibility Indemnification
Contractor shall indemnify, save, and hold harmless the Indemnified Parties, against any and all costs, expenses, claims, damages, liabilities, court awards and other amounts (including attorneys’ fees and related costs) incurred by any of the Indemnified Parties in relation to Contractor’s failure to comply with §§24-85-101, et seq., C.R.S., or the Accessibility Standards for Individuals with a Disability as established by OIT pursuant to Section §24-85-103 (2.5), C.R.S.

B. Accessibility
i. Contractor shall comply with and the Work Product provided under this Contract shall be in compliance with all applicable provisions of §§24-85-101, et seq., C.R.S., and the Accessibility Standards for Individuals with a Disability, as established by OIT pursuant to Section §24-85-103 (2.5), C.R.S. Contractor shall also comply with all State of Colorado technology standards related to technology accessibility and with Level AA of the most current version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), incorporated in the State of Colorado technology standards.