VPAT and accessibility assessment for public procurement

The public sector may only buy accessible digital solutions. For suppliers, we prepare a credible EN 301 549 conformance report; for contracting authorities, we provide an independent assessment of tenders and help write accessibility into the procurement documents correctly.

Why it matters

Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement, transposed in Slovakia by Act No. 343/2015 Coll. on public procurement, requires that the technical specifications of contracts intended for use by natural persons take account of accessibility for persons with disabilities. In practice this means conformance with the harmonised standard EN 301 549, which adopts the WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria for websites and mobile applications and adds requirements for documents, software, hardware and support.

The document a supplier uses to demonstrate conformance is known in practice as a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) or an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). A completed report that does not match reality is worse than none at all: sooner or later the contracting authority will verify it, and the supplier loses both its credibility and the contract.

For suppliers

  • We test your product against the individual clauses of EN 301 549 and state the conformance level for each one, with the reasons.
  • We prepare the report in the VPAT format (EU edition) in English, Slovak or Czech, ready to attach to your tender.
  • We advise which defects to fix before submitting the tender and how to disclose the remaining ones truthfully and without risk.
  • Once the defects are fixed, we re-test them and update the report.

For contracting authorities

  • We formulate accessibility requirements for the technical specifications and award criteria so that they are verifiable and non-discriminatory.
  • As an independent expert, we assess the accessibility of the solutions submitted and the accuracy of the conformance reports attached to them, and prepare an opinion for the evaluation committee.
  • At acceptance, we verify that the delivered solution matches what was promised in the tender.

What you get

  • An EN 301 549 conformance report (VPAT/ACR) stating the versions tested, the methods used and the date.
  • A list of findings with their impact on users and recommendations for fixing them, ordered by severity.
  • An expert opinion for the contracting authority's evaluation committee, if you are on the buying side.

Related services: Accessibility evaluation and EAA product assessment.