It’s important to make sure all accessibility guidelines required by WCAG 2.1 AA are satisfied when working with vendors. *NOTE: The updated WCAG 2.1 guidelines–were published in June of 2018; the City is working toward adopting WCAG 2.1 AA. When you begin an engagement, direct them to the Best Practices page of this section so they know the requirements.
RFPs
If you’re putting out a request for proposal (RFP) for vendors, include the following language to make accessibility part of the conversation from the very beginning.
In March, 2016 the City Council enacted Local Law 26, which set a requirement for accessibility of City websites by mandating they comply with one of the two following standards:
- the Web content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA
- section 1194.22 of title 36 of the code of federal regulations
Updated guidelines–WCAG 2.1–were published in June of 2018. For [product name] we will be using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. The Product must be compliant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA no later than the time of launch. The technology strategy and implementation by the software vendor must meet the standard. Of particular interest for technical implementation are screen reader compatibility, text resizing, color contrast, keyboard accessibility, and captioning and audio description for video content wherever applicable. The [procuring agency] will coordinate accessibility testing with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MoPD) during the design process and after launch. The vendor is responsible for working with [procuring agency] or MoPD during the design process and remediating any accessibility issues. Once the product is launched, the vendor is responsible for remediating any accessibility issues reported by MoPD within 90 days.