The bidders' accessibility proposals must be considered during evaluation, but evaluation teams may not be familiar with inclusive design principles or guidelines.
Teams should therefore be given information and advice on how to evaluate this aspect of tenders. This might include:
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what evidence to take into account
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what would constitute a satisfactory bid response
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what would be unacceptable and what would add value
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the potential cost of retro-fitting accessibility and of defending a DDA case.
Accessibility declaration
Products can be evaluated in a number of ways. In the US, a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT, is sometimes used within procurement. This is the supplier's own accessibility declaration, and, for the larger suppliers with a reputation to maintain, it is a fairly reliable indication of a product's accessibility. Within Europe, the VPAT is not yet well established, and other "Supplier Declaration of Conformance" schemes are being considered, along with proposals for third party testing.
The supplier is also being evaluated: their accessibility knowledge and attitudes will become clearer during this exercise.
Evaluation of accessibility
Evaluation teams may require expert practical support to carry out accessibility evaluation of candidate packages. Remember that software accessibility is not the same as web accessibility and different guidelines apply! Web accessibility experts will not necessarily be suitable for software evaluation, even if the software is delivered in a browser.
A demonstration and hands-on evaluation of, say, two shortlisted packages can establish the native accessibility of the product or system before any tailoring or configuration has been done. Any major accessibility barriers that would need to be addressed if and when the contract is awarded can be highlighted. The evaluation should indicate if additional work would be required that might need to be done by the bidder, by the tendering organisation, or by a third party.
It is worth stating here that 'ordinary' access technology users would not normally be experts in accessibility, usability or inclusive design. As users, they have a more important role to play in user acceptance testing.