You may need to contract with an agency to develop a website, web application, ebook, mobile app, promotional video, or other digital resource. Accessibility requirements and expectations apply to these situations, just as they apply to procurement in general.
Take the actions below to make sure the contractor is prepared to develop and deliver an accessible product, and is capable of addressing issues that emerge.
Request ➔ | Assess responses ➔ | Verify compliance ➔ | Deliver |
|---|---|---|---|
Make contractor aware that they need to produce IT that complies with U-M policy. Provide contractor with language below. Provide contractor with questionnaire. | The contractor will complete the questionnaire before work begins. Evaluate answers to determine if you want to proceed with this contractor. | Contractor will provide a test version of the IT. Use the checklist provided to assess compliance. There may be some iterations at this juncture. | Update the central contractor scorecard. |
Language to Provide to the Contractor
General Accessibility Statement
To be included with a request for a quote or work order.
“The University of Michigan is committed to ensuring that the information and technology that it creates or provides in conducting its activities is accessible in accordance with applicable law and University of Michigan requirements.”
“Seller will warrant that (i) Web-based products provided under this Agreement conform to WCAG 2.1 AA and (ii) non-web-based products meet or exceed the applicable accessibility requirements of section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. § 794d), and its implementing regulations set forth at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1194. “
“Seller will provide the company's policy or commitment statement regarding electronic accessibility, and describe the accessibility conformance testing process. Customer reserves the right, prior to accepting delivery, to perform accessibility testing on the product.”
Verify Compliance
When a contractor develops and delivers a product, follow the steps below to verify that the product is accessible. The appropriate steps depend on the risk level of the product.
| Low | Medium | High |
|---|---|---|
| Perform a heuristic spot check | Perform an automated evaluation | Perform an automated evaluation Perform a functional evaluation Contact the accessibility team for assistance |