Procurement

What is Procurement Accessibility?

In accordance with   California Government Code 11135, California State University (CSU) system requires that all programs, services, and activities of the CSU be accessible to all students, faculty, staff, and members of the public. This includes working to ensure that all Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products are also universally accessible. 

 

ATI Policies for Procurement

The California State University (CSU) system requires that all programs, services, and activities of the CSU be accessible to all students, faculty, staff, and members of the public. The CSU's policy on accessibility as articulated in   Executive Order 1111 (EO1111)   is guided by the CSU Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) as stated in the   ATI Coded Memorandum AA-2013-03.  

The CSU ATI focuses on the elimination of accessibility gaps within three key areas: web, instructional materials, and procurement.  The CSU ATI Procurement Process requires that vendors who provide Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products to campuses within the CSU system, must also provide documentation about their products accessibility and must work with the CSU system and campuses to mitigate accessibility issues and concerns in the products they are providing.  

 

CSUF ATI Procurement Process

Cal State Fullerton is committed to using the most accessible technology products and services on our campus. Accessible Procurement applies to all campus technology purchases, including self-support and auxiliaries, irrespective of funding source. Types of products requiring accessibility analysis include, but are not limited to, servers, desktops, laptops, tablets, transaction machines, information kiosks, printers, miscellaneous electronic office equipment, multimedia, software, cloud services, and service contracts. 

The high-level steps involved in the process:

  1. Request is submitted via Service Now (CSUF login required).
  2. Request is routed simultaneously to appropriate subject matter expert. Based on product/service, subject matter expert could include IT, ATI, ISO, and C&P.
  3. Upon receipt and review of all required documentation, request is approved and an authorization number is issued. 
  4. Requester proceeds with purchase. 

 

What is a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)?

A VPAT is a vendor-generated statement that provides information on how a product or service conforms to the Section 508 Accessibility Standards (from the U.S. Access Board) for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in a consistent fashion and format. In general, vendors should generate a VPAT whenever they develop products or services that are determined to be ICT and are to be sold in the California State University market place. In each VPAT, vendors are expected to make specific statements in simple understandable language about how their product or service meets the requirements of the Section 508 Standards (section by section, and paragraph by paragraph).

VPATs are required for all Information and Communication Technology (ICT) purchases including hardware, software, and services, regardless of cost, for use by one or more students in a public academic setting (lab, classroom, etc.), more than one University employee, or the general public.

Please email DL-itpurchasing@ywt99.com if you have any questions regarding this process.

 

What is an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR)?

An ACR is a vendor submitted VPAT.  Any ACR older than two years cannot be accepted and must be updated by the vendor. 

CSUF IT requires vendors to provide a completed, up-to-date Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). Vendors can use CSU Accessibility Technology Initiative vendor requirments to accurately guide them to complete an ACR.

Please note if the requester does not respond to the SME within 30 days of the initial submission date, the ServiceNow request will be canceled, and you will need to submit a new IT Purchasing request.

For more information, please visit IT Purchasing VPAT/ACR.

 

What is an Accessibility statement?

An accessibility statement is a public information page that relays internal organizational policies, accessibility goals, and past successes when serving and working with people with disabilities.

The accessibility statement should include:

  1. A clear statement of commitment to ensuring equal access for all users
  2. A summary of the overall level of compliance with accessible technology standards
  3. Information for users with disabilities regarding product accessibility features and barriers
  4. Clear instructions for accessing user support
  5. A mechanism to allow users to provide accessibility feedback

What is An Accessibility road Map?

An Accessibility Roadmap is a specific plan by the Vendor to remediate identified accessibility gaps in a reasonable and defined period of time. The Accessibility Roadmap includes a list and description of each gap found during the review process, lists the gaps' current resolution status and disposition, and specifies a timeline for each gaps' remediation.

The Accessibility Roadmap also lists any known workarounds to provide end-users access until the vendor has resolved each of the identified accessibility gaps.

 

What is an Equally Effective alternate access plan (EEAAP)?

An EEAAP is a document to be completed by departments that outlines the steps a department will take to provide the same information or services offered by a technology that is less than accessible. The EEAAP is required if the Accessible Technology Subject Matter Expert review of the ICT products ACR is determined not to meet accessibility compliance.

If you were required to complete an EEAAP for your purchase request:

An email reminder will be sent to the initial purchase requester to review the product's accessibility with the developer/vendor. To gradually improve the accessibility of our university's purchased products and services, we recommend reaching out to the manufacturing vendor or service provider to ask for any accessibility updates from the time of purchase. This process will help in planning to purchase new or renew ICT and services.

Here are a few examples of reasons why an EEAAP was required:

  1. Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR/filled out VPAT) is older than two years.
  2. ACR has information declaring that the product has accessibility issues.
  3. The developer is not able to provide an ACR.

Please review the accessibility issues associated with the product and contact the developer for any accessibility updates that might improve the accessibility of the product.

 

For more information, please visit Training Resources.

 

Vendor Accessibility Statements

Some vendors have published their Accessibility Statements on their sites for more information please visit our vendor accessibility statement pageOpens in new window for more information on specific vendors. 

 

Contact for Vendors concerning question about ATI Review Process

Vendors that have questions about the ATI Review Process or that want to improve their product or service specifically to accessibility are welcome to contact the ATI Procurement Office directly by sending an email to ATI@ywt99.com