26006_RFQ FINAL~2.docx

Request for Quotes #26-006 PDF Remediation and Document Accessibility Training

Dates are subject to change. All times contained in the RFQ refer to Eastern Time.

All changes will be reflected in Bid Amendments to the Request for Quotes posted on Using Agency website.

RFQ Issued By:

State of New Jersey New Jersey Department of Education 100 Riverview Plaza Trenton, New Jersey 08625 Date: January 12, 2026

Table of Contents

Attachment 1 — State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions (June 3, 2025) Attachment 2 —- Standard Procurement Forms Packet Attachment 3 — State Supplied Price Sheet Exhibit A — NJDOE Document Accessibility Checklists

Introduction and Summary of the Request for Quotes This Request for Quotes (RFQ) is issued by New Jersey Department of Education (Using Agency). The Contract will be awarded in the State of New Jersey’s eProcurement system, NJSTART (www.njstart.gov) The awarded Contractor is advised to read through all Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) located on the NJSTART Vendor Support Page for information.

Purpose, Intent and Background The purpose of this RFQ is to solicit Quotes for:

· PDF Remediation (conformance to PDF Universal Accessibility standard (PDF/UA) and Level AA of the current version of the Web Content Accessibility guidelines (WCAG); and

· Document accessibility training Background New Jersey agencies provide the public with a plethora of important information via digital channels (e.g., websites, social media, online video platforms). To ensure that people with disabilities are not excluded from accessing this information, it must be created following digital accessibility guidelines and best practices.

The relevant laws for digital accessibility for State agencies are:

· Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

· Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) For the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Action of 1973 also applies.

Section 508 applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Similar to the NJDOE's accessibility guidelines, Section 508 specifies conformance to Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Title II of the ADA was updated in 2024 to specify conformance to Level A and AA of WCAG 2.1. (Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments) It is the intent of the State of New Jersey (State) to award Contracts to those responsible Bidder(s) whose Quotes, conforming to this RFQ are most advantageous to the State, price and other factors considered. The State may award any or all price lines. The State, however, reserves the right to separately procure individual requirements that are the subject of the Contract during the Contract term, when deemed to be in the State’s best interest.

Quotes will only be accepted from Bidders with an active General Services Adminstration (GSA) contract under one of the following Special Item Numbers (SIN):

The State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions (SSTCs) included with this RFQ will apply to all Contracts made with the State. These terms are in addition to the terms and conditions set forth in this RFQ and should be read in conjunction with them unless the RFQ specifically indicates otherwise.

Order of Precedence of Contractual Terms The Contract awarded, and the entire agreement between the parties, as a result of this RFQ shall consist of:

(1) The final RFQ,

(2) State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions, and

(3) The Quote.

In the event of a conflict in the terms and conditions among the documents comprising this Contract, the order of precedence, for purposes of interpretation thereof, shall be as listed from highest ranking to lowest ranking as noted above.

Any other terms or conditions, not included with the Bidder’s Quote and accepted by the State, shall not be incorporated into the Contract awarded. Any references to external documentation, including those documents referenced by a URL, including without limitation, technical reference manuals, technical support policies, copyright notices, additional license terms, etc., are subject to the terms and conditions of the RFQ and the State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions. In the event of any conflict between the terms of a document incorporated by reference, the terms and conditions of the RFQ and the State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions shall prevail.

Pre-Quote Submission Information The Bidder assumes sole responsibility for the complete effort required in submitting a Quote and for reviewing the Quote submission requirements and the Scope of Work requirements.

Question and Answer Period The Using Agency will electronically accept questions and inquiries from all potential Bidders.

A. Questions should be directly tied to the RFQ and asked in consecutive order, from beginning to end, following the organization of the RFQ; and A Bidder shall submit questions only to the Using Agency designee by email at vendorbids@doe.nj.gov. The Using Agency will not accept any question in person or by telephone concerning this RFQ. The cut-off date for electronic questions and inquiries relating to this RFQ is indicated on the RFQ cover sheet. In the event that questions are posed by Bidders, answers to such questions will be issued by Addendum. Any Addendum to this RFQ will become part of this RFQ and part of any Contract awarded as a result of this RFQ. Addenda to this RFQ, if any, will be posted to the Using Agency’s website.

Bid Amendments In the event that it becomes necessary to clarify or revise this RFQ, such clarification or revision will be by Bid Amendment. Any Bid Amendment will become part of this RFQ and part of any Contract awarded. Bid Amendments will be posted with the RFQ posted on Using Agency website. There are no designated dates for release of Bid Amendments. It is the sole responsibility of the Bidder to be knowledgeable of all Bid Amendments related to this RFQ.

Quote Submission Requirements Quote Submission In order to be considered for award, the Quote must be received by the Using Agency, by the required date and time indicated on the RFQ cover sheet. If the Quote opening deadline has been revised, the new Quote opening deadline shall be shown on the posted Bid Amendment. Quotes not received prior to the Quote opening deadline shall be rejected.

All quotes must be submitted electronically to vendorbids@doe.nj.gov with the subject line “26-006 PDF Remediation and Document Accessibility Training”. Mailed submissions will not be accepted. Email submissions are limited to 25 MB per message. If the total file size exceeds this limit, quotes may be submitted in multiple emails, and each email must clearly indicate that it is part of a multi-email submission.

Bidder Responsibility The Bidder assumes sole responsibility for the complete effort required in submitting a Quote in response to this RFQ. No special consideration will be given after Quotes are opened because of a Bidder’s failure to be knowledgeable as to all of the requirements of this RFQ. The State assumes no responsibility and bears no liability for costs incurred by a Bidder in the preparation and submittal of a Quote in response to this RFQ or any pre-contract award costs incurred.

Bidder Additional Terms Submitted with the Quote A Bidder may submit additional terms as part of its Quote. Additional terms are Bidder-proposed terms or conditions that do not conflict with the scope of work required in this RFQ, the terms and conditions of this RFQ, or the State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions. Bidder proposed terms or conditions that conflict with those contained in the State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions will render a Quote non-responsive. It is incumbent upon the Bidder to identify and remove its conflicting proposed terms and conditions prior to Quote submission.

Quote Content The Quote should be submitted with the attachments organized in the following manner:

· Forms

· Technical Quote

· State-Supplied Price Sheet A Bidder should not password protect any submitted documents. Use of URLs in a Quote should be kept to a minimum and shall not be used to satisfy any material term of a RFQ. If a preprinted or other document included as part of the Quote contains a URL, a printed copy of the information should be provided and will be considered as part of the Quote.

Forms, Registrations and Certifications to be Submitted With Quote A Bidder is required to complete and submit the following forms.

Offer and Acceptance Page The Bidder should complete and submit the Offer and Acceptance Page with the Quote. The Offer and Acceptance Page must be signed by an authorized representative of the Bidder. If a Bidder does not submit the form with the Quote, the Bidder must comply within seven (7) Business Days of the State’s request or the State may deem the Quote non-responsive.

Ownership Disclosure Form Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:25-24.2, in the event the Bidder is a corporation, partnership or limited liability company, the Bidder must disclose all 10% or greater owners by:

(a) Completing and submitting the Ownership Disclosure Form with the Quote;

(b) If the Bidder has submitted a signed and accurate Ownership Disclosure Form dated and received no more than six (6) months prior to the Quote submission deadline for this procurement, the Using Agency may rely upon that form; however, if there has been a change in ownership within the last six (6) months, a new Ownership Disclosure Form must be completed, signed and submitted with the Quote; or

(c) A Bidder with any direct or indirect parent entity which is publicly traded may submit the name and address of each publicly traded entity and the name and address of each person that holds a 10 percent or greater beneficial interest in the publicly traded entity as of the last annual filing with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission or the foreign equivalent, and, if there is any person that holds a 10 percent or greater beneficial interest, also shall submit links to the websites containing the last annual filings with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission or the foreign equivalent and the relevant page numbers of the filings that contain the information on each person that holds a 10 percent or greater beneficial interest. N.J.S.A. 52:25-24.2.

A Bidder’s failure to submit the information required by N.J.S.A. 52:25-24.2 will result in the rejection of the Quote as non-responsive and preclude the award of a Contract to said Bidder.

Disclosure of Investment Activities in Iran Form The Bidder should submit Disclosure of Investment Activities in Iran form to certify that, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:32-58, neither the Bidder, nor one of its parents, subsidiaries, and/or affiliates (as defined in N.J.S.A. 52:32-56(e)(3)), is listed on the Department of the Treasury’s List of Persons or Entities Engaging in Prohibited Investment Activities in Iran and that neither the Bidder, nor one (1) of its parents, subsidiaries, and/or affiliates, is involved in any of the investment activities set forth in N.J.S.A. 52:32-56(f). If the Bidder is unable to so certify, the Bidder shall provide a detailed and precise description of such activities as directed on the form. If a Bidder does not submit the form with the Quote, the Bidder must comply within seven (7) Business Days of the State’s request or the State may deem the Quote non-responsive.

Disclosure of Investigations and Other Actions Involving Bidder Form The Bidder should submit the Disclosure of Investigations and Other Actions Involving Bidder Form, with its Quote, to provide a detailed description of any investigation, litigation, including administrative complaints or other administrative proceedings, involving any public sector clients during the past five (5) years, including the nature and status of the investigation, and, for any litigation, the caption of the action, a brief description of the action, the date of inception, current status, and, if applicable, disposition. If a Bidder does not submit the form with the Quote, the Bidder must comply within seven (7) Business Days of the State’s request or the State may deem the Quote non-responsive.

MacBride Principles Form The Bidder should submit the MacBride Principles Form. Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:34-12.2, a Bidder is required to certify that it either has no ongoing business activities in Northern Ireland and does not maintain a physical presence therein or that it will take lawful steps in good faith to conduct any business operations it has in Northern Ireland in accordance with the MacBride principles of nondiscrimination in employment as set forth in N.J.S.A. 52:18A-89.5 and in conformance with the United Kingdom’s Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act of 1989, and permit independent monitoring of their compliance with those principles. If a Bidder does not submit the form with the Quote, the Bidder must comply within seven (7) Business Days of the State’s request or the State may deem the Quote non-responsive.

Service Performance within the United States The Bidder should submit a completed Source Disclosure Form. Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:34-13.2, all Contracts primarily for services shall be performed within the United States. If a Bidder does not submit the form with the Quote, the Bidder must comply within seven (7) Business Days of the State’s request or the State may deem the Quote non-responsive.

Confidentiality/Commitment to Defend Pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA), N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq., or the common law right to know, Quotes can be released to the public in accordance with N.J.A.C. 17:12-1.2(b) and (c).

The Bidder should submit a completed and signed Confidentiality/Commitment to Defend Form with the Quote. In the event that the Bidder does not submit the Confidentiality form with the Quote, the State reserves the right to request that the Bidder submit the form after Quote submission.

After the opening of sealed Quotes, all information submitted by a Bidder in response to a RFQ is considered public information notwithstanding any disclaimers to the contrary submitted by a Bidder. Proprietary, financial, security and confidential information may be exempt from public disclosure by OPRA and/or the common law when the Bidder has a good faith, legal/factual basis for such assertion.

When the RFQ contains a negotiation component, the Quote will not be subject to public disclosure until a notice of intent to award a Contract is announced.

As part of its Quote, a Bidder may request that portions of the Quote be exempt from public disclosure under OPRA and/or the common law. The Bidder must provide a detailed statement clearly identifying those sections of the Quote that it claims are exempt from production, and the legal and factual basis that supports said exemption(s) as a matter of law. The State will not honor any attempts by a Bidder to designate its State-Supplied Price Sheet, Price List/Catalog, and/or the entire Quote as proprietary and/or confidential, and/or to claim copyright protection for its entire Quote. If the State does not agree with a Bidder’s designation of proprietary and/or confidential information, the State will use commercially reasonable efforts to advise the Bidder. Copyright law does not prohibit access to a record which is otherwise available under OPRA.

The State reserves the right to make the determination as to what to disclose in response to an OPRA request. Any information that the State determines to be exempt from disclosure under OPRA will be redacted.

In the event of any challenge to the Bidder’s assertion of confidentiality that is contrary to the State’s determination of confidentiality, the Bidder shall be solely responsible for defending its designation, but in doing so, all costs and expenses associated therewith shall be the responsibility of the Bidder. The State assumes no such responsibility or liability.

In order not to delay consideration of the Quote or the State’s response to a request for documents, the State requires that Bidder respond to any request regarding confidentiality markings within the timeframe designated in the State’s correspondence regarding confidentiality. If no response is received by the designated date and time, the State will be permitted to release a copy of the Quote with the State making the determination regarding what may be proprietary or confidential.

Subcontractor Utilization Plan Bidders intending to use Subcontractor(s) shall list all Subcontractors on the Subcontractor Utilization Plan form.

For a Quote that does not include the use of any Subcontractors, the Bidder is automatically certifying that, if selected for an award, the Bidder will be performing all work required by the Contract.

If it becomes necessary for the Contractor to substitute a Subcontractor, add a Subcontractor, or substitute its own staff for a Subcontractor, the Contractor will identify the proposed new Subcontractor or staff member(s) and the work to be performed. The Contractor shall forward a written request to substitute or add a Subcontractor or to substitute its own staff for a Subcontractor to the State Contract Manager for consideration. The Contractor must provide a completed Subcontractor Utilization Plan, a detailed justification documenting the necessity for the substitution or addition, and resumes of its proposed replacement staff or of the proposed Subcontractor’s management, supervisory, and other key personnel that demonstrate knowledge, ability and experience relevant to that part of the work which the Subcontractor is to undertake. The qualifications and experience of the replacement(s) must equal or exceed those of similar personnel proposed by the Contractor in its Quote. The State Contract Manager will forward the request to the Director for approval.

Note: No substituted or additional Subcontractors are authorized to begin work until the Contractor has received written approval from the State.

Small Business and/or Disabled Veterans’ Business Subcontracting Set-Aside Contract Not applicable to this procurement.

Reserved Not applicable to this procurement.

Affirmative Action The intended Contractor and its named Subcontractors must submit a copy of a New Jersey Certificate of Employee Information Report, or a copy of Federal Letter of Approval verifying it is operating under a federally approved or sanctioned Affirmative Action program. If the Contractor and/or its named Subcontractors are not in possession of either a New Jersey Certificate of Employee Information Report or a Federal Letter of Approval, it/they must complete and submit the Affirmative Action Employee Information Report (AA-302). Information, instruction and the application are available at Public Contracts Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance Monitoring Program (nj.gov/treasury/contract_compliance/index.shtml) Reserved Not applicable to this procurement.

State of New Jersey Security Due Diligence Third-Party Information Security Questionnaire Not applicable to this procurement.

Business Registration In accordance with N.J.S.A. 52:32-44(b), a Bidder and its named Subcontractors must have a valid Business Registration Certificate (“BRC”) issued by the Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services prior to the award of a Contract. A Bidder should verify its Business Registration Certification Active status on the “Maintain Terms and Categories” Tab within its profile in NJSTART. In the event of an issue with a Bidder’s Business Registration Certification Active status, NJSTART provides a link to take corrective action.

Certification of Non-Involvement in Prohibited Activities in Russia or Belarus Pursuant To P.L.2022, C.3 The Bidder should submit the Certification of Non-Involvement in Prohibited Activities in Russia or Belarus Form. Pursuant to P.L.2022, c.3, a person or entity seeking to enter into or renew a contract for the provision of goods or services shall certify that it is not Engaging in Prohibited Activities in Russia or Belarus as defined by P.L.2002, c.3, sec. 1(e). If a Bidder does not submit the form with the Quote, the Bidder must comply within seven (7) Business Days of the State’s request or the State may deem the Quote non-responsive.

Technical Quote The Bidder shall describe its approach and plans for accomplishing the work outlined in the Scope of Work. The Bidder must set forth its understanding of the requirements of this RFQ and its approach to successfully complete the Contract. The Bidder should include the level of detail it determines necessary to assist the Evaluation Committee in its review of the Bidder’s Quote.

Management Overview The Bidder shall set forth its overall technical approach and plans to meet the requirements of the RFQ in a narrative format. This narrative should demonstrate to the Evaluation Committee that the Bidder understands the objectives that the Contract is intended to meet, the nature of the required work, and the level of effort necessary to successfully complete the Contract. The narrative should demonstrate that the Bidder’s approach and plans to undertake and complete the Contract are appropriate to the tasks and subtasks involved.

Mere reiterations of RFQ tasks and subtasks are strongly discouraged, as they do not provide insight into the Bidder’s approach to complete the Contract. The Bidder’s response to this section should demonstrate to the Evaluation Committee that the Bidder’s detailed plans and approach proposed to complete the Scope of Work are realistic, attainable and appropriate, and that the Bidder’s Quote will lead to successful Contract completion.

Contract Management The Bidder should describe its specific plans to manage, control and supervise the Contract to ensure satisfactory Contract completion according to the required schedule. The plan should include the Bidder’s approach to communicate with the State Contract Manager including, but not limited to, status meetings, status reports, etc.

Contract Schedule Not applicable to this procurement.

Mobilization Plan Not applicable to this procurement.

Additional Plan(s) Not applicable to this procurement.

Organizational Experience The Bidder should include information relating to its organization, personnel, and experience, including, but not limited to, references, together with contact names and telephone numbers, evidencing the Bidder’s qualifications, and capabilities to perform the services required by this RFQ. The Bidder should include the level of detail it determines necessary to assist the Evaluation Committee in its review of Bidder’s Quote.

Location The Bidder should include the address of where responsibility for managing the Contract will take place. The Bidder should include the telephone number and name of the individual to contact.

Organization Charts The Bidder should include an organization chart, with names showing management, supervisory and other key personnel (including Subcontractor management, supervisory, or other key personnel) to be assigned to the Contract. The chart should include the labor category and title of each such individual.

Resumes Detailed resumes should be submitted for all management, supervisory, and key personnel to be assigned to the Contract. Resumes should emphasize relevant qualifications and experience of these individuals in successfully completing Contracts of a similar size and scope to those required by this RFQ. Resumes should include the following:

A. The individual's previous experience in completing each similar Contract;

B. Beginning and ending dates for each similar Contract;

C. A description of the Contract demonstrating how the individual's work on the completed Contract relates to the individual's ability to contribute to successfully providing the services required by this RFQ; and D. With respect to each similar Contract, the name and address of each reference together with a person to contact for a reference check and a telephone number.

The Bidder should provide detailed resumes for each Subcontractor’s management, supervisory, and other key personnel that demonstrate knowledge, ability, and experience relevant to that part of the work which the Subcontractor is designated to perform.

Experience with Contracts of Similar Size and Scope The Bidder should provide a comprehensive listing of contracts of similar size and scope that it has successfully completed, as evidence of the Bidder’s ability to successfully complete services similar to those required by this RFQ. Emphasis should be placed on contracts that are similar in size and scope to the work required by this RFQ. A description of all such contracts should be included and should show how such contracts relate to the ability of the firm to complete the services required by this RFQ. For each such contract listed, the Bidder should provide two (2) names and telephone numbers of individuals for contracting party. Beginning and ending dates should also be given for each contract.

The Bidder must provide details of any negative actions taken by other contracting entities against them in the course of performing these projects including, but not limited to, receipt of letters of potential default, default, cure notices, termination of services for cause, or other similar notifications/processes. Additionally, the Bidder should provide details, including any negative audits, reports, or findings by any governmental agency for which the Bidder is/was the contractor on any contracts of similar scope. In the event a Bidder neglects to include this information in its Quote, the Bidder’s omission of this necessary disclosure information may be cause for rejection of the Bidder’s Quote by the State.

The Bidder should provide documented experience to demonstrate that each Subcontractor has successfully performed work on contracts of a similar size and scope to the work that the Subcontractor is designated to perform in the Bidder’s Quote. The Bidder must provide a detailed description of services to be provided by each Subcontractor.

Financial Capability of the Bidder The Bidder should provide sufficient financial information to enable the State to assess the financial strength and creditworthiness of the Bidder and its ability to undertake and successfully complete the Contract. In order to provide the State with the ability to evaluate the Bidder’s financial capacity and capability to undertake and successfully complete the Contract, the Bidder should submit the following:

A. For publicly traded companies the Bidder should provide copies or the electronic location of the annual reports filed for the two most recent years; or B. For privately held companies the Bidder should provide the certified financial statement (audited or reviewed) in accordance with applicable standards by an independent Certified Public Accountant, including a balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flow, and all applicable notes for the most recent calendar year or the Bidder’s most recent fiscal year.

If the information is not supplied with the Quote, the State may still require the Bidder to submit it. If the Bidder fails to comply with the request within seven (7) Business Days, the State may deem the Quote non-responsive.

A Bidder may designate specific financial information as not subject to disclosure when the Bidder has a good faith legal/factual basis for such assertion. The State reserves the right to make the determination to accept the assertion and will so advise the Bidder.

State-Supplied Price Sheet Instructions The Bidder must submit its pricing using the State-Supplied Price Sheet accompanying this RFQ and located on the “Attachments” Tab. Each Bidder is required to hold its pricing firm through the issuance of the Contract.

Any price changes including hand written revisions or "white-outs" must be initialed. Failure to initial price changes shall preclude a Contract award from being made to the Bidder pursuant to N.J.A.C. 17:12-2.2(a)(8).

Price Line 1 - The Bidder shall provide their all-inclusive firm-fixed rate per page for a simple PDF in the highlighted yellow cell (row 8, columns E and F) provided for Year 1 and Year 2.

Price Line 2 - The Bidder shall provide their all-inclusive firm-fixed rate per page for a moderately complex PDF in the highlighted yellow cell (row 9, columns E and F) provided for Year 1 and Year 2.

Price Line 3 - The Bidder shall provide their all-inclusive firm-fixed rate per page for a complex PDF in the highlighted yellow cell (row 10, columns E and F) provided for Year 1 and Year 2.

Price Line 4 - The Bidder shall provide their all-inclusive firm-fixed rate per page for a nonstandard PDF in the highlighted yellow cell (row 11, columns Eand F) provided for Year 1 and Year 2.

Price Line 5 - The Bidder shall provide their all-inclusive firm-fixed rate per simple/moderately Complex Image in the highlighted yellow cell (row 12, columns E and F) provided for Year 1 and Year 2.

Price Line 6 - The Bidder shall provide their all-inclusive firm-fixed rate per Complex Image in the highlighted yellow cell (row 13, columns E and F) provided for Year 1 and Year 2.

Price Line 7 - The Bidder shall provide their all-inclusive firm-fixed rate per page for a fillable PDF form in the highlighted yellow cell (row 14, columns E and F) provided for Year 1 and Year 2.

Price Line 8 - The Bidder shall provide their all-inclusive firm-fixed rate per page for expedited service in the highlighted yellow cell (row 15, columns E and F) provided for Year 1 and Year 2.

Price Line 9 - The Bidder shall provide their all-inclusive firm-fixed hourly rate for one full time equivalent in the highlighted yellow cell (row 16, columns E and F) provided for Year 1 and Year 2.

Price Line 10 - The Bidder shall provide their all-inclusive firm-fixed hourly rate in the highlighted yellow cell (row 17, columns E and F) provided for Year 1 and Year 2.

Where the State-Supplied Price Sheet includes an estimated quantity column, Bidders are advised that estimated quantities may vary throughout the Contract term resulting from this RFQ. There is no guaranteed minimum or maximum volume for these price lines.

Use of “No Bid” Versus “No Charge” on the State-Supplied Price Sheet Not applicable to this procurement.

Use of “No Charge” on the State-Supplied Price Sheet All price lines must be filled out in accordance with the instructions above. If the Bidder will supply an item on a price line free of charge, the Bidder must indicate “No Charge” on the State-Supplied Price Sheet accompanying this RFQ. An entry of $0.00 on a price line will be interpreted as a Bidder supplying the good or service at “No Charge.” The use of any other identifier may result in the Bidder’s Quote being deemed non-responsive.

Scope of Work: PDF Remediaton and Document Accessibility Training Objective To ensure PDF documents are fully accessible and compliant with PDF Universal Accessibility (PDF/UA) standards and Level AA of the current version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). If the Using Agency is the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), the PDFs must also comply with the NJDOE Guidelines (outlined below). If content is created with accessibility in mind, then it will have fewer barriers for people with disabilities and people using Assistive Technology.

The Contractor will remediate PDF documents to meet the following accessibility standards and guidelines:

· PDF/UA

· Level AA of current version of WCAG The Using Agency will provide the PDF. When possible, the Using Agency will also provide the Source File (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

The Contractor will provide training on authoring accessible content — conforming to Level AA of the current version of WCAG — in the following Microsoft Office products:

· Excel

· PowerPoint

· Word NJDOE Guidelines The NJDOE Document Accessibility Checklists are found in Exhibit A: NJDOE Document Accessibility Checklists. If the Using Agency is the NJDOE, the Using Agency is responsible for ensuring that the documents meet the requirements outlined in the corresponding checklist.

The NJDOE Internal Guidelines require the following:

· Headings: Only use one heading 1 per document, which is the document’s title.

· Links: Link text adequately describes the link destination, even when taken out of context.

· Text formatting:

· Only use underlines for Links.

· Only use all caps (ALL CAPS) for acronyms.

· Only use bold and italics for single words or short phrases.

· Left align body text (do not justify) for scripts read left-to-right.

· Use a minimum of size 11 pt text, including footnotes/endnotes.

· Use hyphens (-), En Dashes (–), and Em Dashes (—) correctly. En Dashes (–) are only used for ranges, and Em Dashes (—) are used for parentheticals, asides, and to separate long titles.

Guidelines for Using Agencies other than NJDOE Specific Using Agencies may have their own specific guidelines that will be required. These Using Agency specific guidelines and requirements will be discussed between the Using Agency and the Contractor upon initiation and scoping of specific remediation projects.

As outlined in 4.1, the Contractor will remediate PDF documents to meet the following accessibility standards and guidelines:

· PDF/UA

· Level AA of current version of WCAG

· Any Using Agency specific requirement Services Provided The Contractor will provide:

· PDF remediation

· Document accessibility training PDF Remediation Evaluate and remediate PDFs for accessibility gaps using automated tools and manual inspection.

1. Alternative Text:

a. Ensure Non-Decorative Images have Alternative Text. The Alternative Text will be provided by the Using Agency.

b. Ensure decorative images are artifacted. In collaboration with the Contractor, the Using Agency will identify which images are decorative.

2. Complex Images: ensure all Complex Images have text alternatives. The Using Agency will provide the text alternatives.

3. Color Contrast: Test that all content meets color contrast requirements. Identify instances of insufficient contrast. The Using Agency is responsible for adjusting color contrast in the Source File.

4. Forms: Make interactive forms fully accessible with appropriate labels and instructions. Collaborate with the Using Agency to determine appropriate form field types (e.g., Radio Buttons versus checkboxes).

5. Links: Ensure all Links are descriptive and functional. Links must describe the link destination, even when taken out of text. Identify link text that is not desriptive or human readable (i.e., it's the full URL). The Using Agency is responsible for providing updated link text.

6. Navigation: Add Bookmarks based on the heading structure of the document.

7. Non-Text Content: Ensure all Non-Text Content is available as text either through Alternative Text or a text version. The Using Agency will provide the Alternative Text or text version.

8. Reading Order: Manually evaluate Reading Order and remediate as needed.

9. Tables: Ensure that Tables are accurately tagged with table Header cells and that the Scope is set for all table Header cells. If the Table structure cannot be made accessible in the PDF, the Using Agency will provide an updated Table.

10. Tagging: Ensure all meaningful content is properly Tagged, including, but not limited to, figures, Headings, paragraphs, lists, and Tables.

11. Metadata: Include essential Metadata for searchability and accessibility. The Contractor will add key words if the Using Agency has provided them.

12. Validation: Test remediated PDFs using screen readers and other assistive technologies to ensure compliance.

13. Reporting: Provide a compliance report confirming compliance to PDF/UA and level AA of WCAG.

Document Tiers For pricing, PDFs are categorized by their complexity and fall into five basic categories:

1. Simple

2. Moderately Complex

3. Complex

4. Fillable forms

5. Nonstandard For all PDFs, the Using Agency is responsible for providing the text alternative for all non-text content. If the Using Agency requires assistance creating the text alternatives, the Contractor will charge, per image, based on the complexity of the image. In these instances, the Using Agency and Contractor collaborate to create the text alternative.

For non-text content for which the text alternative is created collaboratively, the two complexity levels are:

1. Simple and moderate —meaning can be conveyed via a concise text alternative (i.e., <300 characters). Examples: simple pie chart, photograph of a dog catching a ball (with the alt text “dog catching a ball in an open field of grass”).

2. Complex —meaning requires a longer text alternative (i.e., ≥300 characters). For example, a complex infographic requiring Alternative Text and a text-version.

Simple Documents A simple document is a tagged PDF containing text and no images or only simple images (e.g., logos). A simple image is one which is flat (e.g., a single PNG or JPEG) and whose meaning can be conveyed via concise Alternative Text.

Simple documents may contain headings and lists. However, the lists do not contain any nesting (i.e., no sub-bullets for unordered lists and no sub-number/letters for ordered lists).

If the document contains any of the following, it is not a simple document:

· Complex Images such as diagrams or graphs/charts

· Form fields

· Footnotes or endnotes

· Linked Table of Contents

· Nested lists

· Tables

Moderately Complex Documents A moderately complex document is a tagged PDF with a mix of text and non-text content. The document may contain all of the elements of a simple document, but also contains moderately complex elements.

A document is considered moderately complex if it contains one or more of the following:

· Decorative Images

· Multi-line links

· Linked Table of Contents that are one page or less

· Lists that are multi-page or with no more than two levels of nesting

· Simple or moderately Complex Images (e.g., logo, pie chart with concise alt text)

· Tables with a regular structure (single or multi-page tables) Complex Documents A complex document is a tagged PDF with a mix of text and non-text content. These PDFs require more manual Remediation than simple or moderately complex PDFs.

A complex document may contain all of the elements of a simple and moderately complex document, but also contains more complex elements.

A document is considered complex if it contains one or more of the following:

· Block quotes (i.e., quotations requiring the <BlockQuote> PDF tag)

· Complex non-text content (e.g., a column graph with multiple categories, a flowchart, an infographic)

· Linked footnotes or endnotes

· Linked table of contents longer than one page

· Lists with three or more levels of nesting

· Non-linear text flow (e.g., a two-column layout for text)

· Rotated text

· Simple mathematical expressions and equations that can be accurate conveyed to Assistive Technology with standard Unicode entities (e.g., 4 + 2 = 6, F = MA).

· Tables with a complex structure (e.g., merged cells, split cells, multiple header rows) Fillable Form A fillable form is a fillable PDF with form fields. A fillable form with custom scripting, auto-populating form fields, or form fields containing calculations, is considered a Nonstandard document.

Nonstandard Documents A PDF is a nonstandard document if one or more of the following is true:

· The PDF is:

· Untagged

· A scanned document and thus requires optical character recognition

· A fillable form that uses custom scripting, autopopulating form fields or form fields with calculations

· The PDF contains:

· Mathematical equations and expressions that cannot be accurately conveyed with standard Unicode entities. Examples: the quadratic equation, the formula for the volume of a sphere)

· Words or phrases in a language other than English using the Latin Alphabet (e.g., Spanish, French, Italian). This does not include PDFs for which all or the majority of the document are in a non-English language. Non-English documents are out of the scope of this RFQ.

Document Accessibility Training The Contractor will provide live virtual sessions, with recordings made available 10 Business Days after the live virtual sessions on the following topics:

· Introduction to Digital Accessibility and compliance standards

· Accessible document creation in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word

· PDF remediation techniques

· Use of accessibility checkers and tools (e.g., Microsoft Accessibility Checker, Adobe Acrobat Pro)

· Practical exercises with real document examples If and when requested by attendees, the Contractor will provide the following:

· Accessible slide decks made available at least 2 Business Days before the live virtual training

· Sign language interpretation during training

· Captions or transcript during training (machine or human-generated, as specified by attendees) The Contractor will:

· Design and deliver training sessions

· Provide all training materials

· Facilitate assessments and feedback collection

· Meet attendee access needs when identified by attendees, specifically:

· Accessible slide decks made available before the training

· Sign language interpretation

· Captions or transcript (either machine or human-generated)

The Using Agency will:

· Coordinate participant scheduling

· Provide sample documents (optional) for training use

· Ensure staff attendance and engagement Deliverables For PDF remediation:

· Remediated PDF Document: PDF document compliant with PDF/UA and WCAG Level AA.

· Compliance Report: Detailed report on accessibility issues identified and remediated.

· Documentation: Provide guidelines and best practices for maintaining accessibility in future documents.

· Standard turn-around time: 5 Business Days.

For training:

· Slide decks, handouts, and checklists

· Step-by-step guides for accessible document creation

· List of recommended tools and resources

· Recordings of training sessions Acceptance Criteria For PDF remediations:

· All PDF documents must pass automated accessibility checks and manual inspection.

· Documents must be navigable and understandable using assistive technologies.

· Compliance with PDF/UA standards and WCAG Level AA must be confirmed.

For training:

· Training materials are based on conforming to Level AA of the current version of WCAG. If the Using Agency is NJDOE, the training follows NJDOE guidelines outlined in 4.1.1 and 10.1–10.3.

· Training materials are accessible.

General Contract Terms The Contractor shall have sole responsibility for the complete effort specified in this Contract. Payment will be made only to the Contractor. The Contractor is responsible for the professional quality, technical accuracy and timely completion and submission of all deliverables, services or commodities required to be provided under this Contract. The Contractor shall, without additional compensation, correct or revise any errors, omissions, or other deficiencies in its deliverables and other services. The approval of deliverables furnished under this Contract shall not in any way relieve the Contractor of responsibility for the technical adequacy of its work. The review, approval, Acceptance or payment for any of the deliverables, goods or services, shall not be construed as a waiver of any rights that the State may have arising out of the Contractor’s performance of this Contract.

Contract Term and Extension Option The base term of this Contract shall be for a period of 2 years.

This Contract may be extended up to two (2) years with no single extension exceeding one (1) year, by the mutual written consent of the Contractor and the State at the same terms, conditions, and pricing at the rates in effect in the last year of this Contract or rates more favorable to the State.

Contract Transition A. No Award Made —In the event that a new contract has not been awarded prior to the expiration date for this Contract, including any extensions exercised, then by written notice to the Contractor, the State may exercise its right to transition this Contract for a period of up to 180 Calendar Days (the “Initial Transition Period”). In the event the State exercises its right pursuant to this Section, then the Contractor shall continue performance under this Contract under the same terms, conditions, and pricing until a new contract is awarded or the Initial Transition Period expires. At no time shall this Initial Transition Period extend more than 365 Calendar Days beyond the expiration date of this Contract, including any extensions exercised, unless in the opinion of the Director, it is in the best interest of the State to extend the Initial Transition Period.

B. New Contract Awarded — In the event that a new contract has been awarded prior to the expiration date for this Contract, including any extensions exercised , then by written notice to the Contractor the State may transition this Contract (the “NCA Transition Period”) and the Contractor shall continue performance under this Contract, under the same terms, conditions, and pricing, for a period of up to 365 Calendar Days beyond the expiration date of this Contract, including any extensions exercised, or until the new contract(s) can be completely operational, whichever first occurs.

Performance Security Not applicable to this procurement.

Ownership of Material A. State Data — The State owns State Data. Contractor shall not obtain any right, title, or interest in any State data, or information derived from or based on State Data. State Data provided to Contractor shall be delivered or returned to the State of New Jersey upon thirty (30) days’ notice by the State or thirty (30) days after the expiration or termination of the Contract. Except as specifically required by the requirements of the RFQ, State Data shall not be disclosed, sold, assigned, leased or otherwise disposed of to any person or entity other than the State unless specifically directed to do so in writing by the State Contract Manager.

B. Work Product; Services— The State owns all Deliverables developed for the State in the course of providing Services under the Contract, including but not limited to, all data, technical information, materials gathered, originated, developed, prepared, used or obtained in the performance of the Contract, including but not limited to all reports, surveys, plans, charts, literature, brochures, mailings, recordings (video and/or audio), pictures, drawings, analyses, graphic representations, print-outs, notes and memoranda, written procedures and documents, regardless of the state of completion, which are prepared for or are a result of the Services required under the Contract.

C. Contractor Intellectual Property; Commercial off the Shelf Software (COTS) and Customized Software— Contractor retains ownership of all Contractor Intellectual Property, and any modifications thereto and derivatives thereof, that the Contractor supplies to the State pursuant to the Contract, and grants the State a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use Contractor Intellectual Property delivered to the State for the purposes contemplated by the Contract for the duration of the Contract including all extensions. In the event Contractor provides its standard license agreement terms with its Quote, such terms and conditions must comply with RFQ Section 1.4 – Order of Precedence of Contractual Terms.

D. Third Party Intellectual Property — Unless otherwise specified in the RFQ that the State, on its own, will acquire and obtain a license to Third Party Intellectual Property, Contractor shall secure on the State’s behalf, in the name of the State and subject to the State’s approval, a license to Third Party Intellectual Property sufficient to fulfill the business objectives, requirements and specifications identified in the Contract at no additional…