ATTACHMENT_-_INSTRUCTIONS_TO_OFFERORS_APPLICABLE_TO_SECTION_508_COMPLIANCE_CLAIMS.docx

Attachment C: Instructions to Contractors Applicable to Section 508 Compliance Claims

1.0 Special instructions to offerors for responding to applicable Section 508 standards Offerors are required to supply detailed information on how their proposed products, services, and solutions address the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (revised). The information submitted in response to these special instructions shall be submitted in a separate volume (or compact disc, file, etc..), and the information provided will not count against any page limits that may be prescribed elsewhere in this solicitation for the Technical/ Non-Price response or Price responses.

2.0 Section 508 technical quotation instructions

For each electronic and information technology (EIT) deliverable subject to Section 508 compliance as defined in the solicitation, the offeror shall provide documentation of how each technical requirement or specification is met. In accordance with the guidance provided in these instructions, the offeror shall document conformance with the applicable Section 508 standards defined in Section B-5 508 Conformance for each deliverable listed in that same section. Failure to provide required documentation may result in a proposal receiving an Incomplete Information evaluation rating and/or an Offeror not being considered for award.

It is an offeror’s responsibility to maintain the integrity and accuracy of any accessibility documentation provided to SSA.

If the offeror plans to provide commercial off the shelf (COTS) software as part or all of the solution, the offeror shall indicate which COTS package(s) are being used, and which deliverables each COTS package is supporting. In addition, the offeror shall provide a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) for each COTS package offered.

2.1 Instructions for completing a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) The offeror shall provide a complete description of how the EIT solution shall address all applicable Section 508 standards. The offeror shall provide this information in a VPAT to document conformance to the applicable Section 508 standards. The VPAT template can be obtained at ITI’s website:

http://www.itic.org/dotAsset/5644ecd2-5024-417f-bc23-a52650f47ef8.doc In each VPAT the offeror shall include the name of the product, service or solution and the offeror shall disclose the method used to validate conformance claims (i.e. expert review, manual testing, automated testing, no method used, other - please describe), and who validated conformance (offeror, third party name, none).

The VPAT consists of a long series of tables. The initial table, the Summary Table, is used to provide a sense of your product’s overall “level-of-compliance” with the applicable Section 508 standards. Subsequently, the Section 1194.xx Tables contain the detailed subparagraphs the Section 508 standards are comprised of. It is within these tables you shall define in detail how your product did or did not comply with each individual standard.

Use the following information to understand how to use the three columns in the VPAT’s tables:

2.1.1 VPAT Summary table

2.1.2 VPAT 1194.xx tables

2.1.3 Completing the Supporting Features column (second column) The offeror shall complete the Supporting Features column in the VPAT and document exactly how a product conforms or does not conform to each of the individual Section 508 standards applied in the solicitation. To promote consistency in offeror responses, the offeror shall complete the columns in the following manner:

Language Description

2.1.4 Completing the Remarks/Explanations column (third column) The offeror shall complete the Remarks/Explanations column in the VPAT and document exactly how a product does or does not conform to each of the individual Section 508 standards applied in the solicitation. To promote consistency in offeror responses, the offeror shall complete the columns in the following manner:

AND

List exactly what parts of the product do not meet and describe how they fail to support the Criteria.

3.0 Quality standards relative to responses to applicable Section 508 standards When responding to SSA, the offeror shall state exactly how the proposed EIT solution meets the applicable standards in the remarks/explanations column, or through additional narrative. In addition, the offeror shall justify all "Not Applicable" (N/A) responses in the remarks/explanations column or through additional narrative. The offeror is cautioned to address each standard individually and with specificity, and to be clear whether conformance is achieved throughout the entire EIT solution (i.e. both user functionality and administrator functionality), or only in limited areas of the EIT solution.

4.0 Additional offeror requirements if testing is required

SSA reserves the right to perform testing on an offeror’s proposed deliverables to ensure the accuracy of their response regarding conformance with the Section 508 standards before making an award.

If SSA requests the opportunity to perform hands-on testing, the offeror shall provide SSA with a demonstration product(s) or copy of their EIT solution so the agency may validate their claims of accessibility within its testing lab. If the offeror’s EIT solution is comprised of commercially available products that will be configured or modified to meet contract requirements, the agency may request a demonstration product(s) or copy of the product(s) to gauge the likelihood of a fully conforming EIT solution being delivered based on these products.

The EIT solution being provided for testing purposes shall be equivalent to the final commercially available release version in terms of functionality and features. Demonstration and/or trial versions of EIT solutions, therefore, shall NOT be considered for testing purposes. This is necessary since limits imposed in the functionality and features would detract from accurate testing of an EIT solution’s level of conformance. In addition to the actual EIT solution for testing and at SSA’s request, the offeror shall prepare a simple Test Plan illustrating “typical” user scenarios and tasks to ensure fair and accurate testing of offered solutions.

Upon award, the EIT solution provided for testing by all unsuccessful offerors shall be returned, at the offeror’s expense. The successful offeror’s EIT product(s) shall be retained and shall be accounted for in any resultant order, if applicable. If an order is not imminent, the successful offeror’s EIT solution shall also be returned, at the offeror’s expense.

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