PRE SOLICITATION NOTICE.pdf

Sources Sought Notice:

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Core

INTRODUCTION

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Community Living (ACL) wants to identify viable businesses that are capable of fulfilling the objectives of this requirement.

This is a Presolicitation notice with an intent to sole source. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified sources. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible.

PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

Essential role and expanding scope of the Web. The World Wide Web is key to full participation in society, and a powerful resource for all. The Web is an essential means of accessing information, news, education, employment, commerce, health care, government services, civic participation, social networking, entertainment, and more. When accessible to people with disabilities, the Web can unlock access to information and interactions that previously were difficult or impossible because of barriers in the built environment, in printed media, in audio and visual information, and in social interactions.

More recently, the Web has taken on an expanded scope, as old and new technologies converge onto the Web as a central infrastructure for reaching billions of users. Most new digital technologies have Web interfaces, whether as a primary or secondary interface. Because of the accessible architecture that has been or that W3C has developed for the Web, one can often ensure that the Web interface is more accessible than other interfaces. Web standards work therefore now encompasses not only the desktop Web, but standards that enable mobile applications, digital publishing, payments, online learning, television and entertainment, Web/Internet of things, automotive, smart cities, augmented and virtual reality, and more. When developers are pushing to get these new technologies out the door, W3C’s role is key in ensuring that accessibility issues are addressed.

Critical need for accessibility. It critical that the Web and the innovative technologies built upon it are inclusive of the millions of people in the United States with disabilities, and the billion people with significant disabilities worldwide. Many disabilities can affect access to, and benefit from, the Web and the technologies built upon it, and can benefit from the use of these technologies. Accessibility of the Web can affect people with auditory, cognitive, physical, neurological, and visual disabilities, and people with combinations of these disabilities.

Accessibility is likewise important to those with accessibility needs due to aging. An accessible Web also benefits people who do not have disabilities but who are experiencing situational barriers such as small screens, low bandwidth, low literacy levels, and language differences.

Impact of accessibility barriers. The complexity and rapid evolution of Web technologies, sometimes still without regard to accessibility, means that people with disabilities frequently encounter barriers when trying to participate in daily activities. Barriers can be simple yet pervasive, for instance lack of alternative text for images, captions for audio, and descriptions for video; or can include more complex barriers such as insufficient programmatic access to dynamic and interactive information generated through content management systems, and lack of interoperability between mainstream browsers or authoring tools on the one hand, and assistive technologies used by some people with disabilities on the other hand. Given the role of the Web in so many life activities, the impact of these barriers on the lives of people with disabilities can be immense. Therefore there is an ongoing need for updated technical and educational support materials that project managers and Web designers and developers can use to address existing and new barriers across the Web, including in the expanded scope of the Web described above.

W3C WAI’s expertise in building accessibility solutions. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international community where Member organizations, an expert staff, and the public work together to develop the standards upon which the Web and an increasing number of technologies are based. Founded by Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, and led by CEO Jeffrey Jaffe, W3C is the international standards body for the Web. W3C has over 400 Member organizations worldwide. W3C uses an open, transparent, and robust standards development process, with opportunities for accessibility review of standards throughout all stages of development.

W3C has hosted the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) since 1997. W3C and WAI are both headquartered at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL). Judy Brewer, WAI Director, directs a coordinated set of accessibility activities uniquely feasible within W3C. This includes coordinating accessibility activities among the three other W3C Hosts, in Europe, Japan, and China. This coordinated accessibility program facilitates an international perspective on W3C standards development, international uptake of W3C standards, and coordinated international technical and educational work on accessibility.

W3C WAI objectives and activities in support of an accessible Web.

WAI addresses cross-disability accessibility of the Web and related technologies through a breadth of activities leveraging the unique setting of W3C:

Ensuring that Web standards support accessibility. At any given time, there are more than a hundred technical specifications under development in W3C working groups, and hundreds of W3C Community Groups incubating pre-standardization work. These specifications cover technical needs on the Web, such as support for graphics, media, math, speech, privacy, security, virtual reality, immersive captions, automotive navigation, and application programming interfaces needed for interoperability with screen readers. All need accessibility review to ensure that they enhance rather than become barriers to accessibility;

and all accessibility issues raised must be addressed to the extent possible before a specification can be completed.

Developing accessibility guidelines for Web content and applications, user agents, authoring tools. These guidelines must be carefully developed and vetted by representatives from all stakeholder groups, including industry, disability communities, research, education, and government, to develop consensus solutions. They must address accessibility needs for all disability groups impacted by accessibility barriers in Web-based digital technologies, and tested in diverse industries and applications, ranging from financial sector to the automotive sector. They must be well supported by implementation techniques and supporting explanatory material.

Developing resources to improve the quality and efficiency of Web accessibility evaluation processes and tools. Assessment of Web accessibility is manually intensive, with challenges in inter-rater reliability. WAI activities support improvements in automation of assessment, to increase efficiency of future assessment capabilities.

Development of educational and outreach resources to improve awareness and implementation of Web accessibility. Uptake of Web accessibility depends on an ecosystem of well-vetted, authoritative resources explaining the need for Web accessibility, and providing frequently updated detail on how to implement accessibility guidelines across many different situations.

Coordinating with research and development into new technologies that may impact future accessibility of the Web. As vastly different types of Web technologies emerge, there is a need to track and to promote research regarding accessibility needs and potential barriers in these new technologies. This work includes description of use cases and user scenarios based on this research, to help engineers understand accessibility requirements for the industries and environments that they are designing for.

Promotion of harmonized uptake of accessibility standards and guidance for the Web.

To make progress in Web accessibility, it is important to have unified accessibility standards for the Web, and technologies based upon the Web, so that resources can be used for increasing the uptake and implementation of Web accessibility rather than for developing, maintaining, and updating potentially conflicting sets of guidelines.

RESPONSE INFORMATION

THE CAPABILITLY STATEMENT MUST CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE THE FIRM’S

CAPABILITY AND EXPERIENCE IN PROVIDING THE SERVICES DESCRIBED

BELOW.

Outlook on accessibility needs for the Web and related technologies

Looking ahead to the next five years, there is an increasing number of issues that must be addressed to ensure an accessible Web and related technologies. A defining characteristic of the Web is its ability to grab on to emerging technologies and make them available through the Web infrastructure to billions of users.. Example areas where WAI has begun to address such emerging technologies include augmented and virtual reality, Web/Internet of things, and emerging needs in industries that are transitioning to a nearly fully digital mode, such as digital publishing. WAI is expanding accessibility guidance for these areas, and exploring how to apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to accelerate development and evaluation of website accessibility.

Authority.

Title II of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, states that NIDILRR is authorized to "...provide for research, demonstration projects, training, and related activities to maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities of all ages..."

Since WAI was first established in 1997, NIDILRR has supported core WAI activities, sustaining a multi-stakeholder forum that brings together perspectives and contributions from industry, the disability community, research, and government from around the world, to develop consensus-based accessibility solutions for the Web. NIDILRR’s support has been essential in ensuring accessibility of the evolving Web and related digital technologies that are the foundation for accessible Web-based government services, and for access to employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities.

Unique qualifications of W3C WAI to develop Web accessibility solutions, standards, guidelines and resources

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is uniquely qualified to develop Web accessibility solutions, standards, guidelines, and authoritative supporting resources that the US Department of Health and Human Services, other US federal agencies, industry and the public rely upon for intergovernmental communications and interactions.

1. Impact on the development of Web technologies from the design stage onwards.

2. Authoritative status of W3C’s standards and guidelines.

3. Development of accessibility standards and guidelines that are consistent with the technical architecture and standards for the Web.

4. Leveraging of technical expertise from W3C staff and W3C Member organizations.

5. Leveraged implementations in web applications and websites

Expected Period of Performance: 09/29/2020 – 09/28/2021 with four 12 month options

6. A structure and commitment to multi-stakeholder process

7. Transparency and accountability of an open standards process.

8. Ability to impact accessibility of technologies that are newly converging onto the Web.

9. Access to a broad network of standards organizations with which W3C maintains liaisons.

10. Ability to respond to emergent issues in technology innovation and uptake, based on a comprehensive foundation of accessible Web infrastructure.

4. Scope of New WAI-Core Work

Task 1: Review comments on accessibility support in Web standards under development, and develop specifications addressing accessibility gaps

Task 2: Web Accessibility Guidelines and Techniques

Task 3: Educational materials supporting implementation and harmonized uptake of international Web accessibility standards

Task 4: Monthly Reporting

Task 5: Annual Reporting

Task 6: IT Security, Privacy, and Accessibility

INSTRUCTIONS TO INDUSTRY

INTERESTED SOURCES POSSESSING THE CAPABILITIES TO MEET THE ABOVE

REQUIREMENTS SHOULD SUBMIT A COVER LETTER ALONG WITH A

CAPABILITY STATEMENT NOT TO EXCEED 10 PAGES (FONT SIZE TIMES NEW

ROMAN 11 OR LARGER) DEMONSTRATING ABILITY TO PERFORM, AND

SHOULD INCLUDE AN OUTLINE OF PREVIOUS OR SIMILAR PROJECTS SO

THAT THE GOVERNMENT CAN PERFORM A PROPER EVALUATION OF THE

COMPANY’S CAPABILITY. THE STATEMENT SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE AN

INDICATION OF CERTIFIED SMALL BUSINESS STATUS; THIS INDICATION

SHOULD BE CLEARLY MARKED ON THE FIRST PAGE OF THE CAPABILIITY

STATEMENT.

This notice is for planning only. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this evaluation. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).

Interested small business firms are highly encouraged to respond to this notice. However, firms should understand that generic capability statements are not sufficient for effective evaluation of their capacity and capability to perform the work required. Responses must directly demonstrate the company’s capability, experience, and ability to marshal resources to effectively and efficiently perform the objectives described above.

The written response to this notice should consist of the following items:

a. Company Name.

b. Company DUNS number.

c. Company point of contact, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and website address

d. Name, telephone number, and e-mail address of a company point of contact who has the authority and knowledge to clarify responses with government representatives

e. Date submitted.

f. Do you have a Government approved accounting system? If so, please identify the agency that approved the system.

g. Type of Company (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, veteran owned, etc.) as validated via the System for Award Management (SAM). All respondents must register on the SAM located at https://www.sam.gov

Responses must be submitted not later than 1:00pm EST on September 4, 2020. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. The maximum number of pages for submission is ten (10) pages.

As previously stated, the Government will not entertain questions regarding this pre-solicitation;

however, general questions may be forwarded to the following:

Contract Specialist: Frank Barnett Email Address: frank.barnett@psc.hhs.gov mailto:frank.barnett@psc.hhs.gov