HE1AA-IAD-15-0001_-_Section_508_RFI.pdf

U.S. General Services Administration

Office of Governmentwide Policy

Section 508 Accessibility

Request for Information (RFI)

HE1AA-IAD-15-0001

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NO PURCHASE WILL RESULT FROM THIS ACTION.

Section 508 Accessibility 2015

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Background Information

3. Objectives

4. RFI Questionnaire

5. Instructions to Prospective Respondents

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Request for Information

1. Introduction The General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Government-wide Policy (OGP) is seeking information regarding best practices from industry in order to improve the "Accessibility of Federal websites, applications, services, and other forms of Electronic Information Technology (EIT). The Federal Government has a statutory obligation to meet the objectives of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 by ensuring that persons with disabilities have equal access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by persons who are not individuals with disabilities.

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for information and planning purposes, in order to help GSA better understand the range of advanced products, technologies, services, and resources available in the private sector. This does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP). However, the information gathered by GSA will be used to assess opportunities for innovative improvements in the accessibility programs for its electronic services, which may lead to the issuance of one or more RFPs at a later date. Responses to this RFI will not negatively affect a potential respondent’s ability to respond to any RFP that might follow. Please ensure that any sensitive or protected information is marked as such, and the government will ensure this information is not released.

INDUSTRY DAY

GSA is hosting an Industry Day on February 23, 2015 starting at 10:00am EST. This will be an opportunity for you to ask questions about the government's interests and needs in this area. Please RSVP with attendee names by January 23, 2015, to vendordayresponses@gsa.gov. Once received, the location and direction information will be forwarded to you with attendance confirmation. This link will also serve as GSA's point of ongoing communication and dialogue with industry on this subject. If you are not able to attend the event, the results of the dialogue will be posted online for your review at www.section508.gov. Representatives of the media are not invited to this event.

2. Background Information

OVERVIEW

The Federal Government has a statutory obligation to ensure that persons with disabilities have equal access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by persons who are not individuals with disabilities. The General Services Administration’s Office of Government-wide Policy (OGP) is seeking information regarding best practices from industry in order to improve the "Accessibility" of federal websites, applications, services, and other forms of Electronic Information Technology (EIT).

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SECTION 508

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220, August 7, 1998), hereinafter “Section 508,” addresses the accessibility of EIT by persons with disabilities. It requires that any EIT “developed, procured, maintained or used” by the Federal Government be accessible to persons with disabilities, as defined in the Access Board (www.access-board.gov) Standard.

Section 508 implementation assessments have become, and will continue to be, a critical activity for increasing Section 508 awareness and improving agency compliance. The Office of Management and Budget has made agency Section 508 compliance assessment a central point towards strengthening accountability in their “Strategic Plan: Improving Management of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.”

GSA, along with the Access Board, provides technical assistance to Federal departments and agencies and the US Postal Service in the implementation of Section 508. OGP’s Information Resources Management Division manages, coordinates, maintains, and promotes the implementation of Section 508 government-wide. Current tools, activities, and information on prior activities and related programs can be found at www.section508.gov and www.buyaccessible.gov.

PURPOSE OF THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to engage Industry to capture solutions, best practices, and implementation approaches for achieving improvements in the Accessibility of Federal government EIT (electronic content, websites and applications, software, hardware, telecommunications, services, video & multimedia, etc.).

The ultimate goal is to improve the accessibility of EIT, to increase customer satisfaction, worker productivity, and decrease time and effort needed to comply with Federal requirements making sure that persons with disabilities have equal access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by persons who are not individuals with disabilities. This requirement builds upon the existing E-Government frameworks and facilitates a Federal enterprise-wide effort.

Section 508 requires GSA to provide technical assistance to individuals in the public and Federal departments and agencies concerning the “development, procurement, maintenance, and use” of EIT.

Because technology is continually evolving, GSA’s Section 508 programs need to evolve along with it.

GSA must continue to build contemporary programs that will take into account the following:

• EIT functions and features are in a constant state of evolution and change;

• Section 508 standards are being “refreshed,” and some requirements will likely be tied to other evolving standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0); and,

• Frequent changes in government staffing require ongoing education, outreach, and training activities.

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3. Objectives

OBJECTIVES FOR ELECTRONIC & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY

GSA would like to understand how Industry approaches the rapidly changing world of EIT and accessibility. Within its statutory role to provide technical assistance to the Federal Government, GSA aspires to build a strong Federal community that is focused on accessibility. GSA provides support and assistance with the promotion of accessibility through communication, collaboration, and support across other numerous levels, including at the executive level, of the Section 508 stakeholder community through:

• Promoting and providing executive-level awareness and understanding of Section 508 through collaboration and information sharing to support the implementation of Section 508 within all Federal agencies;

• Developing and maintaining a community knowledge base about Section 508, roles and responsibilities, and how Section 508 is implemented in the Federal Government;

• Facilitating community understanding and cooperation by conducting and supporting collaboration meetings and forums, both virtual and face-to-face;

• Providing services to Federal agencies to support compliance assessments through assessment protocols, software, and training;

• Providing a public facing webpage (Section508.gov) for materials from the Chief Information Officers Council Accessibility Community of Practice and numerous other resources for understanding the intent of the law;

• Supporting efforts and community meetings of Section 508 Coordinators to help ensure they can effectively function as ambassadors for Section 508 in their respective agencies;

• Provide procurement support and training to facilitate the continued development of Section 508 compliant solicitations; and,

• Maintaining the www.section508.gov and www.buyaccessible.gov websites which provide valuable information, tools, and resources to Federal departments and agencies.

4. RFI Questionnaire

INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDING TO THE RFI QUESTIONNAIRE

Responses to this RFI may be from multiple perspectives; some examples include, but are not limited to:

(1) improving the efficiency of Federal workers who use EIT every day; (2) average citizens who need to interact with the Federal Government through the use of EIT products and services; (3) disabled persons who need to interact with the Federal Government through the use of EIT products and services; (4) regulated industries who supply the Federal Government with data on a recurring basis; (5) information sharing between Federal, State, Local, and Tribal governments.

The RFI Questionnaire is divided into two sections. It is requested that respondents provide answers for all applicable questions in Section 1.

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RFI QUESTIONNAIRE SECTION 1: RESPONDENT INFORMATION

PLEASE FILL OUT THE SECTIONS THAT APPLY TO YOUR ORGANIZATION

Company/Organization Name:

Type of Products/Services Provided by Company/Organization (IT, consulting, training, development etc.):

Does your company have any special designations (HUB- Zone, 8A, Minority Owned, Woman Owned, SDVO, etc.)?

Are you a GSA schedule(s) holder? If so, which one(s)?

Does your company have Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPAT) for your products or services?

Please identify related Statutes/Regulations beyond Section 508 that impact your organization (e.g., ADA, Telecom Act, ABA, etc.) and explain how you achieve conformance:

RFI QUESTIONNAIRE SECTION 2: ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAMS

Respondents are not expected to answer all questions, as some may not be applicable.

PLEASE ANSWER ALL THAT APPLY

1. Do you have a process/policy in place to ensure that your company’s products and services are conformant with Section 508? If yes, please provide details.

2. Does your company provide Section 508 consulting services? If yes, please describe the services your company provides (i.e. software, web, document remediation, etc.).

3. Does your company provide developmental services? If yes, please provide information on the type of developmental services your company provides (i.e. software, web, or any other developmental services)

4. Does your company provide software, website, or web applications testing and remediation services? If yes, please provide information on the type of services. Describe the testing protocols you use to assess the Section 508 conformance of your products/services.

5. Do you include Section 508 in your development life cycle? If so, please provide best practices you would recommend.

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6. What can GSA, as the designated federal agency in charge of administering Section 508, do better to assist with making sure Section 508 requirements are properly included in federal solicitations?

7. Are there any innovative ideas, products, or service offerings, including any new and emerging technologies, that the Federal Government can leverage to expand awareness, implementation, and conformance with Section 508?

8. What would be your suggestions for collaboration/partnership between government and industry with regard to developing a Section 508 infrastructure?

9. What can GSA do better to ensure Section 508 compliance across the Federal Government?

5. Instructions to Prospective Respondents Provide one electronic copy of your response to vendordayresponses@gsa.gov by 5pm EST on March 6, 2015. It is requested that your e-mail be clearly marked with reference to RFI HE1AA-IAD-15-0001 and include the primary point of contact in your organization. Technical and procedural questions should be referred to Avis Ryan, COR at vendordayresponses@gsa.gov.

E-mail electronic copy to:

Avis Ryan Contracting Officer Representative Office of Government-wide Policy General Services Administration 1800 F Street, NW, Second Floor Washington, DC 20405 vendordayresponses@gsa.gov

Questions regarding any aspect of this RFI should be emailed to vendordayresponses@gsa.gov. RFI responses are requested to follow the below format and provide the following information:

I. COVER LETTER

• The cover letter must include the following information:

• Company/Organization name,

• Company/Organization point of contact with a contact number,

• Date submitted, and

• Company GSA FSS Information Technology or other schedule number, if applicable.

II. RFI QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSE

Respondents are requested to respond to the provided Question/Answer format for each question in the RFI Questionnaire section. The government recognizes that some potential responders may only have information pertaining to a portion of this RFI’s goals; however this “best of breed” information may still be of significant value to the goals of the RFI. Therefore, the government does not discourage

7 Section 508 - RFI | HE1AA-IAD-15-0001 mailto:vendordayresponses@gsa.gov partial responses. There are no page limits to your response; however, you are requested to provide any additional materials, including marketing and reference material, as appendices.

III. SECTION 508 CONFORMANCE

Responses to this RFI must be in an accessible electronic format (i.e., accessible MS Word or PDF).

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