Section 508 Questions for Potential Contractors KF.docx

Background: ACF Tech is seeking for Contractors to assist with the maturity of the Section 508 Program. The purpose for this questionnaire is to determine your level of accessibility knowledge when performing services for the government.

RFI Questions:

What is the name of your organization?

Please explain how much experience you have with working with working with the Federal Government, specifically people with disabilities.

What type of automated accessibility testing tools do you use?

Do you use automated accessibility testing tools when analyzing web content, custom and COTs applications, Microsoft Office files, PDF Files, etc. Please explain?

If the answer is yes to the question above, how much experience does the average tester have with using these tools? Please explain, e.g., 1-Year, 3-Years etc.

Since automated accessibility testing tools only capture a percentage of accessibility, do you also conduct manual testing to ensure content is conforming to WCAG criteria?

If the answer is yes to the question above, are persons with disabilities involved in the testing process? If so, to what degree, please explain?

What manual tools do you use? JAWS, NVDA, Dragon Naturally Speaking, etc. Please provide a list of tools employed for manual testing.

If when scanning a web page for accessibility, it is determined that it’s compliant and remediation is necessary, how would you communicate the issues and defects to the Government? Please explain, e.g., meeting with the Government and providing recommendations for remediation, scanning the product, and providing the accessibility checklist, etc.

Can you please share any information with ACF Tech related to Section 508 you’d like us to know?

Would you be willing to share small samples of files you remediated for accessibility?

Do you have any questions for ACF Tech?

The requirement as currently written focuses on 508 testing and remediation, however, the Government is considering expanding the scope, to include evaluating VPATs and Section 508 Training development. The questions below relate to this future scope.

The Government doesn’t necessarily have the expertise to properly evaluate vendor-supplied Volunteer Product Accessibility Template (VPATs), do you have the knowledge and experience to analyze VPATS and direct the Governments attention to possible problem areas? And to evaluate multiple VPATS to help the Government determine which product best meets 508 requirements? Please elaborate.

Since ACF Tech is continuously maturing its Section 508 program and training is a major component of ensuring stakeholders are aware of Section 508, have you ever developed Section 508 training or conducted Section 508 training?

If the answer is yes to the question above, please explain, e.g., general awareness Section 508 training Role-Based training, etc.

What is your socio-economic status?

Vendors are to include a Rough Order of Magnitude to their RFI responses:

To help us better understand potential solutions and associated costs, we kindly ask that you include a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimate in your response. The government is particularly interested in your expertise and insights, which will greatly inform our decision-making process. The ROM should provide a cost estimate based on your understanding of the project requirements and scope as outlined in the RFI.

Please ensure that your ROM includes:

1. A breakdown of major cost components.

2. Assumptions and constraints that inform your estimate.

3. Any relevant details that support the cost estimation.