TIRNO12R00017-A0001.rtf

OMB Control No. 1505-0081

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

PAGE OF PAGES

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.

5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable) See Block 16C

J-2-J8-01-PA-A00 000

6. ISSUED BY

CODE

IRS0088

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)

CODE

Internal Revenue Service 6009 Oxon Hill Road, Suite 500

Oxon Hill, MD 20745

HENDRIX, NICOLE M 202-283-2193

See Item 6

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No. Street, county, State and ZIP: Code)

Vendor ID: 00055905

TO ALL OFFERORS

TO ALL OFFERORS

TO ALL OFFERORS, WV 99999

(x)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

TIRNO-12-R-00017

x

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

06/25/2012

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

CODE

FACILITY CODE

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

X X

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers is extended, is not extended.

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning ___5__ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATA SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and data specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

(x) A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return ____ copies to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

Attached are the Responses to Vendor Questions and ATTACMENT C - TIRNO-12-R-00017 - Voluntary Product Accessibility Template.

Please note the new due date for proposals is Thursday, July 12, 2012 at 12:00pm Eastern Standard Time.

See SF30 Continuation Sheet

Except at provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print) 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

15C. DATE SIGNED

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

BY _____________________________________________

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

TIRNO-12-R-00017 AMEND# 0001

SF30 CONTINUATION SHEET

E-LEARNING ACCOUNTING AND TAX LAW TRAINING

SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION TIRNO-12-R-00017

VENDOR QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES

PLEASE NOTE: SIMILAR VENDOR QUESTIONS WERE PARAPHRASED INTO ONE CONCISE QUESTION TO ENSURE CONSISTENT RESPONSES.

1. Does the vendor have the option to offer additional related CPE self-study courses that meet IRS employees’ professional development and continuing education requirements?

RESPONSE: Yes, include as an appendix to the Technical Proposal and the Price/Cost Proposal.

2. Would it be of value to the IRS for courses under development or revision, available after the contract start date, to be included in the vendor response with the date of availability?

RESPONSE: Yes

3. Is the Minimum Guaranteed Task Order Amount for this Contract $90,000 in each year of the contract or over five years?

RESPONSE: The Minimum Guaranteed Task Order Amount of $90,000.00 is over five years.

4. Due to the 4th of July Holiday and the short timeframe available in order to develop an efficient, customized ordering system to meet the RFP requirements, can the contract start date be extended?

RESPONSE: The Proposal due date has changed. Proposals are now due by 12:00pm on Thursday, July 12.

5. The sample module descriptions cover a very specific mix of courses some of which appear to be significantly dated. Is the IRS intention to request a proposal for these specific titles and training on these earlier law changes, or rather should the request be interpreted as these modules are merely representative of the type of coverage with the expectation that they would address more recent changes in tax law as well?

RESPONSE: The sample module listing is a representation of the type of courses requested in the past; the IRS is seeking updated courses.

6. If past performance references were previously submitted in February 2012 as part of the sources sought notice for this solicitation, is it necessary to submit them again as part of this RFP response? If so, can the same references submitted for the February sources sought response be used again?

RESPONSE: Yes and ensure that your references/vendors use the questionnaires with the current solicitation number.

7. Can you please provide guidance on the best format for submitting multiple offers for commercial items?

RESPONSE: Multiple awards would only be made in the event there is only one company proposing to quote on tax law and accounting, and another company who chooses to quote on CPA only. There will not be multiple awards for the same item. One vendor is allowed to propose on all line items and can be awarded the entire package if it is the best value to the government.

8. Would a multiple offer pursuant to this clause need to be counted as part of the overall 150 page proposal limitation?

RESPONSE: Yes

9. Can you please provide more details on what is meant by “off-line ordering capabilities”?

RESPONSE: “Off-line ordering capabilities” refers to the ability for IRS learners to place course requests with their coordinator via phone or fax.

10. The Solicitation indicates that the CPA Review must be in a CD and DVD – would other formats such as online and/or flash drive be acceptable alternatives for this purpose?

RESPONSE: Yes.

11. Please define what you mean by downloadable format as it relates to online courseware? More specifically, what functionality is expected to be available offline?

RESPONSE: Downloadable format refers to the ability for the learner to download a course to their personal and or government computer so they can complete the course offline (take the course on their personal computer while not being connected to the internet). When the downloaded course is completed, the learner should be able to load it back up to the vendor’s platform to record completion. We do understand that IRS firewalls may prevent the content from being downloaded to a government computer.

12. Can you please provide us with the anticipated number of support calls expected between the hours of 7PM and 9 PM Eastern Standard Time?

RESPONSE: We are unable to provide you with an anticipated number of support calls between 7PM and 9PM EST. The IRS has employees located in all time zones so the need for expanded support hours is to cover our employees on Mountain Standard Time and Pacific Standard Time.

13. Can you please provide more details on what is meant by “employee reminders or alerts” in the context of usage reports?

RESPONSE: An “employee reminder or alert” would be the ability to send a reminder to an employee, via email, when a course reaches a certain aging (say, the course was approved six months ago and it hasn’t been completed or courses that are about to expire if not completed within the established time frame). In order to avoid, as much as possible, employees failing to complete courses that the IRS has paid for, the ability for the system to keep the coordinators abreast of course aging, or for the system to send alerts directly to employees via email, would be helpful in managing our spending.

14. Would it be sufficient to provide spending and current balance reports by operating division and training coordinator on a monthly basis?

RESPONSE: The solicitation states “Provide the ability to generate automated real-time management reports”. The expectation is that the operating divisions and training coordinators have the ability to generate spending and current balance reports at any time.

15. Are the course survey and the customer survey required to be in the same evaluation template?

RESPONSE: No they are not required to be on the same template.

16. Would learners using a CD or download course format (i. e. offline attendance formats) be expected to use an online evaluation survey?

RESPONSE: In the case of learners using a CD, it is my understanding that we request all training modules to be available in CD to accommodate those employees who choose not to conduct training online. IRS has an obligation to meet their request. In such a case, it would not be appropriate to ask the learner to complete an online evaluation survey. In the case of learners using a download course format, it would be appropriate to have them complete an evaluation survey online.

17. Will the new workstation be 32-bit or 64-bit encryption?

RESPONSE: The IRS workstations may be either 32-bit or 64-bit, not all IRS personnel have the same computers or receive system refresh at the same time.

18. Are these two requirements related? In other words, it is required that all CPE modules provided to the IRS include the branding statement “Continuing Professional Education for IRS Training,” or is such branding limited to courses dealing with technology improvements only?

RESPONSE: All CPE modules should include the branding statement.

19. If such branding statement is required on all courses, is it acceptable to include the branding statement solely on the landing page that IRS employees use to access the course module for launch?

RESPONSE: It is acceptable to include the branding statement solely on the landing page.

20. Can you clarify the media options that are expected for course modules?

RESPONSE: As stated earlier in the SOW, the media options expected are CD, DVD, online and downloadable formats. Additionally we also indicated in the response to question 2, a flash-drive option is also acceptable.

21. Can you clarify what is meant by “Ethics”, versus “Behavioral Ethics” or “Regulatory Ethics”? And whether separate course modules are needed for each or whether they can be addressed in one module completely on a state by state basis?

RESPONSE: The IRS has a need to offer the state-by-state ethics courses required for completion on a periodic basis by all State Boards of Accountancy or State Professional Licensing Boards (depending on the responsible licensing authority within the various states) for CPAs to maintain their licenses. A separate course module on a state-by-state basis is needed for these “Ethics” courses. The various “Ethics” courses are only there to ensure there are a broad range of courses provided to meet the individual state requirements.

22. Please clarify IRS expectations around the approval process as it relates to online ordering – specifically addressing in what circumstances a second level of approval would be expected to be required.

RESPONSE: The second level approver would serve as an additional check to ensure that only authorized courses are being ordered and to help with the tracking of expenditures.

23. The solicitation states that there is a requirement to design and develop specialized tax modules to meet Business Segment Specialization needs independently of the list described in Section I. Can you clarify what IRS expectations are with respect to the number and nature of any additional course modules required under this section?

RESPONSE: It is difficult to provide a number and nature of specialized courses that may required. Industry changes, potential tax law changes and the availability of a variety of course offerings will be factors in determining the need for specialized tax modules. In the past we have had over 20 customized courses developed in a year.

24. How many IRS users are projected to be using the system annually over the course of the contract period? How many course registrations are projected?

RESPONSE: Potential registration could be the same as potential users/employees that may use the contract during the contract lifespan (5years). There could potentially be a range of 250 - 800 a year.

25. Does the vendor need to provide pricing information for each Credit Hour of CPE Item Number listed in the Solicitation?

RESPONSE: Please provide pricing information for each Credit Hour of CPE Item Numbers for the Base Year and four Option Years listed in the Solicitation that represents your course offering. (i.e. What is the cost for 1 Credit Hour of CPE, 2 Credit Hours of CPE, 3 Credit Hour of CPE, etc.).

Each Item Number should reflect the cost of a course offering (e.g. an Alternative Minimum Tax course might equal 8 Credit Hours; therefore, what would be the cost for the 8 hours of credit?).

If a line item number does not apply to one of your course offerings, leave it blank.

26. Was “Section J, Attachment” on page 36 of the Solicitation (Section II.9 IR1052.239-9008 Section 508 – Information, Documentation and Support (Sep 2006), Lines 8-9) omitted in error?

RESPONSE: Yes, the Attachment (C) was omitted in error, but “Section J” does not exist. Attachment C - TIRNO-12-R-00017 Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, must be completed by the vendor, but it will not count towards your proposal’s 150 page limit. (Attached separately)

TIRNO-12-R-00017 AMEND# 0001

Page -

ATTACHMENT C

VPAT™

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® Version 1.3 The purpose of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT™, is to assist Federal contracting officials and other buyers in making preliminary assessments regarding the availability of commercial “Electronic and Information Technology” products and services with features that support accessibility. It is assumed and recommended that offerers will provide additional contact information to facilitate more detailed inquiries.

The first table of the Template provides a summary view of the Section 508 Standards. The subsequent tables provide more detailed views of each subsection. There are three columns in each table. Column one of the Summary Table describes the subsections of subparts B and C of the Standards. The second column describes the supporting features of the product or refers you to the corresponding detailed table, e.g., “equivalent facilitation." The third column contains any additional remarks and explanations regarding the product. In the subsequent tables, the first column contains the lettered paragraphs of the subsections. The second column describes the supporting features of the product with regard to that paragraph. The third column contains any additional remarks and explanations regarding the product.

file_0.wmf

Date:

Name of Product:

Contact for more Information (name/phone/email):

Summary Table

VPAT™

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® Criteria Supporting Features Remarks and explanations Section 1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems

Section 1194.22 Web-based Internet Information and Applications

Section 1194.23 Telecommunications Products

Section 1194.24 Video and Multi-media Products

Section 1194.25 Self-Contained, Closed Products

Section 1194.26 Desktop and Portable Computers

Section 1194.31 Functional Performance Criteria

Section 1194.41 Information, Documentation and Support

Section 1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems – Detail

VPAT™

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® Criteria Supporting Features

(a) When software is designed to run on a system that has a keyboard, product functions shall be executable from a keyboard where the function itself or the result of performing a function can be discerned textually.

(b) Applications shall not disrupt or disable activated features of other products that are identified as accessibility features, where those features are developed and documented according to industry standards. Applications also shall not disrupt or disable activated features of any operating system that are identified as accessibility features where the application programming interface for those accessibility features has been documented by the manufacturer of the operating system and is available to the product developer.

(c) A well-defined on-screen indication of the current focus shall be provided that moves among interactive interface elements as the input focus changes. The focus shall be programmatically exposed so that Assistive Technology can track focus and focus changes.

(d) Sufficient information about a user interface element including the identity, operation and state of the element shall be available to Assistive Technology. When an image represents a program element, the information conveyed by the image must also be available in text.

(e) When bitmap images are used to identify controls, status indicators, or other programmatic elements, the meaning assigned to those images shall be consistent throughout an application's performance.

(f) Textual information shall be provided through operating system functions for displaying text. The minimum information that shall be made available is text content, text input caret location, and text attributes.

(g) Applications shall not override user selected contrast and color selections and other individual display attributes.

(h) When animation is displayed, the information shall be displayable in at least one non-animated presentation mode at the option of the user.

(i) Color coding shall not be used as the only means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.

(j) When a product permits a user to adjust color and contrast settings, a variety of color selections capable of producing a range of contrast levels shall be provided.

(k) Software shall not use flashing or blinking text, objects, or other elements having a flash or blink frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.

(l) When electronic forms are used, the form shall allow people using Assistive Technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.

Section 1194.22 Web-based Internet information and applications – Detail

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® Criteria Supporting Features

(a) A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content).

(b) Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation.

(c) Web pages shall be designed so that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.

(d) Documents shall be organized so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet.

(e) Redundant text links shall be provided for each active region of a server-side image map.

(f) Client-side image maps shall be provided instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.

(g) Row and column headers shall be identified for data tables.

(h) Markup shall be used to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers.

(i) Frames shall be titled with text that facilitates frame identification and navigation

(j) Pages shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.

(k) A text-only page, with equivalent information or functionality, shall be provided to make a web site comply with the provisions of this part, when compliance cannot be accomplished in any other way. The content of the text-only page shall be updated whenever the primary page changes.

(l) When pages utilize scripting languages to display content, or to create interface elements, the information provided by the script shall be identified with functional text that can be read by Assistive Technology.

(m) When a web page requires that an applet, plug-in or other application be present on the client system to interpret page content, the page must provide a link to a plug-in or applet that complies with §1194.21(a) through (l).

(n) When electronic forms are designed to be completed on-line, the form shall allow people using Assistive Technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.

(o) A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.

(p) When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required.

Note to 1194.22: The Board interprets paragraphs (a) through (k) of this section as consistent with the following priority 1 Checkpoints of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0) (May 5 1999) published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium: Paragraph (a) - 1.1, (b) - 1.4, (c) - 2.1, (d) - 6.1, (e) - 1.2, (f) - 9.1, (g) - 5.1, (h) - 5.2, (i) - 12.1, (j) - 7.1, (k) - 11.4.

Section 1194.23 Telecommunications Products – Detail

VPAT™

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® Criteria Supporting Features

(a) Telecommunications products or systems which provide a function allowing voice communication and which do not themselves provide a TTY functionality shall provide a standard non-acoustic connection point for TTYs. Microphones shall be capable of being turned on and off to allow the user to intermix speech with TTY use.

(b) Telecommunications products which include voice communication functionality shall support all commonly used cross-manufacturer non-proprietary standard TTY signal protocols.

(c) Voice mail, auto-attendant, and interactive voice response telecommunications systems shall be usable by TTY users with their TTYs.

(d) Voice mail, messaging, auto-attendant, and interactive voice response telecommunications systems that require a response from a user within a time interval, shall give an alert when the time interval is about to run out, and shall provide sufficient time for the user to indicate more time is required.

(e) Where provided, caller identification and similar telecommunications functions shall also be available for users of TTYs, and for users who cannot see displays.

(f) For transmitted voice signals, telecommunications products shall provide a gain adjustable up to a minimum of 20 dB. For incremental volume control, at least one intermediate step of 12 dB of gain shall be provided.

(g) If the telecommunications product allows a user to adjust the receive volume, a function shall be provided to automatically reset the volume to the default level after every use.

(h) Where a telecommunications product delivers output by an audio transducer which is normally held up to the ear, a means for effective magnetic wireless coupling to hearing technologies shall be provided.

(i) Interference to hearing technologies (including hearing aids, cochlear implants, and assistive listening devices) shall be reduced to the lowest possible level that allows a user of hearing technologies to utilize the telecommunications product.

(j) Products that transmit or conduct information or communication, shall pass through cross-manufacturer, non-proprietary, industry-standard codes, translation protocols, formats or other information necessary to provide the information or communication in a usable format. Technologies which use encoding, signal compression, format transformation, or similar techniques shall not remove information needed for access or shall restore it upon delivery.

(k)(1) Products which have mechanically operated controls or keys shall comply with the following: Controls and Keys shall be tactilely discernible without activating the controls or keys.

(k)(2) Products which have mechanically operated controls or keys shall comply with the following: Controls and Keys shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching, twisting of the wrist. The force required to activate controls and keys shall be 5 lbs. (22.2N) maximum.

(k)(3) Products which have mechanically operated controls or keys shall comply with the following: If key repeat is supported, the delay before repeat shall be adjustable to at least 2 seconds. Key repeat rate shall be adjustable to 2 seconds per character.

(k)(4) Products which have mechanically operated controls or keys shall comply with the following: The status of all locking or toggle controls or keys shall be visually discernible, and discernible either through touch or sound.

Section 1194.24 Video and Multi-media Products – Detail

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® Criteria Supporting Features

a) All analog television displays 13 inches and larger, and computer equipment that includes analog television receiver or display circuitry, shall be equipped with caption decoder circuitry which appropriately receives, decodes, and displays closed captions from broadcast, cable, videotape, and DVD signals. As soon as practicable, but not later than July 1, 2002, widescreen digital television (DTV) displays measuring at least 7.8 inches vertically, DTV sets with conventional displays measuring at least 13 inches vertically, and stand-alone DTV tuners, whether or not they are marketed with display screens, and computer equipment that includes DTV receiver or display circuitry, shall be equipped with caption decoder circuitry which appropriately receives, decodes, and displays closed captions from broadcast, cable, videotape, and DVD signals.

(b) Television tuners, including tuner cards for use in computers, shall be equipped with secondary audio program playback circuitry.

(c) All training and informational video and multimedia productions which support the agency's mission, regardless of format, that contain speech or other audio information necessary for the comprehension of the content, shall be open or closed captioned.

(d) All training and informational video and multimedia productions which support the agency's mission, regardless of format, that contain visual information necessary for the comprehension of the content, shall be audio described.

(e) Display or presentation of alternate text presentation or audio descriptions shall be user-selectable unless permanent.

Section 1194.25 Self-Contained, Closed Products – Detail

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® Criteria Supporting Features

(a) Self contained products shall be usable by people with disabilities without requiring an end-user to attach Assistive Technology to the product. Personal headsets for private listening are not Assistive Technology.

(b) When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required.

(c) Where a product utilizes touchscreens or contact-sensitive controls, an input method shall be provided that complies with §1194.23 (k) (1) through (4).

(d) When biometric forms of user identification or control are used, an alternative form of identification or activation, which does not require the user to possess particular biological characteristics, shall also be provided.

(e) When products provide auditory output, the audio signal shall be provided at a standard signal level through an industry standard connector that will allow for private listening. The product must provide the ability to interrupt, pause, and restart the audio at anytime.

(f) When products deliver voice output in a public area, incremental volume control shall be provided with output amplification up to a level of at least 65 dB. Where the ambient noise level of the environment is above 45 dB, a volume gain of at least 20 dB above the ambient level shall be user selectable. A function shall be provided to automatically reset the volume to the default level after every use.

(g) Color coding shall not be used as the only means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.

(h) When a product permits a user to adjust color and contrast settings, a range of color selections capable of producing a variety of contrast levels shall be provided.

(i) Products shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.

(j) (1) Products which are freestanding, non-portable, and intended to be used in one location and which have operable controls shall comply with the following: The position of any operable control shall be determined with respect to a vertical plane, which is 48 inches in length, centered on the operable control, and at the maximum protrusion of the product within the 48 inch length on products which are freestanding, non-portable, and intended to be used in one location and which have operable controls.

(j)(2) Products which are freestanding, non-portable, and intended to be used in one location and which have operable controls shall comply with the following: Where any operable control is 10 inches or less behind the reference plane, the height shall be 54 inches maximum and 15 inches minimum above the floor.

(j)(3) Products which are freestanding, non-portable, and intended to be used in one location and which have operable controls shall comply with the following: Where any operable control is more than 10 inches and not more than 24 inches behind the reference plane, the height shall be 46 inches maximum and 15 inches minimum above the floor.

(j)(4) Products which are freestanding, non-portable, and intended to be used in one location and which have operable controls shall comply with the following: Operable controls shall not be more than 24 inches behind the reference plane.

Section 1194.26 Desktop and Portable Computers – Detail

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® Criteria Supporting Features

(a) All mechanically operated controls and keys shall comply with §1194.23 (k) (1) through (4).

(b) If a product utilizes touchscreens or touch-operated controls, an input method shall be provided that complies with §1194.23 (k) (1) through (4).

(c) When biometric forms of user identification or control are used, an alternative form of identification or activation, which does not require the user to possess particular biological characteristics, shall also be provided.

(d) Where provided, at least one of each type of expansion slots, ports and connectors shall comply with publicly available industry standards

Section 1194.31 Functional Performance Criteria – Detail

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® Criteria Supporting Features

(a) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require user vision shall be provided, or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are blind or visually impaired shall be provided.

(b) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require visual acuity greater than 20/70 shall be provided in audio and enlarged print output working together or independently, or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are visually impaired shall be provided.

(c) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require user hearing shall be provided, or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are deaf or hard of hearing shall be provided

(d) Where audio information is important for the use of a product, at least one mode of operation and information retrieval shall be provided in an enhanced auditory fashion, or support for assistive hearing devices shall be provided.

(e) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require user speech shall be provided, or support for Assistive Technology used by people with disabilities shall be provided.

(f) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require fine motor control or simultaneous actions and that is operable with limited reach and strength shall be provided.

Section 1194.41 Information, Documentation and Support – Detail

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® Criteria Supporting Features

(a) Product support documentation provided to end-users shall be made available in alternate formats upon request, at no additional charge

(b) End-users shall have access to a description of the accessibility and compatibility features of products in alternate formats or alternate methods upon request, at no additional charge.

(c) Support services for products shall accommodate the communication needs of end-users with disabilities.