Description
This section addresses accessibility in the purchasing process, for both physical and digital assets, as well as accessibility requirements for outside vendors.
Recommendations
| Familiarize employees responsible for purchasing/procurement with the UCOP InformationTechnology Accessibility Policy and the process for confirming accessibility of IT before purchase, and requesting exceptions if needed. | |
| Where applicable, develop practices to ensure that, before a decision is made to purchase new hardware, software, equipment and/or furniture, it is reviewed to ensure the equipment or products are accessible to users with disabilities. | |
| Create a practice of reviewing all contracts to ensure that they have language in place holding contractors and vendors to applicable State and Federal disability civil rights mandates. | |
| Review how your unit - or the unit which handles purchasing on your behalf - ensures that: all public documents related to bidding and contracting are available to persons with disabilities in alternative formats; and all meetings related to bidding and contracting are held in accessible locations. |
Training
Leads should take the training themselves, then assign it to those employees in their unit for whom they believe it is relevant. Assigning to all employees is recommended. Any processes, procedures or protocols recommended for development in the training should be created.
Recommended Resources
- Purchase Accessible Technology(link is external) at UC Berkeley.
- UC Accessibility Requirements : Supply Chain Management(link is external).
- UC Electronic Accessibility Standards and Best Practices(link is external)
- UC Electronic Accessibility Prioritization Guide(link is external)
- UC Berkeley specific campus guidelines (including an accessibility requirements questionnaire for vendors(link is external)).Buy Accessible Products and Services | Section508.gov(link is external)
- Temple University’s guide to accessible purchasing(link is external)
- Procurement and Purchasing for Accessibility Conformance | Office of Accessibility Resources | University of Nevada, Las Vegas(link is external)
- Indiana University’s Accessibility questions to ask current or potential vendors