Procurement and Acquisition
What is included?
These requirements apply to any software or electronic and information technology (EIT) that is:
- purchased, donated, or free;
- used by students, faculty, or staff;
- installed on a device, cloud-based, or accessed online;
- equipment with a software interface; and/or
- audio/video systems or services used for instruction or communication.
All third-party products are subject to this review process.
Before You Purchase, Renew, Accept, or Adopt Software
All EIT (third-party) acquistions or renewals must undergo an accessibility review before contracts are signed or licenses activated—regardless of cost or procurement method.
This includes acquisition outside of IT or purchasing channels.
The goal is to ensure compliance with federal accessibility standards and to identify any risks or steps needed to ensure usability by all users.
Accessibility Review Process
- Software Inventory and Usage Information form submission
- vendor outreach
- accessibility evaluation
- additional review (if needed)
- final consideration
Carefully read the full details of the process below. Planning ahead is essential! Software that cannot meet accessibility standards may require additional time for review or resolution. Early engagement helps departments remain part of the conversation and identify workable next steps.
Accessibility Review Process
The goal of this review process is to ensure compliance with federal, state, and SUNY accessibility standards and to identify any risks or steps needed to ensure usability by all users.
Complete the Software Inventory Form to provide basic product information, including how your department will use it. This helps us assess potential risk and determine the appropriate review process.
Your third-party product will be assigned a high, medium, or low risk level based on this form review.
Our team will contact the vendor to request a current Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR), a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), and any related accessibility documentation.
You may also share the EITA Vendor Questionnaire directly with your vendor after submitting the Software Inventory Form.
The EITA team will review the vendor’s accessibility documentation using WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.
The intial review may require:
- additional usage or access details
- updated or more complete documentation from the vendor
- additional testing
- accessibility training for users
- re-review at a later date
If a third-party product does not fully meet accessibility standards, further review may include:
- a vendor remediation plan or accessibility roadmap
- identification of feasible alternatives or solutions
- additional evaluation steps depending on the product’s usage, accessibility impact, and legal risk to the institution
No EIT third-party product—whether a new purchase or a renewal—may proceed until an accessibility review is completed and any follow-up steps are clearly documented and agreed upon by the relevant stakeholders.
Planning ahead is essential. Software that cannot meet accessibility standards may require additional time for review or resolution. Early engagement helps you remain part of the conversation to identify workable next steps.
Contract & Renewal Requirements
New Contract
All new EIT-related contracts and purchases must complete the review process.
Renewals
All renewals must be reviewed if the product has never been reviewed against the WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, or if there are changes in users, use case, or product features that may affect accessibility.
Best Practices When Considering Software
Before selecting a vendor, ask:
- What accessibility standards does your product meet (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA)?
- Can you provide a current VPAT (verison 2.5 or newer)?
- How do you test for accessibility - including testing with users with disabilities?
- Do you have a published accessibility roadmap?
- Who is your point of contact for accessibility?
Need Help?
If you’re unsure whether your planned purchase needs review or if you’re in the early stages of exploring tools, reach out to the EITA team for support at [email protected].