What is a VPAT?
VPAT is an acronym for Voluntary Product Accessibility Template. This template was created by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) in partnership with the U.S. procurement office, known as the General Services Administration (GSA).
The VPAT was designed to allow vendors of information and communication technology (ICT) products and services to provide information to government agencies and ICT buyers.
This information details the level of compliance with technical specifications, functional performance, documentation, and support requirements of existing accessibility standards or guidelines. These include Section 508 standards, Europe and Australia’s EN 301 549 accessibility standards, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
A well-completed VPAT document helps procurement officials make preliminary assessments when conducting market research for accessible ICT products and services. Vendors are typically asked to supply a VPAT by procurement officials, and these documents serve as the de facto standard for communicating the compliance of their products or services with established accessibility standards.
Challenges procurement officials find with VPATs
Numerous reports from officials involved in ICT product and service procurement indicate that many vendor VPATs are often a subject of ridicule. This is because they frequently contain useless information, ranging from inept to astonishingly inaccurate content.
As a standard format document, the VPAT aims to provide a level playing field for ICT product or service vendors to offer high-level information about the accessibility of their offerings.
Despite being primarily a list of conformance checks against accessibility requirements with spaces for author comments, vendors still make significant errors. The poor quality of these VPATs often undermines their authors' intent to persuade procurement officials to consider their products or services.
Some business owners blame procurement officials for not considering their products, even when their own VPATs appear to have been filled out carelessly or by someone unfamiliar with the requirements. This often leads to them missing out on key issues procurement officials seek.
Research into successful VPAT submissions suggests that many poorly completed VPAT documents are filled out by marketing department personnel. The language used often lacks knowledge of accessibility laws and dynamics, failing to impress informed procurement officials.
Why it helps to engage a VPAT consultant to fill out your VPAT document
To ensure their VPAT reports are taken seriously in procurement offices, many businesses are now securing the services of skilled third-party professionals to complete VPAT documents for their ICT products and services.
Businesses and organizations engage trusted VPAT consultants for several key reasons:
- Preparing a robust VPAT report demands in-depth knowledge of current accessibility standards, guidelines, and emerging trends. Filling out VPAT documents internally or assigning the task to an inexperienced individual can result in shoddy or inaccurate reports, potentially harming your company’s reputation within the procurement community.
- Completing a VPAT document requires a thorough review of underlying data and information. The person responsible for your VPAT must understand the accessibility requirements for the product or service. This involves a comprehensive analysis of all product features in light of user needs.
- Professional consultants provide objective and unbiased information. VPATs not completed by third-party consultants often include dishonest disclosures, which can lead to serious problems for businesses. A professional VPAT consultant will be transparent about any flaws in your product or service and will provide clear explanations and comments.
Hire a third-party VPAT consultant to avoid VPAT-related problems
If you aim to ensure a smooth purchase process for your ICT products or services, an independent third-party VPAT consultant can help you create a clear, complete, and informative VPAT report.
Procurement processes are already complex; do not add unnecessary challenges with an incomplete, inaccurate, or uninformative VPAT report. To effectively complete projects with experienced ICT manufacturers and vendors, make sure your products or services are not excluded from procurement shortlists due to a substandard VPAT report.
Your best strategy is to hire a skilled VPAT consultant to manage the entire VPAT compliance process for you.
Tips for getting a good VPAT consultant
Just as internal staff filling out VPAT documents can lead to poor reports, hiring the wrong VPAT consultant can have similar negative outcomes.
At ADACP, we've encountered many businesses that initially tried to save money by hiring low-cost service providers for their VPAT compliance. Many of these projects are abandoned midway due to consultants lacking the necessary capacity.
While we are always ready to assist businesses at any stage of their VPAT compliance journey, choosing the right VPAT consultant from the outset is ideal. Here are some tips for securing a qualified VPAT consultant:
- Choose a consultant with a broad understanding of the most current practices and strategies in VPAT compliance. Such a consultant can share this knowledge with your organization, helping you stay current on VPAT accessibility issues and maintain compliance.
- Hire a consultant who is unbiased and removed from internal business or organizational politics. You can assess potential consultants by checking references or reading reviews from their past clients.
- Ensure the consultant is knowledgeable about accessibility issues generally and VPAT compliance specifically.
- Select consultants who complete their work responsibly. The best consultants are those who thoroughly understand the purpose and rationale behind their recommendations and are willing to help implement them.
Need help finding a good VPAT accessibility consultant?
Regardless of your current stage in VPAT accessibility, ADACP offers comprehensive support, including VPAT testing, VPAT consulting, and other services to ensure your compliance.
Contact Our VPAT Consultant Today to discover how we can help your business or organization succeed with clear, accurate, and informative VPAT reports for your products and services. Our consultations are always free!