RFP Questions - Service

Approach

RFP Statement

How do you ensure that your work is accessible to all users?

Requirement Purpose

This is a general question before we get into specifics.

Expected Responses

  • A basic response would say that accessibility is a core part of their values and state that have experience working on projects where accessibility was a requirement.
  • A better response would mention specific standards, such as WCAG 2.1, members of the team with accessibility knowledge and specific testing that they undertake to ensure accessibility.
  • An excellent response would mention user testing with diverse groups.

Planning

RFP Statement

At what stages in the design process do you think that accessibility is relevant?


Requirement Purpose

There is a tendency to leave accessibility until the end of the project. Considering accessibility early, when project members have more time on their hands, will help avoid a last minute panic.

Expected Responses

  • A good response would mention two of the following project phases: planning, design, build and testing.
  • An excellent response would identify more than two phases. See Getting Accessibility Advice.

Knowledge

RFP Statement

What are the most common accessibility issues that you encounter?

Requirement Purpose

We want to find out if the vendor knows just the basics, like color contrast and alt text, or has experience with a wide range of accessibility issues.

Expected Responses

  • A basic response would mention colour contrast and alt text.
  • A better response would refer to things like keyboard accessibility, form labels, semantic structures (headings, lists, tables) and video captions.
  • An excellent response would talk about providing content in multiple formats and considering the needs of multiple user groups: vision impairment, hearing, mobility, cognitive, older users and users with English as a second language.

Tools

RFP Statement

What types of accessibility checks and/or tools that you would use to ensure that a design component is accessible?

Requirement Purpose

People sometimes rely on tools like Google Lighthouse, without realizing the limits of automated testing.

Expected Responses

  • A good response would mention contrast checkers and browser plugins.
  • An excellent response would mention checklists, automation, style guides and user testing.

Experience

RFP Statement

Have you previously worked on projects that had accessibility as a requirement?

Requirement Purpose

Addressing accessibility issues takes time and educates developers. Vendors who have worked on projects, where accessibility was a core component, don't forget about their experiences.

Expected Responses

  • A good response would include links to websites of non-profit organisations that service users with diverse needs.
  • A better response would provide examples of government web sites.
  • An excellent response would mention independent audits by accessibility professionals and user feedback.

Issue Management

RFP Statement

What is your process for addressing accessibility issues once they have been raised by the client?

Requirement Purpose

We want to see that accessibility issues are logged, tracked and resolved, like other defects.

Expected Responses

  • A good response would mention documenting issues and assigning them members of the project team.
  • A better response would include the use of bug tracking software, such as Jira, and managing tickets via sprints.