If your unit is purchasing, licensing, or renewing any software, application, or digital tool, accessibility has to be checked before the purchase, not fixed afterward.

UCLA’s compliance date for digital accessibility is April 26, 2027, and an unreviewed purchase creates risk for your unit.

Before Requesting a Demo or Sending an RFP

• Use UCOP's Procurement Accessibility Questionnaire to build accessibility requirements into your RFP or vendor request from the start.
• Use UCOP’s Supplier Demo Guide to structure a vendor demo so you actually see how the product performs with a screen reader, keyboard-only navigation, and captioning — not just a sales walkthrough.

The UCLA Purchasing Triage Process

Accessibility review is built into UCLA's purchasing triage process alongside security and privacy. All technology purchases must go through the GRC Triage Form before procurement. There is no separate accessibility form: accessibility questions are part of the standard triage submission.

Plan ahead. The review process takes a minimum of 6–8 weeks. Twelve weeks is the recommended lead time. Submitting late is the most common cause of delays and the most common reason departments end up locked into non-compliant tools.

What You Need from Every Vendor

• A current VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) or ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report) — the vendor’s own claim of WCAG 2.1 AA conformance, criterion by criterion. Ask for one specific to the product and version you’re buying, not a generic one for the company.
• If the VPAT shows gaps, get the vendor’s remediation timeline in writing before you sign.
• The vendor's website URL
• A link to the vendor's accessibility statement or Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR)/VPAT
• A trial, demo, or testing environment link and credentials (many tools cannot be reviewed without one)
• A vendor contact who can answer accessibility questions
• A clear description of how the tool will be used and who will use it

Before purchasing or renewing, units should:

• Review known accessibility barriers and the vendor's remediation plan
• Use contract language that reinforces accessibility obligations and remediation expectations. UC’s Terms and Conditions of Purchase, Section 11.6, requires accessibility compliance from suppliers (see UCOP’s procurement page). Include this reference when your unit’s contract or purchase order is drafted, so the requirement is in writing and not just discussed in the demo.
• Avoid deploying inaccessible technology unless an approved exception and alternate access plan are in place

If the Purchase Is Already Going through Security Review

UCLA’s Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) process reviews vendor security and data risk — a separate review from accessibility — but the TPRM team (grc@ucla.edu) can tell you whether a VPAT or accessibility review is already on file for that vendor, which can save you a step.

Already Purchased a Non-Compliant Tool?

If you've contracted for a technology tool that doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 AA, you have two paths forward: work with the vendor on a remediation timeline, or initiate an exception with an Equally Effective Alternate Access Plan (EEAAP) that ensures affected users are not excluded in the meantime.

Quick Reference

Questions about a specific purchase? Contact DCP, or grc@ucla.edu for TPRM-related vendors.

For the full systemwide guidance, see UCOP's Procurement page.