(a) A solicitation for EIT products and services, including EIT deliverables such as electronic documents and reports, shall include a separate technical evaluation factor (which may be in the form of a technical evaluation criterion or a mandatory qualification criterion, as appropriate) developed by the Contracting Officer, Project Officer, and the OPDIV Section 508 Coordinator to determine vendor compliance with applicable Section 508 accessibility standards. The technical evaluation panel's assessment of Section 508 accessibility standards conformance shall be based on the Section 508 Product Assessment Template- see Section 508 policy on Office of Disability Web site for the template, and on any other pertinent information that offerors provide in response to a solicitation. The HHS Office on Disability is responsible for providing technical assistance in Section 508 evaluation factor development.
(b) Before conducting negotiations or making an award, the Contracting Officer shall provide a summary of the technical evaluation panel's assessment of vendor responses to the solicitation's Section 508 evaluation factor for review by the Section 508 Official or designee. The Section 508 Official or designee shall indicate approval/disapproval of the evaluation panel's assessment. The Contracting Officer shall coordinate the resolution of any issues raised by the Section 508 Official or designee with the chair of the technical evaluation panel or Project Officer, as appropriate. The acquisition process shall not proceed unless and until the Section 508 Official or designee has approved the technical evaluation panel's assessment. The Contracting Officer shall include the assessment in the official contract file. See 339.203 regarding processing exception determination requests.
