(a) As prescribed in 339.201-70(a), the Contracting Officer shall insert the following provision:
Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility (January 2010)
(a) Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board Electronic and Information (EIT) Accessibility Standards (36 CFR Part 1194), require that, unless an exception applies, all EIT products and services developed, acquired, maintained, or used by any Federal department or agency permit-
(1) Federal employees with disabilities to have access to and use information and data that is comparable to the access and use of information and data by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities; and
(2) Members of the public with disabilities seeking information or services from a Federal agency to have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use of information and data by members of the public who are not individuals with disabilities.
(b) Accordingly, any vendor submitting a proposal/quotation/bid in response to this solicitation must demonstrate compliance with the established EIT accessibility standards. Information about Section 508 is available at http://www.section508.gov/. The complete text of Section 508 Final Provisions can be accessed at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/provisions.htm.
(c) The Section 508 accessibility standards applicable to this solicitation are identified in the Statement of Work/Specification/Performance Work Statement. In order to facilitate the Government's evaluation to determine whether EIT products and services proposed meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, offerors must prepare an HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template, in accordance with its completion instructions, and provide a binding statement of conformance. The purpose of the template is to assist HHS acquisition and program officials in determining that EIT products and services proposed support applicable Section 508 accessibility standards. The template allows vendors or developers to self-evaluate their products or services and document in detail how they do or do not conform to a specific Section 508 accessibility standard. Instructions for preparing the HHS Section 508 Evaluation Template may be found under Section 508 policy on the HHS Office on Disability Web site ( http://www.hhs.gov/od ).
(d) Respondents to this solicitation must also provide any additional detailed information necessary for determining applicable Section 508 accessibility standards conformance, as well as for documenting EIT products or services that are incidental to the project, which would constitute an exception to Section 508 requirements. If a vendor claims its products or services, including EIT deliverables such as electronic documents and reports, meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards in its completed HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template, and it is later determined by the Government- i.e., after award of a contract/order, that products or services delivered do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the Product Assessment Template, remediation of the products or services to the level of conformance specified in the vendor's Product Assessment Template will be the responsibility of the Contractor and at its expense.
(End of provision)
(b) As prescribed in 339.201-70(b), the Contracting Officer shall insert the following clause:
Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility (January 2010)
(a) Pursuant to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, all electronic and information technology (EIT) products and services developed, acquired, maintained, or used under this contract/order must comply with the “Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Provisions” set forth by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (also referred to as the “Access Board”) in 36 CFR part 1194. Information about Section 508 is available at http://www.section508.gov/. The complete text of Section 508 Final Provisions can be accessed at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/provisions.htm.
(b) The Section 508 accessibility standards applicable to this contract/order are identified in the Statement of Work/Specification/Performance Work Statement. The Contractor must provide a written Section 508 conformance certification due at the end of each contract/order exceeding $100,000 when the contract/order duration is one year or less. If it is determined by the Government that EIT products and services provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the Product Assessment Template, remediation of the products or services to the level of conformance specified in the Contractor's Product Assessment Template will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense.
(c) In the event of a modification(s) to this contract/order, which adds new EIT products or services or revises the type of, or specifications for, products or services the Contractor is to provide, including EIT deliverables such as electronic documents and reports, the Contracting Officer may require that the contractor submit a completed HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template to assist the Government in determining that the EIT products or services support Section 508 accessibility standards. Instructions for documenting accessibility via the HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template may be found under Section 508 policy on the HHS Office on Disability Web site ( http://www.hhs.gov/od ).
(c) As prescribed in 339.201-70(c), the Contracting Officer shall add the following paragraph to the end of clause 352.239-73(b):
Prior to the Contracting Officer exercising an option for a subsequent performance period/additional quantity or adding funding for a subsequent performance period under this contract, as applicable, the Contractor must provide a Section 508 Annual Report to the Contracting Officer and Project Officer. Unless otherwise directed by the Contracting Officer in writing, the Contractor shall provide the cited report in accordance with the following schedule. Instructions for completing the report are available in the Section 508 policy on the HHS Office on Disability Web site under the heading Vendor Information and Documents. The Contractor's failure to submit a timely and properly completed report may jeopardize the Contracting Officer's exercising an option or adding funding, as applicable.
Schedule for Contractor Submission of Section 508 Annual Report
(To be completed by the Contracting Officer at time of contract/order award.)
[74 FR 62398, Nov. 27, 2009, as amended at 75 FR 21512, Apr. 26, 2010]
