26ITS82MP02 Accessibility Services to Support EOE and EOE Agencies Category D

Background

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through its Executive Office of Education (EOE), is seeking to enhance accessibility services to support EOE and its associated agencies. The goal of this RFQ is to solicit quotes from vendors qualified under the Statewide Contract IT Accessibility Services (ITS82) for ongoing accessibility services. This initiative aims to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1, Level AA, thereby providing equal access to online information and services for individuals with disabilities.

Work Details

The contract encompasses multiple categories of work: - **Category A (Audit Services)**: Conduct audits of existing web pages and digital content for accessibility compliance. - **Category B (Consulting Services)**: Provide consulting on best practices for digital accessibility. - **Category C (Document Remediation/Testing)**: Perform accessibility testing and remediation for all web content posted by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), Children's Trust (CT), and Department of Higher Education (DHE). This includes approximately 736 public web pages, 4,058 electronic files, and 282 videos requiring remediation. - **Category D (Training Services)**: Offer training on accessibility requirements for staff across various levels. - **Category E (Transcription/Description)**: Provide transcription, captioning, and video description services to meet compliance requirements. The successful bidder must demonstrate experience in handling complex electronic files, multimedia content, and multilingual documents.

Period of Performance

The initial project term will end on June 30, 2026, with anticipated service requirements extending through FY27 from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. The contract may be extended at EOE's discretion through June 30, 2031.

Place of Performance

Services will be performed remotely as required by the nature of the work.

Bidder Requirements

Bidders must have at least three years of experience in providing digital accessibility audit and remediation services aligned with WCAG 2.1 Level AA or higher. They should demonstrate expertise in accessibility remediation for public websites and complex electronic files. Bidders are required to have resources available to start work immediately and make substantial progress towards remediation by June 30, 2026.