Section 508 requires federal agencies to procure, use, and maintain accessible products and services. Since most of the products and services used by the federal government are purchased, building in strong accessibility policy and language at the start of the procurement process is important to ensuring an accessible workplace.
HHS/ACF has issued standard language to include or reference in all solicitations where Section 508 is applicable . In the section for the Statement of Work (SOW), you must tailor the language for what your office is procuring by selecting which technical standards are applicable.
The technical standards are applicable to any product or service desired as well as any deliverables deriving from the produced product or service. For example, let's say you want to procure training services for a program. Not only is it required that the vendor be experts in accessibility to win the contract, but all products like e-learning videos, training documentation, or multimedia seminars (i.e. deliverables from the vendor) must also comply with Section 508.
Please note that the standard language provided is a starting point. Program offices may need to add additional applicable regulations and language from the FAR or HHSAR to comply with procurement requirements.
ACF employees can find boiler-plate procurement language and additional assistance on ACF Connect or contact ACF's 508 coordinator, Janean Chambers.