meet the buy accessible wizard and data center: web-based
TRANSCRIPT
Meet the Buy Accessible Wizard and Data Center: Web-based tools for Section
508 compliance
2005 Dept. of Interior CIO Conference November 15, 2005
Jim Kindrick, Bill Hetzner, and Skip Crane
Accessibility Forum Staff
Presentation Objectives
• Review Section 508 and implications for federal agencies and industry
• Demonstrate how Buy Accessible tools (the Acquisition Wizard and the Data Center) work together to help government and industry meet the intent of Section 508
“Compliance can be easier than you think”
Background
• Section 508 legislation– Any federal acquisition of Electronic and Information
Technology (E&IT) must meet applicable technical, performance, and documentation standards for accessibility (CFR 1194)
• Intent:– Make government accessible to all citizens– Provide a market incentive for companies to produce
more accessible products and services
• Part of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)
marketresearch
exceptionsrelevance applicability
Federal Acquisition Process
System Development Life Cycle
program and project planning
acquisition planning acquisition process acquisition maintenance
needsassessment
solicitationsource
selectiondelivery
contract provide install accept
Responsibilities Under the Final FARRule For Implementing Section 508
“Then the requiring official must perform market research to determine the availability of compliant products and services; vendor websites and the Section 508 website would be helpful here.”
“The requiring official must identify which standards apply to the procurement, using the Access Board’s EIT Accessibility Standards at 36 CFR part 1194.”
2
1
Access Board’s EIT AccessibilityStandards (36 CFR part 1194)
• Subpart A -- General– 1194.1 Purpose – 1194.2 Application – 1194.3 General exceptions – 1194.4 Definitions – 1194.5 Equivalent facilitation
• Subpart B -- Technical Standards– 1194.21 Software applications and operating systems – 1194.22 Web-based intranet and internet information and applications– 1194.23 Telecommunications products – 1194.24 Video and multimedia products – 1194.25 Self contained, closed products – 1194.26 Desktop and portable computers
• Subpart C -- Functional Performance Criteria– 1194.31 Functional performance criteria
• Subpart D -- Information, Documentation, and Support– 1194.41 Information, documentation, and support
Subpart B -- Technical Standards
• 1194.21 Software applications and operating systems
• 1194.22 Web-based intranet and internet information and applications
• 1194.23 Telecommunications products
• 1194.24 Video and multimedia products
• 1194.25 Self contained, closed products
• 1194.26 Desktop and portable computers
Provisions (a) thru (k) … and (k) has 4 parts!
“(j) Products that transmit or conduct information or communication, shall pass through cross-manufacturer, non-proprietary, industry-standard codes, translation protocols, formats or other information necessary to provide the information or communication in a usable format. Technologies which use encoding, signal compression, format transformation, or similar techniques shall not remove information needed for access or shall restore it upon delivery.”
Questions
How can people with requiring responsibility …– Identify which specific standards apply?– Perform market research to determine availability of
conformant products and services?– Develop accessibility solicitation language?– Test products and services?– Demonstrate “due diligence” (document an audit trail
for Section 508 compliance)?
– … and do so effectively, consistently, and efficiently?
One Answer: The Quick Reference Guide to Section 508 Resources
• Quick Reference Guide– Available from www.buyaccessible.gov
(select “Click here for the Section 508 Web Site”)– Result of the technical activities
of the Accessibility Forum– Intent was to make the set of
Resource Documents publishedin Jan ‘03 easier to use
– Full of useful information …
But The Quick Reference Guide is STILL a very difficult document to use as a Tool …
“The requiring official must identify which standards apply to the procurement, using the Access Board’s EIT Accessibility Standards at 36 CFR part 1194.”4
Quick Reference Guide … a Useable Tool?
But, the Quick Reference Guide lacks context of the acquisition process, is dense and hard to use, and might not deliver information on a timely basis.
GSA Sponsored DevelopingThe Buy Accessible Wizard
• A Web-based application being developed by a Focus Group of stakeholders that:– Guides users through a process of gathering data and
providing information about electronic and information technology (E&IT) and Section 508 compliance
– Compiles a running summary documenting the process and its results
• The Buy Accessible Wizard makes compliance with the requirements of Section 508 as easy and thorough as possible
marketresearch
exceptionsrelevance applicability
Federal Acquisition Processand Buy Accessible Functionality
System Development Life Cycle
program and project planning
acquisition planning acquisition process acquisition maintenance
needsassessment
solicitationsource
selectiondelivery
contract provide install accept
relevance applicability
Release 1
marketresearch
exceptions
Release 2
The Wizard has Grown!
Oct ’04: Initial Wizard release
Help determine Section 508 relevance and applicability for COTS E&IT product acquisitions
Apr ’05: Support for micro-purchases
Wizard “streamlined” to accommodate a new and large set of users – government purchase card holders
Introduced limited market research support to make it easier to find conforming micro-purchase products
TODAY: Buy Accessible Acquisition Tools
Wizard - full support for E&IT products and services
Data Center - migrate Buy Accessible portal legacy data
Glossary - standard terms and definitions related to Section 508 and the federal acquisition process
Buy Accessible Acquisition Tools Overview
• Acquisition Wizard– Support for procurement officials during Needs Assessment
• Relevance: is Section 508 relevant to this acquisition?• Applicability: determine the specific provisions of the Access Board
standard that apply to each particular E&IT acquisition• Market Research: assess the commercial availability of E&IT
products or services that meet applicable accessibility requirements– Support for micro-purchases
• Wizard provides a streamlined process for “micro-purchasers”• Designed to accommodate government purchase card holders
• Data Center– Interacts with Wizard to provide Market Research data
• Accessibility information about E&IT product and services– Support for E&IT companies to add and manage their own data– Initial data content migrated from legacy Buy Accessible Portal
Current Wizard Functionality
• The Wizard brings together information about:– The Law– The Access Board Standard– The FAR and the federal government acquisition process– Accessibility information for products / services registered in the
Data Center
• Federal buyers and program managers can use the Wizard to meet their primary responsibilities in Needs Assessment for Section 508:– determining the relevance of Section 508 to their acquisitions– identifying applicable parts of the Access Board standard– finding sources for doing market research.
More …
Current Wizard Functionality (2)
• All of the information recorded using the Wizard is documented in the Data Summary Report– Serves as a ‘compliance audit trail’ demonstrating the due
diligence and decisions made in order to comply with the Law during procurement
• Internet Wizard hosted at GSA is available to anyone in the world for documentation of Applicability and Market Research!– http://www.buyaccessible.gov
Current Data Center Functionality
• The Data Center brings together vendor information about:– Companies that produce E&IT products or deliver E&IT-related
services– Accessibility features and functions of E&IT products– Accessibility considerations for E&IT-related services
• Industry product and service representatives can use the Data Center to register and maintain their own marketing information about:– Company commitment to accessibility and Section 508, – Product conformance to specific technical accessibility
requirements– Service capability, examples, or references for accessible
results
More …
Current Data Center Functionality (2)
• All of the information contained in the Data Center is owned, registered, and maintained by the E&IT companies themselves– Data Center manages references to detailed information that is
hosted directly by the companies
• Internet Data Center is available to anyone in the world for recording market research information about E&IT products and/or services!– http://emgbaw.altarum.org/bad
Buy Accessible Wizard and Data Center Endorsed by OMB
August 11, 2005 -- A joint memo from OFPP and E-Government and Information Technology was issued to to all CAO’s and CIO’s“to reiterate the importance of this {Section 508} requirement and to identify information and resources available to your agencies as you continue your effort to make government accessible to all citizens.”…the Wizard can assist the information technology and acquisition communities…provides assistance to government purchase cardholders…was recently awarded and authority to operate…is available for use by all federal agencies and is designed to be installed within and agency’s own environment.
Demonstration Scenarios
1. How the federal government initiates acquisitions using the Buy Accessible Wizard --– For E&IT products – both above and below the micro-purchase
threshold ($2500)– For E&IT-related services– To document the acquisition to demonstrate due diligence for
Section 508 compliance
2. How E&IT companies can provide accessibility information for products and services using the Data Center
The Buy Accessible Wizard
The Buy Accessible Data Center
Wizard Deployment Options
Wizard for use by any federal agency via GSA hosted Internet application – No local user data storage functionality– Local data save via browser file save as function– No agency data management capability
Wizard for deployment to any federal agency as an Intranet application – Agency hosted Wizard user data store
• Supports users save / pause / resume / review functionality• Supports user data save / sharing• Allows for agency Section 508 acquisition management reporting
– C&A letter available to all agencies– Centrally distributed / supported via Wizard Support Website
Client Browser
‘File Save As’
InternetInternet
Wizard Internet Configuration
Data Data CenterCenter
WizardWizard
User User ClientClient
GUI InteractionGUI Interaction
requestrequest
responseresponse
summary summary and reportsand reports
user session
user session
acquisition data
acquisition data
I understand the functionality I understand the functionality limitations - no actual complaints so limitations - no actual complaints so
far … but current use is mostly simple far … but current use is mostly simple micro-purchases, and we anticipate micro-purchases, and we anticipate issues as the acquisition complexity issues as the acquisition complexity
increases with other scenarios …increases with other scenarios …
InternetInternet
IntranetIntranet
Wizard Intranet Configuration
Data Data CenterCenter
WizardWizard
UserUser
GUI InteractionGUI Interaction
requ
est
requ
est
response
response
ReportsReports
Agency Agency Wizard User Wizard User Acquisition Acquisition
Data Data RepositoryRepository
user session
user session
acquisition data
acquisition data
Benefits to the Program Office
“The Buy Accessible Wizard is easy to use. All I have to do is be able to provide my system requirements, and the Buy Accessible Wizard will provide a report of the 508 requirements that need to be considered when purchasing new E&IT.”
– Easy and efficient to use for program requiring officialsprogram requiring officials– Consistent and complete compliance documentation– Effective Section 508 compliance support for programs
• With the Intranet configuration …– Wizard information is reusable– Supports acquisitions with multiple E&IT deliverables
Benefits to the Acquisition Office
• A consistent, auditable process leading to more consistent outcomes that:
– Indicate program compliance for contracting officerscontracting officers – Identify specific applicable Section 508 provisions– Document program compliance in a standard way
• With Intranet configuration …– Wizard information is reusable– Acquisition management reporting is possible
Benefits to the Information Office
• A consistent, auditable process leading to more consistent outcomes that:
– Educate and help facilitate program compliance for information officersinformation officers (and Section 508 coordinatorsSection 508 coordinators)
– Document program compliance in a standard way– Satisfy program and agency E&IT requirements
• With Intranet configuration …– Wizard information is reusable– Agency aggregate management reporting is possible
Costs and Requirements of the Wizard (Internet configuration)
• Wizard support– User support (“guru”)– Training costs – should be more than offset by
improved efficiency
Costs and Requirements of the Wizard (intranet configuration)
• Wizard support (same as Internet)– User support (“guru”)– Training costs – should be more than offset by improved
efficiency
• Wizard hosting requirements– Resources used– Additional security certifications
• Data storage requirements– DBA role– Resources required
Implementing the Buy Accessible Wizard Requires …
• An agency or component Champion willing to go beyond their normal role– A champion can come from agency/component leadership, IT
office, acquisition, or Section 508
• Policy support from agency/component leadership• Encouragement of Section 508 coordinators• Internet
– Policy support from the IT office– Policy and management support from the Acquisition office
• Intranet– Policy, technical and financial resource support from the IT office– Policy and management support from the Acquisition office
• Visit the Wizard Product Support Websitehttp://buyaccessible.aticorp.org/index.html – Click on “Request to Download Current Version” and complete
the form– This will generate an e-mail to Skip Crane– Skip will contact you, walk through the Deployment Planning
Guide with you, and send you the FTP download information– Skip tracks agency implementations and coordinates with
personnel in key role
Getting Started with Intranet
Q&A
Thank You!
For more information contactTerry Weaver / GSA
Skip Crane / Accessibility Forum([email protected])