An accessibility conformance report is not proof of accessibility

An accessibility conformance report is not proof of accessibility.

Too many procurements still work like this: ask the vendor for a VPAT, file it, check the box, move on. Months later, actual users hit barriers the report never mentioned — keyboard traps, unlabeled controls, PDFs no screen reader can parse.

Buying accessible tech takes more than collecting a document.

We ask different questions: Which version was tested? Who tested it, and with which assistive tech? What remains broken, and what is the remediation timeline in the contract? Can actual users test before renewal?

Put those answers in writing. Put remediation timelines in the contract. Re-test at delivery, not just at proposal.

Procurement is an accessibility tool — maybe the strongest one government has. A requirement at purchase prevents a retrofit at launch.

Buy like someone will have to use it on day one. Because someone will.