Here’s an insider secret: a solid Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) will help your company win more contracts. And this doesn’t just apply to government contracts, ACRs are red hot in the private marketplace.
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Here’s the Deal
Accessibility is a priority now mainly because of compliance reasons. Even if your target buyers aren’t directly implicated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508, Section 504, EN 301 549, or other laws or regulations, they’re likely facing pressure to maintain accessible digital experiences from their partners, contractors, customers, affiliates, etc.
This means accessibility is in demand and we expect that demand to hit an all-time high in 2025. It’s the network effect, everybody’s requiring everyone else to meet various compliance requirements and so accessible products and services are essential to sales.
How is Accessibility Judged
Everyone is asking for a “VPAT” now. VPAT stands for Voluntary Product Accessibility Template. It’s a standardized document that gives buyers a snapshot of your product’s accessibility.
Think of it like an accounting of how your product or service stacks up against a given technical standard for accessibility (there are a few standards, you just need to know which one is applicable – we can help).
Even though VPAT is the dominant term, what procurement agents are actually asking for is an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). The only difference here is the VPAT is the blank template and once it’s filled in and completed, it becomes an ACR.
So if you have a VPAT/ACR that you can provide procurement agents, you’re already moving ahead of the pack.
The Two Catches
The first catch is if your product or service is riddled with accessibility issues / doesn’t meet a lot of the criteria under the technical standards, an ACR isn’t going to save you. It’s just going to reflect your product’s low level of accessibility.
The second catch is buyers are more savvy about accessibility now. When we’re talking to clients, everything is trending towards buyers heavily scrutinizing ACRs in 2025:
- Who filled in this VPAT?
- Who issued the ACR?
- Was an audit conducted?
- Who conducted the audit?
- What evaluation methodologies were used?
Anyone can fill out their own VPAT, but buyers know this and they know that sellers usually don’t have the technical expertise to conduct a thorough audit. Buyer’s also know that sellers are biased in assessing the accessibility of their own product.
So basically, your product or service needs to have good accessibility (at least better than the competition) and your documentation has to be legitimate.
Note that having a few accessibility issues won’t automatically disqualify you as a candidate for most contract bids.
Clever Companies
We’ve had a surge in clients for our VPAT services starting in November and now continuing into December – even as we inch closer to Christmas.
And guess what, they’re seeing what we’re seeing and they’re trying to gain an early advantage for 2025. This is a tremendous opportunity for market leaders to cement their position or for the underdogs to take over the #1 spot.
Millions and sometimes billion of dollars is at stake with these contracts and if products aren’t accessible, they simply will not be purchased.
We know as well as anyone how much accessibility has been overlooked, but it won’t be overlooked for long.
Right now, our clients are on the inside track and here are the four services they’re hiring us for when it comes to products and services:
- audits
- consultation
- re-audit
- filling in VPATs
In that order.
The audit tells us what accessibility issues exist, per a given technical standard (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA).
The technical consultation means clients know exactly how to remediate or fix the accessibility issues discovered.
The re-audit enables us to confirm that the issues have been resolved.
And having Accessible.org fill in and complete the VPAT means the company has an independently issued accessibility conformance report from a reputable, third-party digital accessibility company (the crème de la crème in the marketplace).
How to Crush Accessibility Procurement
Here’s how you ouster the competition.
- Get ahead of the curve by having your ACR ready before it’s requested
- Ensure your documentation is thorough and professionally prepared
- Work with reputable accessibility partners (e.g., Accessible.org) who understand your product
- Remediate to minimize or eliminate accessibility issues (full conformance is golden)
- Use your ACR as a powerful selling point in presentations and proposals
- Highlight your commitment to accessibility by showcasing all of your investments
Smart companies aren’t just checking boxes – they’re going all out and using accessibility documentation as a strategic tool to open doors and win contracts. When procurement teams see a professionally prepared ACR, a clean report, and you on top of your accessibility A game, it signals that you take both accessibility and quality seriously.
That opens up the market for you.
The Bottom Line
In a market where every advantage counts, accessibility is the whale coming to the shore that everyone knows about but keeps not paying attention to. Don’t wait until a potential buyer asks for accessibility documentation – be proactive and position your product for success.
Ready to gain a big competitive edge? Start by getting your product properly audited and documented. Your next contract might depend on it.
Contact us – we’d love to help you with accessibility. And we’re really fast. Most of our clients who just request an ACR have it within two weeks of initially contacting us.
