Library: Buffalo State University EIT Accessibility Five-Year Plan: Procurement Accessibility Conformance Standards (PACS) Goals & Assessment

5.1 Infrastructure (PACS)

Objective/Milestone	Plan Year	Activity/Steps	Resources/Materials	Status Check	Outcome
Identify roles and responsibilities for EIT purchases	1	Identify individual and departmental responsibilities List the roles and responsibilities	PACS Subcommittee List is appended to this chart	Complete	Roles and responsibilities are defined
Review and revise roles and responsibilities as necessary	2-5	Review annually or more frequently if organizational changes take place Revise as needed	IT & Procurement Services/		Roles and responsibilities are defined and current
Establish a process for exception requests		1. Identify a process for evaluating requests using metrics shared by SUNY	Procurement Services/ Metrics appended below		University mission and business are supported

5.2 Communication (PCAS)

Objective/Milestone	Plan Year	Activity/Steps	Resources/Materials	Status Check	Outcome
Identify roles and responsibilities for EIT purchases	1	Identify individual and departmental responsibilities List the roles and responsibilities	PACS Subcommittee List is appended to this chart	Complete	Roles and responsibilities are defined
Review and revise roles and responsibilities as necessary	2-5	Review annually or more frequently if organizational changes take place Revise as needed	IT & Procurement Services/		Roles and responsibilities are defined and current
Establish a process for exception requests		1. Identify a process for evaluating requests using metrics shared by SUNY	Procurement Services/ Metrics appended below		University mission and business are supported

5.3 Training/Resources Allocation (PACS)

Objective/Milestone	Plan Year	Activity/Steps	Resources/Materials	Status Check	Outcome
Identify Training	1	Require all IT Team Leads, TSS Managers, IT Help Desk, IT Project Managers, and Procurement Services Staff to complete the “Accessibility Fundamentals – Disabilities, Guidelines, and Laws” course	Deque University	In progress	Staff understand the WHY of accessibility standards and learn to identify barriers
Create focused training for IT & Procurement staff	2	Work with Campus Accessibility Team to create a brief training for new staff in IT and Procurement Services	SUNY, IT, IDT, Procurement		New staff will understand standards and compliance protocols
Procurement Card Training	2-3	Include information on accessibility compliance in P-Card Training materials	Procurement Services & IT		Requestors understand process when using P-cards
Identify specialized and ongoing training	2-5	Work with SUNY Accessibility colleagues to provide advanced training opportunities	SUNY teams and administration		Staff develop expertise

5.4 Monitoring Compliance (PACS)

Objective/Milestone

Plan

Year

Activity/Steps

Resources/Materials

Status Check

Outcome

Utilize TeamDynamix to monitor compliance

1-5

Use IT Portal to track incidents of non-compliance
IT Portal is used to collect and store pre-purchase documentation including VPATs
Create reports in TeamDynamix to track requests and assets

TSS/TeamDynamix

Compliance is documented and measurable

Utilize Project Management Office to ensure compliance

on new initiatives

1-5

All new EIT projects and

implementations must be overseen by a Project Manager

IT-PMO/AchieveIT

New initiatives will be compliant

5.5 Roles & Responsibilities (PACS)

Purchase Requestor

Selects the most accessible product that meets their functional requirements
Creates a service ticket in the IT Portal and works with IT personnel to complete the required processes; e.g., provide justifications, multiple quotes, etc.
If product is denied creates an exception request

Information Technology (IT)

Includes accessibility expectations in pre-purchase documents/questionnaires
Collects, and retains in TeamDynamix, documentation from vendors verifying EIT accessibility conformance: e.g., Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)
Will assess the intended use and impact that may have on accessibility for individuals with disabilities when pursuing new purchases, adoption, or renewal of electronic and information technology products
Participates in the evaluation of exception requests

Procurement Services

• Demonstrates commitment to accessibility in RFP language, using language recommended by SUNY Counsel:

Electronic and Information Technology (“EIT”) Accessibility

SUNY is committed to providing an accessible, usable, and integrated experience for all its students, staff and community. Electronic and information technology (“EIT”) consists of information technology and any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data or information that will be deployed in connection with such technology, equipment or systems. Further, EIT includes, but is not limited to, telecommunications products, information kiosks and transaction machines, Internet and Intranet websites, web-delivered content, software, electronic books and electronic book reading systems, search engines and databases, multimedia, classroom technology, and office equipment.
By submitting a Proposal, Proposer warrants that (i) Web-based EIT products included in the Proposal shall conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”) 2.0 AA and (ii) non-web-based EIT products included in this Proposal shall meet or exceed the applicable accessibility requirements of section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. § 794d), and its implementing regulations set forth at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1194. If selected for award, selected Proposer agrees to provide evidence of compliance with these requirements before an Agreement becomes effective and any other time upon reasonable request of University.

Ensures vendor bids meet accessibility submission requirements
Coordinates the evaluation of exception requests
Places orders

PACS Impact Metrics

Buffalo State University will adopt the metrics shared by SUNY for determining accessibility impact level:

Impact Level	Definition
Low	EIT is not part of an essential program, service or activity Low number of users Single instance, intended for individual use
Medium	Limits access to a program/service, but not essential Moderate amount of users Use by an individual department or school, but not used across the entire campus Use by an entire univrsity(one university within a larger campus)
High	EIT is part of an essential program, service or activity Great amount of users Public facing or publicly available EIT Enterprise-wide EIT

2021 (PACS) SUNY EIT Report Challenges & Barriers

What are the challenges/barriers to Procurement: Procurement Accessibility Conformance Standards (PACS) plan implementation?

IT Procurement Information: Typically, IT collects information from the individual vendors to track and assess accessibility. Currently, there are no resources to conduct internal testing.

Time & Resources: There is not enough personnel to consistently track and assess accessibility. There is a heavy reliance on the vendors to be vigilant about creating accessible products. So far, there has typically been success in making statements and VPATs available.