VPATs, ACRs, and Accessibility Audits: Win More RFPs and Protect Your Business

You’re ready to bid. Pricing locked. Scope defined. References solid. Then the RFP asks, “Provide a VPAT or Accessibility Conformance Report.”

Now what?

Here’s what too many manufacturers and professional services firms do: scramble. Call legal. Google “what is a VPAT?” Lose the bid.

Here’s what smart companies do: show up prepared with documentation that proves they take digital accessibility as seriously as workplace safety.

Think about it. In construction, nobody questions OSHA’s hard hat requirement. It’s table stakes for getting on site. Digital accessibility documentation is becoming the same deal in procurement. You either have it, or you don’t get to play.

Companies have lost seven-figure contracts over missing accessibility documentation. The fix would’ve cost less than their monthly coffee budget. That math doesn’t work for anyone.

What Are VPATs and ACRs? (Plain English, No Acronym Soup)

Let’s decode this without the jargon:

VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template): Think of it as a nutrition label for your website. It shows exactly what accessibility standards you meet—WCAG 2.1 AA, ADA, Section 508—and where you still have work to do.

ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report): This is your completed VPAT. The actual document you attach to RFPs. It’s signed, dated, and ready to submit.

Why procurement teams care about these documents:

• They create apples-to-apples comparisons between vendors
• They show you understand compliance requirements
• They prove you won’t become their liability down the road
• They demonstrate modern business practices

Bottom line: These documents show you’re a serious player who handles the details.

Where These Requirements Show Up (Hint: More Places Every Day)

Five years ago, only government contracts asked for VPATs. Today? They’re everywhere:

Manufacturing & Construction:

• Infrastructure projects
• Public works contracts
• Supply chain partnerships with Fortune 500s
• Any project touching federal funding

Professional Services:

• Healthcare system partnerships
• Higher education contracts
• Financial services agreements
• Technology implementations

The New Reality: Missing documentation = automatic disqualification. Doesn’t matter if you’re the incumbent vendor with perfect pricing.

The Legal Stakes Keep Rising

Let’s be direct: accessibility lawsuits aren’t theoretical anymore. They’re happening to companies just like yours.

Section 508 makes accessibility mandatory for federal contracts. The ADA increasingly applies to commercial websites. And plaintiff attorneys are getting aggressive—website accessibility lawsuits have increased 300% in the last three years.

Here’s what keeps legal teams up at night: You can’t defend what you haven’t documented.

Without an audit trail showing accessibility efforts, you’re exposed. With proper documentation? You’ve got evidence of good faith compliance efforts. That’s the difference between a quick dismissal and a costly settlement.

You Can’t Document What You Haven’t Audited

VPATs aren’t creative writing exercises. They require actual testing data.

Real audits include:

✓ Automated scanning (WAVE, axe DevTools establish baseline)
✓ Manual testing (keyboard navigation, screen readers, contrast verification)
✓ User journey mapping (can someone actually complete key tasks?)
✓ Mobile accessibility checks (responsive doesn’t mean accessible)

What you get:

• Clear compliance status against WCAG 2.1 AA
• Prioritized fix list (critical issues first)
• Technical documentation for developers
• Executive summary for stakeholders

No audit = no accurate VPAT = no credibility in procurement.

Common Mistakes That Kill Deals

We see these errors tank bids regularly:

The “Set It and Forget It” Approach
Accessibility isn’t a checkbox. Websites change. Content updates. Standards evolve. 

The Plugin Prayer
Automated overlays are duct tape on a leaky pipe. They might buy time, but they won’t pass procurement scrutiny or legal review.

The Copy-Paste Catastrophe
Using someone else’s VPAT template without actual testing? That’s fraud territory. And procurement teams can spot generic documentation immediately.

The Last-Minute Scramble
Starting your accessibility audit when the RFP is due? Too late. Quality documentation takes weeks, not hours.

Turn Compliance Into Competitive Advantage

Smart companies flip the script. Instead of treating accessibility as a burden, they make it a differentiator.

What accessibility documentation really says:

• We’re proactive problem-solvers
• We understand modern compliance requirements
• We protect our partners from liability
• We’re investing in inclusive business practices
• We’re prepared for enterprise-level partnerships

In competitive bids where capabilities are similar, accessibility often becomes the tiebreaker. We’ve seen it happen repeatedly.

The GBG System: From Audit to Advantage

We’ve built a systematic approach that transforms accessibility from risk to revenue driver:

Step 1: Comprehensive Audit

We partner with certified accessibility experts who combine automated testing with manual verification. No shortcuts. No assumptions.

Step 2: Clear Reporting

You get plain-English reports that technical teams can implement and executives can understand. Issues ranked by severity. Fix paths clearly mapped.

Step 3: Root-Cause Remediation

We fix problems in code, not with bandaids. Structural solutions that last through updates.

Step 4: Documentation That Wins

VPATs and ACRs formatted exactly how procurement wants them. Professional. Precise. Persuasive.

Step 5: Continuous Monitoring

Accessibility isn’t static. We track changes, test updates, and keep documentation current.

The GBG difference: We don’t just hand you a report and disappear. We manage the entire process—audit, remediation, documentation, and maintenance.

Build Your Accessibility File (Your Insurance Policy)

Forward-thinking companies create an “Accessibility Defense File”:

What goes in it:

• Current and historical audits
• All VPATs and ACRs (with version dates)
• Remediation logs showing continuous improvement
• User feedback and response documentation
• Accessibility policy statements
• Training records for content creators

Why it matters: When procurement asks for documentation—or worse, when legal issues arise—you’re ready. One folder. Complete history. Case closed.

Your RFP Readiness Checklist

Answer these honestly: 

☐ Have you completed an accessibility audit in the last 12 months?
☐ Do you know your current WCAG 2.1 AA compliance percentage?
☐ Do you have a current VPAT/ACR ready for submission?
☐ Do you have a remediation plan for identified issues?
☐ Do you have an accessibility feedback mechanism on your site?
☐ Do you document accessibility improvements over time?

Scoring:

• 6 checks: You’re ahead of 90% of competitors
• 3-5 checks: You’re vulnerable but fixable
• 0-2 checks: You’re at serious risk of losing bids

Don’t Wait for the Wake-Up Call

Three things can happen:

1. You lose a major contract (expensive lesson)
2. You face legal action (very expensive lesson)
3. You get ahead of it now (smart investment)

The math is simple. Proper accessibility documentation costs a fraction of one lost deal. And unlike that lost opportunity, accessibility improvements benefit every visitor to your site.

Ready to turn accessibility into a competitive advantage?

Chat with our experts about improving your website accessibility today!