Consultancy Opportunity
Background
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that USAID-funded web sites are accessible to users with disabilities. In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic information accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology for people with disabilities. The law applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use information and communication technology. Under Section 508, agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others.
On January 18, 2017, the Access Board published a final rule that jointly updates requirements for information and communication technology (ICT) covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The Section 508 standards apply to electronic and information technology procured by the Federal government, including computer hardware and software, websites, and multimedia such as video, phone systems, and copiers. This final rule incorporates the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 by reference and applies Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance requirements to websites and non-web electronic documents.
All websites produced under the USAID SHIFT project must be compliant with these rules and regulations, including the TA Marketplace website, developed and launched in October 2016.
Objectives
The consultant will thoroughly assess the TA Marketplace for all requirements under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the updated WCAG 2.0, and provide specific, line-by-line evaluations of areas of non-compliance and suggested remedial actions – in order to ensure the TA Marketplace website meets US federal requirements.
Tasks and Deliverables
The consultant will deliver services to the USAID SHIFT for up to 7.5 days from July 23 – August 13, 2018. Tasks and deliverables are as follows:
1. Assess all pages of the TA Marketplace website (www.tamarketplace.org [1]) for compliance with Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 requirements
- Screen reader testing using JAWS on Win 10/ Chrome
- Keyboard-only testing on Win 10/ Chrome
- Color contrast testing on Win 10/ Chrome
- High contrast testing on Win 10/ Edge
- Browser zoom testing on Win 10/ IE11
- Text-only zoom testing on Win 10/ Firefox-ESR
2. Generate a resulting report with both:
- A detailed defect report identifying areas of non-compliance
- Detailed and actionable remedial actions to rectify areas of non-compliance
Reporting
The Consultant will report to Megan Averill, Technical Director, USAID SHIFT
Cost and Payment Schedule
Total work under this contract is for up to 7.5 days. The consultant will be paid at a daily rate in accordance with USAID SHIFT policy.
The consultant will be paid upon satisfactory completion of deliverables and upon receipt of an invoice.
Submission of CVs/Resumes and USAID 1420 form
Interested persons should send their detailed curriculum vitae with letter of application in English and a completed USAID 1420 form [2] (template attached) by July 20, 2018 to [email protected] [3]