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FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF DECEMBER 16, 2016 FBO #5502
DOCUMENT

D -- Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Information & Technology (OIT) - Attachment

Notice Date

12/14/2016
 

Notice Type

Attachment
 

NAICS

541512 — Computer Systems Design Services
 

Contracting Office

Department of Veterans Affairs;Technology Acquisition Center;23 Christopher Way;Eatontown NJ 07724
 

ZIP Code

07724
 

Solicitation Number

VA11817N1825
 

Response Due

1/9/2017
 

Archive Date

4/9/2017
 

Point of Contact

James Walker
 

E-Mail Address

0-9703<br
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

Page 1 of 5 Request for Information for Section 508 Technical Reference Model Testing December 14, 2016 Introduction: This is a request for information only. Do not submit a proposal or quote. As a part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Information Technology (OIT) market research process, this request for information (RFI) will be used to assist us in the development of an acquisition strategy for potential future services. Nothing in this document should be considered binding or in any way obligate VA to perform. Responses to this RFI are requested by 3:00 P.M. Eastern Time on January 9, 2016. BACKGROUND: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Section 508 Office is responsible for determining the accessibility compliance levels of Electronic Information and Technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the VA. Part of this role is to assess the accessibility compliance level of technologies approved for use and listed on the Technical Reference Model (TRM). The TRM includes the formally-approved list of technology products which support the Office of Information & Technology. Listed products may be used in development or sustainment of VA web or software applications. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will be needed to test for conformance to Section 508 Standards for a broad range of technology products. Products listed on the TRM need to be assessed, both the current versions and some previous versions. The total number of products listed changes continuously due to products being archived as well as others being added on a monthly basis. The current total of unique approved technologies is approximately 5,600; the number increases when considering current versions and previous versions still listed on the TRM. The products to be assessed will be a subset of each of these totals. The products to be assessed will consist entirely of commercial commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products whose code cannot be modified by the product purchaser or user. Testing will occur both on the new products being added monthly ( Iterations ) and on selected currently-approved products ( backlog ). Iterations usually consist of between 50 and 75 new technologies monthly; these products often have a higher priority for assessment since the products themselves are under consideration by project teams to use for development projects. Not all products in an Iteration are ultimately approved for the TRM. PURPOSE: VA, Office of Acquisition and Logistics, Technology Acquisition Center is seeking sources that are able to conduct testing of accessibility conformance levels of COTS products of diverse types currently-listed on or being processed for the TRM. SYNOPSIS OF REQUIREMENTS: Assessments will be done only on COTS technology products whose code cannot be modified. VA will not provide hardware, software, environment, facilities, or personnel for the assessment process. Vendor will use their own environment and all resources needed. The testing environment should be a generic one suitable for testing COTS products. Section 508 Office will select products to be assessed in consultation and prioritization with SMEs, as needed. Lists of products submitted for assessment may consist entirely of Iteration products, Backlog products, or a combination. Products not listed on the TRM may be included in the Section 508 Office list of products to be tested. Full versions of the product to be assessed will be used for testing; incomplete or demo versions will not be used. The current version of the technology and selected previous versions approved for use in VA may be requested for assessment, even under circumstances where the vendor may no longer market the technology. All phases of acquiring and testing the products will be the responsibility of the vendor. This includes but may not be limited to acquiring the appropriate version(s), installing, configuring, and assessing the technology. Product names and versions will be given to the vendor. New products for assessment may be assigned on a regular basis or ad hoc. The Section 508 Office may assign a higher priority for certain technologies to be assessed. Standards for testing will be the technical standards laid out by the U.S. Access Board for Section 508 Standards for Electronic and Information Technology, Subpart B, paragraphs 1194.21, 1194.22, 1194.23, 1194.24, 1194.25, 1194.26; Subpart C, paragraph 1194.31; and Subpart D, paragraph 1194.41. https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-section-508-standards/section-508-standards Findings for assessments shall be ranked in accordance with the Section 508 Office Checklist as follows: CRITICAL: This issue results in severe barriers for users with disabilities, either because content is blocked or functionality is inoperable. It causes global issues across the project because people with disabilities are unable to use it. This violation must be resolved before content/functionality can be considered fully compliant. Remediation should be a top priority. HIGH: This issue results in significant barriers for individuals with disabilities. Some important content/functionality is not accessible. Users of Assistive Technology may not be able to access all content and/or functionality. Remediation should be a priority. MEDIUM: This issue results in some barriers for individuals with disabilities but will not prevent them from accessing fundamental elements or content. This violation must be resolved before content/functionality can be considered fully compliant.   LOW: This issue causes minimal impact for users with disabilities.  This may be a technical violation of the law but doesn t make the content inaccessible. This content/functionality should be remediated in order to be considered fully compliant, but remediation can be given a low priority. If a product is offered by a technology vendor in an accessible version as well as a regular version, both will be assessed and reported upon. One report will be submitted for the regular version, and one will be submitted for the accessible version. If the user of a product can use Views, switches, or user-settings to make a product interface accessible or if a product has an accessible configuration or mode, as well as a regular version, both will be assessed separately and reported upon separately. Accessible configuration, if available, will be tested, including alternate menus, options to make interface elements visible or hidden, hot-keyed functions, user levels (e.g., user, manager, admin, etc.), reporting functions, reporting output, print functions, output, and any other usual ways to employ the product. Assessments must be reported to Section 508 Office by product name and version, mode or user configuration if appropriate, how the product was assessed, Assistive Technologies (AT) used for the assessment, all Findings obtained, and as appropriate, results for each type of user (e.g., user, manager, super-user, admin, others provided or allowed by the product). AT used should include but not be limited to the current version of the VA Accessibility tools at time of testing (Dragon NaturallySpeaking, JAWS, MAGic, Window-Eyes, ZoomText). Vendor will submit results to Section 508 Office using a report format approved by the Section 508 Office. PRODUCTS CURRENTLY NOT BEING TESTED: Products that qualify under the Section 508 Exceptions defined as National Security, Undue Burden, Contractor Incidental, Fundamental Alteration, and Back Office. Product considered by the TRM to be a development Tool, including but not limited to code analyzers and code generators Product considered to be a platform, meaning: Development software used to create and deploy web properties, thus being similar to a developer s programming tool Framework which contains other, smaller pieces of independently functional code, such as java applets, modules, document repositories, and other distinct parts of a larger web property COTS or Government-off-the-shelf (GOTS) product whose code can be modified by the development team Product which can be classified generally as information technology hardware (telecommunications product; self-contained, closed product; desktop and portable computer; video and multimedia product, etc.). Products to which Section 508 May Not Apply: Medical Technology: Product to which Section 508 may not apply since it is Medical Technology, as defined by the VA in the Medical Device Isolation Architecture No User Interface: Product to which Section 508 may not apply since it does not accept human interaction during its use HVAC: Product to which Section 508 may not apply since as part of a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning System, it is not defined as information technology INFORMATION REQUESTED: Description of the process vendor will employ for assessments Listing of AT tools used in assessments Credentials of the Section 508 specialists to do the testing Description of the vendor s plan to obtain versions, both current and outdated Recommended formats for the Assessment Reports to be generated Turnaround time for Assessment Reports What experience does vendor have in performing this type testing or assessments? What suggestions does vendor have for the VA Section 508 Office to improve the planning and process for this? Why does vendor believe they could perform this work? Other pertinent information vendor wishes the government to consider SPECIFIC RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS: Please submit your response to this RFI in accordance with the following: 1) Provide a response in 4 pages or less (excluding transmittal page); 2) Include the name, email address and phone number of the appropriate representative of your company; 3) Address each of the requirements described above; 4) Submit your response to James Walker via email: james.walker10@va.gov ; 5) Submit your response no later than 3:00 P.M. Eastern Time on January 9, 2016; 6) Mark your response as Proprietary Information if the information included is considered to be business sensitive and/or includes trade secrets.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/5366ed494fa9342a225cd4a621844355)
 

Document(s)

Attachment
 

File Name: VA118-17-N-1825 VA118-17-N-1825.docx (https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=3161689&FileName=VA118-17-N-1825-001.docx)

Link: https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=3161689&FileName=VA118-17-N-1825-001.docx

 

Note: If links are broken, refer to Point of Contact above or contact the FBO Help Desk at 877-472-3779.
 

Record

SN04351212-W 20161216/161214234047-5366ed494fa9342a225cd4a621844355 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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