Procurement Level 5 (16-20 points)

Leading with Procurement Excellence

Congratulations! Your assessment indicates your organisation is at Level 5 in the Procurement dimension of accessibility maturity. Having skilled and knowledgeable procurement teams for is just how things should be done. It is part of business as usual and great to see it embedded in your organisation’s procurement activities. This represents the highest level of procurement accessibility.

Organisations at this level:

• Have exemplary accessibility requirements embedded in all procurement processes
• Hold vendors fully accountable, with contractual consequences for unmet accessibility claims or improvements
• Maintain industry-leading risk assessment and mitigation approaches
• Provide highly effective alternative access solutions when full accessibility isn’t possible
• Successfully influence vendor roadmaps and priorities through strong accessibility requirements in purchasing

Sustaining excellence in procurement

To maintain your leadership position:

• Continue to refine procurement process and documentation as standards evolve
• Share procurement strategies and success with other organisations
• Use purchasing influence to drive industry-wide improvements
• Contribute to evolving standards and best practices
• Update procurement policies and clauses as standards evolve, or talk to us about specific aspects

Your organisation demonstrates exceptional procurement maturity. By sharing this expertise and leveraging your market influence, you can help raise standards for accessible technology throughout the broader marketplace.

Procurement Level 4 (12-15 points)

Advanced Accessible Procurement

Your assessment indicates your organisation is at Level 4 in the Procurement dimension of accessibility maturity. Vendors are being required to show evidence of their accessibility credentials. Contracts might include penalty clauses for failing to meet accessibility commitments. This shows your procurement processes consistently incorporate accessibility with high effectiveness.

Organisations at this level typically:

• Embed comprehensive accessibility requirements into all procurement processes
• Require and verify credible evidence of vendor accessibility claims
• Conduct thorough risk assessments with clear mitigation strategies
• Have reliable and effective alternate access plans when fully accessibility isn’t possible
• Carefully evaluate vendor roadmaps and hold vendors accountable for progress

Leveling up in procurement

To advance to the highest level of procurement maturity:

• Ensure all new contracts and renewals include accessibility clauses
• Thoroughly evaluate vendor roadmaps more before making purchases
• Include penalties for vendors who fail to meet contractual obligations for accessibility
• Encourage vendors to enter an accessibility partnership for ongoing improvements and the uptake of offers is monitored and reported
• Formalise alternative access approaches that maximise inclusion
• Leverage your purchasing power to influence vendor priorities and drive accessibility improvements

Your organisation demonstrates strong accessibility in procurement. The path forward involves refining these practices while leveraging your purchasing influence to drive industry improvement.

Procurement Level 3 (8-11 points)

Established Accessible Procurement

Your assessment indicates your organisation is at Level 3 in the Procurement dimension of accessibility maturity. An end-to-end approach to accessible procurement is being considered. Procurement policies are being identified as missing accessibility considerations. Accessibility experts are sometimes advising the procurement teams. This shows you’ve established more substantial practices but still have opportunities for enhancement.

Organisations at this level typically:

• Have defined accessibility processes for most procurement activities
• Regularly request and validate vendor accessibility claims
• Conduct structured risk assessments for accessibility issues
• Establish defined processes for alternate access planning
• Often require accessibility roadmaps or improvement plans from vendors

Leveling up in procurement

To enhance your accessible procurement:

• Apply accessibility requirements consistently for all technology purchases
• Develop standard accessibility clauses in request for proposals (RFPs) and other procurement documentation
• Implement stricter, more rigorous validation of vendor accessibility claims
• Strengthen risk assessments by including mitigation strategies and plans for accommodations if the supplied product cannot be made fully accessible
• Require vendors to provide accessibility roadmaps or improvement plans

You’ve built solid accessible procurement practices. Your next steps involve ensuring these practices are consistent, rigorous, and increasingly integrated across all purchasing activities.

Procurement Level 2 (4-7 points)

Developing Your Accessible Procurement

Your assessment indicates your organisation is at Level 2 in the Procurement dimension of accessibility maturity. Rudimentary efforts are being made to include accessibility in the procurement process. Procurement staff are being encouraged to see the importance of accessibility in the procurement process though no real progress has happened. This shows you’ve begun incorporating accessibility in purchasing decisions but still have significant room for growth.

Organisations at this level typically:

• Include basic accessibility requirements in some procurement processes
• Occasionally request evidence to support vendor accessibility claims
• Conduct limited accessibility risk assessments for some purchases
• Have started planning for alternate access options in certain cases
• Sometimes request accessibility roadmaps or improvement plans from vendors

Leveling up in procurement

To develop more accessible procurement:

• Involve people with disabilities and accessibility experts in procurement decisions, even informally to start
• Begin updating procurement policies and documents to prioritise accessibility along with any other requirements
• Develop verification requirements for vendor accessibility claims
• Establish processes from planning alternative access when full accessibility isn’t possible
• Ask vendors to provide their accessibility roadmaps or improvement plans more consistently

You’ve made initial progress in accessible procurement. Now you can focus on expanding and strengthening these practices to create a more consistently accessible technology environment.

Procurement Level 1 (0-3 points)

Beginning Your Accessible Procurement Journey

Your assessment indicates your organisation is at Level 1 in the Procurement dimension of accessibility maturity. While you might think nothing is happening, there may be some awareness or discussion going on among some teams. This suggests that accessibility is not yet consistently integrated into your purchasing processes and vendor relationships.

Organisations at this level typically:

• Do not have policies that require accessibility in procurement
• Do not assess accessibility risks before making purchases
• Have no planning to provide alternate access when accessibility can’t be achieved
• Do not request accessibility roadmaps or improvement plans from vendors

Leveling up in procurement

To develop more accessible procurement practices:

• Start conversations about accessibility in procurement across your organisation
• Begin drafting a basic policy that requires accessibility in purchasing decisions
• Ask vendors to provide evidence supporting their accessibility claims
• Introduce simple risk assessment for major technology purchases
• Consider the risk and impact of buying products that are not accessible

Accessible procurement is essential for ensuring your technology environment supports all users. Your assessment shows you’re ready to begin building more inclusive purchasing practices.