Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act - Frequently Asked Questions

E.1. - What steps does the FAR require an agency to take when acquiring EIT?

First, the requirements (program) office must read the Access Board standards, and determine which technical provisions apply (see section B.2.ii, above).

Second, the requiring official must perform market research to determine the availability of products and services that meet the applicable technical provisions. In determining availability, requiring officials should consider, among other things, information on vendor web sites and the government’s Section 508 web site (www.section508.gov).

Third, the requiring official must identify which technical provisions, if any, do not apply due to an exception, such as nonavailability or undue burden. (See sections F and G below for further discussion on nonavailability, undue burden and other exceptions, and associated contract file documentation requirements).

Fourth, technical specifications and minimum requirements must be developed considering the results of market research and agency needs. The requiring official must submit this information along with the purchase request, including nonavailability or undue burden documentation as appropriate, to the contracting officer.

Finally, the contracting officer must draft and issue a solicitation to receive offers from interested sources or consider placing an order under a delivery order or task order contract. Proposal evaluation may yield additional information that could require reconsideration of the need for an exception (either retracting or invoking an exception, such as nonavailability).

As noted above, an agency must consider EIT that offers equivalent facilitation and should state in its solicitation that it will do so (see section E.4. below)