The Accessible Procurement Toolkit
www.apt.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Tutorial for the Accessible Procurement Toolkit Web Site
What is an accessible product or service?
An accessible product or service is one that can be used by people regardless of their abilities.
For example, a computer can be made accessible for a person who is blind by having screen text converted to audio or Braille. Similarly, a desk can be modified to accommodate a person in a wheelchair.
Why is it important to have accessibility in an office environment?
If products and services in an office are not accessible, they cannot be used by everyone. This in turn can deny people the opportunity to become employees or customers of your organization.
Purpose and Main Features of this Web Site
The Accessible Procurement Toolkit (APT) web site was designed by the Assistive Devices Industry Office (ADIO) of Industry Canada as a resource for federal government purchasing agents.
Its purpose is to present information that will assist purchasing agents in making sure any office products and services acquired are accessible for employees and customers.
Using the information, you will be able to:
- Ask the right questions of vendors and manufacturers to ensure an off-the-shelf product has maximum accessibility for people with disabilities.
- Insert guidelines and requirements into documentation related to a competitive tender to ensure a product or service is accessible.
Some Federal departments require purchasers or procurement officers to use the Toolkit. Even for those who are under no obligation to use this web site, it is recommended as a way to ensure supplier contracts for accessible products and services contain accurate and appropriate guidelines. This will help Federal Government of Canada purchasers meet their obligations under the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's "Policy on the Duty to Accommodate Persons with Disabilities in the Federal Public Service" .
Mainstream Technologies (Accessible Procurement Toolkit):
The APT web site covers mainstream technologies and supplies used by the majority of people. It covers the modification or purchase of such standard office amenities as computers and furnishings.
When to use:
Use the APT database when ordering standard technology, supplies or services to ensure they are accessible for the majority of people.
Please note that this toolkit does not provide information about or links to manufacturers or vendors of office technology or services, nor does it list or link to products by brand or model name. However, armed with general information found in the toolkit it should be possible to use your favourite Internet search engine to learn more about specific technologies and vendors. One source of information that can be used to identify Canadian vendors, manufacturers and service providers is the Canadian Company Capabilities database provided by Industry Canada. [link]
Starting Categories of the Accessible Procurement Toolkit
- Documentation, instruction and technical support
- General Office Accommodations
- Hardware
- Media and Content
- Software
- Telecommunication Products
- Training
- Web sites / Web Applications
Toolkit Uses
The APT database provides purchasing guidance and suggested specifications that can be used in documents for the selection and contracting of suppliers.
Such information includes technical data, standards, policies and best practices in order to:
- Research appropriate products and services
- Make informed purchasing decisions
- Attract suitable suppliers
- Create appropriate tender, expression of interest, and request for proposal documents
- Develop appropriate agreements, standing offers, call-ups and other contracts for the development and purchase of accessible products and services.
Other users
While developed for federal government purchasing agents, the toolkit is also useful for purchasing agents at the provincial and municipal levels and the private sector. Purchasers in other jurisdictions with similar laws or policies can use the toolkit to meet their particular obligations.
People with disabilities may want to use the toolkit to research products and services that are applicable to their own circumstances.
In addition, the toolkit is an excellent research tool for:
- Suppliers and developers of accessible products and services
- Companies that wish to sell their products to the U.S. federal government
- Rehabilitation specialists
- Accessibility consultants and researchers
Does the toolkit have everything that I need?
It is important to emphasize that the toolkit is an appropriate starting point but should not be considered as comprehensive or the only information to be consulted.
The specifications for accessible products and services are changing frequently as new knowledge is acquired and new technologies are introduced.
Furthermore, most of the standards outlined in the toolkits are regarded to be only the minimum needed to achieve a level of accessibility.
As well, the standards documents from which many of the requirement clauses in this database are taken contain much more valuable supporting information that can inform and aid you in the understanding of the standards.
We recommend purchasing officers do the following in addition to using the toolkit:
- Within requests for proposal, have suppliers share their experiences with you and ask for recommendations regarding the latest products and services that would be appropriate for your circumstances.
- Refer to the Canadian Companies Capabilities web site for a directory of appropriate suppliers,
How to use the Toolkit
The web site is easy to navigate. You will notice that at the top of each page under the site menu bar, there is text indicating where you are within the site. This is called a "Breadcrumb trail"
Product and Service Category Tree:
The toolkit is organized in a tree structure, starting with a list of general categories that progressively branch off into more specific subcategories.
When you finally reach a product or service category that is not linked, it means that branch has come to an end.
Data links for Contracting:
Listings are accompanied by up to four data links which contain information you can consider for your contract documentation.
1. Definition
All of the listings include a link providing either a short or a detailed definition of the term as it is used in the Toolkit. Definitions are important to help ensure there is no confusion about what product or service should be considered for purchase. Some types of products or services that might be better described by more specific category names are grouped under broader headings at the moment. In those cases the definitions include examples of the types of technologies or services we refer to to aid your understanding.
2. Requirements
When an item is specific enough to warrant the assignment of accessibility criteria, the Requirements link will appear. The Requirements link provides publicly available specifications, standards and best practices that can be used to make an appropriate purchase or instruct suppliers on what rules or guidelines they should be following to modify or develop a product or service.
3. Advice
This link will appear whenever there are substantive considerations that should be examined before the related product or service is acquired. The information under this link is important to review prior to making purchasing plans.
4. Environmental considerations
This link will appear whenever the product or service presents factors related to office air quality or environmental sensitivities of office staff. The information under this link is important to review prior to making purchasing plans.
Appearance of the data links
You will notice that the requirements, advice and environmental considerations links do not exist for every listing. That is because there may not be generally accepted practices for a particular product or service and in these cases, further research may be needed. It may also be because the specifications of a particular product or service are dependent upon customization and the precise needs of the user or users.
U.S. and International Standards
You will also notice that the information under the requirements links will often include standards that are from U.S. or international sources. Although not legally binding in Canada we recommend that these requirements be included in your procurement to ensure that vendors of products and services are tendering the most accessible goods possible. These should always be used when a separate made-in-Canada standard has not been developed.
The inclusion of U.S. and international standards may be useful to Canadian companies that want to sell their products, systems or services to the countries where the legislation originated.
How to Copy Information
You can copy information from the toolkits directly into any documentation related to the purchase of a product or service. The method you will use to copy and paste will depend upon the computer equipment you are using. Use the method most familiar to you.
For most users, text will be transferred through the use of a computer mouse and/or keyboard.
This can be done as follows.
1. Highlight the required text from the web site
Using your mouse: Place your mouse cursor at the start of the text, click and then drag your mouse to the end of the text. When finished, release the mouse.
Using your keyboard: Use the arrow keys to locate the text then press the SHIFT key while moving the right arrow key until you have highlighted all of the text needed.
2. Copy the text to the Windows clipboard
Using your mouse: Click the right mouse button and select "Copy" in the list of options (or the left mouse button if your mouse has been configured for left-handed users).
Using your keyboard: Press CONTROL-C.
3. Paste the text into your document
Using your mouse: Open your document (such as a Request for Proposal) and place the mouse cursor at the spot where you want to paste the text. Click your right mouse button and select "Paste" in the list of options (or the left mouse button if your mouse has been configured for left-handed users).
Using your keyboard: Open your document (such as a Request for Proposal) and use your arrow clicks to locate the spot where you want to paste the text. Then click CONTROL-V.
Search by Product Code
All of the main categories in the databases have an assigned product code. If you search by product code, you will produce a list of links related specifically to that category. Use the product code search if you know what product or service you need and want to scan only related links.
Three major procurement code systems are available:
- Goods and Services Information Number (GSIN) in Canada;
- Federal Procurement Codes (FPC) in the United States;
- United Nations Standardized Products Something Code (UNSPSC) internationally.
Glossary
You can obtain a description of the various standards that are referenced in the toolkit through the Glossary.
Here, you will have access not only to definitions but also the history of some of the more commonly used standards that have been developed in Canada, the U.S. and internationally.
It's a good idea to review the Glossary to obtain an understanding of why standards were developed and how they were intended to be applied.
References
The References page provides links to some of the organizations that developed standards and to those that promote or research standards, policies and best practices.
By checking out these links you may be able to obtain up-to-date information and find guidance on areas that may not be covered in the toolkits.
Bookmarking the site
The toolkit is part of a database application that generates web pages using identification codes contained within the address of each page. Since the database is updated constantly, the codes, and therefore web page addresses, change often.
As a result, bookmarking a database page in a browser may mean that the page will disappear at some point or contain no information.
To ensure this does not happen, and to obtain the full benefit of the toolkits, you should only bookmark the main page.
