Section 508- Accessibility Consulting, Compliance Testing, Implementation, and Training

In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (E&IT) accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508 (29 U.S.C. 794d), agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others. The Government is interested in obtaining information regarding sources to provide Section 508 Consulting, Testing, Implementation and Training. Much of Section 508 compliance is concerned with making websites, intranets, and web-enabled applications accessible. GSA wants to ensure that its staff offices and organizations web sites, applications, documents, forms, records, and other E&IT are Section 508 compliant. We will also hold an industry conference to discuss the Government's anticipated requirement. This is intended to be an open forum of discussion. Pertinent information regarding the potential project: 1) GSA is interested in establishing a nationwide Blanket Purchase Agreement with a one (1) year base and four (4) one-year options. 2) The primary place of performance is in the metro Washington, DC area but support will be provided nationwide within GSA's 11 Regions. 3) The contractor shall provide all tools, equipment, material, labor and supervision required to perform the specified work 4) The Contractor will be responsible for the following potential tasks: 1. 508 Accessibility Consulting- Creating accessibility statements, integrating accessibility with products, setting up accessibility testing plans, analysis of compliance, policy? etc. 2. 508 Compliance Testing, Validation, and Verification- test software applications and operating systems including commercial off-the-shelf items (COTS) and web-based intranet and internet information and applications, including support documentation (e.g. Powerpoint presentations, PDFs, etc.), and provide test reports containing findings of the testers and recommendations to resolve accessibility issues 3. Implementation of 508 Accessibility- Provide support in resolving accessibility issues, 4. Training- Provide training on software applications and/or scripts developed to accomplish the specified requirements. 5) GSA will hold an Industry Conference to discuss the Government's anticipated requirement. Travel and per diem will not be paid. The conference will be held at 1800 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20405 on Thursday, April 16, 2009 from 1p.m. to 3p.m. (ET). This Sources Sought is for information and planning purposes only, and does not constitute a RFQ. This Sources Sought is not to be construed as a commitment by the U. S. Government. If a formal solicitation is generated at a later date, a solicitation notice will be issued. No award will be made as a result of this Sources Sought notice. The Government reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any private sector input as a result of this Market Survey. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this survey or results of information submitted. All information is to be submitted at no cost or obligation to the Government. Interested firms responding to this Sources Sought Notice must provide the following: (a) Statement of Qualifications (SOQ), not to exceed four (4) pages, outlining the firm's capabilities and experience with respect to the effort described herein. Please indicate business size (a large or small business, small disadvantaged business, woman-owned business, HUBZone small business and/or service disabled veteran-owned business). (b) Statement that firm is currently registered or will be registered in both Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), a requirement to do work with the Federal Government. (c) Identify methods and/or tools to be utilized. Please inform us if your company is an authorized dealer/reseller for the COTS software being suggested or if the company is the developer of the software. Request that any/all license restrictions be identified. (d) State if you will be attending the Industry Conference and provide names, email addresses and phone numbers to those who will be attending. You will receive a confirmation email with the date, time, and room number of the conference. (e) Acknowledgement that Travel and Per Diem will not be paid to attend the conference. All responses are to be limited to 8 pages. If including proprietary information in the response ensure proprietary information is marked appropriately. All information should be directed to Teresa Blake via email: teresa.blake@gsa.gov, no later than 3:00 pm ET, Thursday, April 9, 2009. Any questions regarding the above information should be sent to the same email address, teresa.blake@gsa.gov.