Accessibility support for procurers
We are proud to announce the publication of the new CEN/CENELEC/ETSI guidance on procuring accessible ICT. This is the first of the formal documents released that support the European Accessibility Act.
Together with other subject matter experts, Funka Foundation staff have been deeply involved in the development of the guidelines recently published by the European Standardisation Organisations CEN/CENELEC and ETSI: Peter Kemeny as the lead expert and Susanna Laurin as the chair of the working group.
Whether you are a public authority, a public procurement specialist, a bidder, or you are in any other way working with procurement, you should give this report a read – says Peter Kemeny, Accessibility expert at the Funka Foundation.
The report is part of Mandate 587, as the European Accessibility Act also has an impact on procurement. It is useful for public bodies, private companies, and suppliers – all stakeholders involved in making sure people with disabilities can use products and services.
Practical recommendations
The document presents a digestible guidance for procurers with limited previous accessibility knowledge. It contains integrated, real‑world examples and user insights to show how principles play out in practice.
The aim is to support public procurers in buying accessible ICT goods and services, translating European standards and high‑level principles into step‑by‑step advice that procurement teams can apply immediately – says Susanna Laurin, Managing director at the Funka Foundation.
The report helps organisations reduce legal, reputational, and operational risks by aligning digital services with recognised accessibility requirements. It guides them on how to incorporate accessibility into the technical specifications, the selection and evaluation criteria, how to assess bids and what to include in contract – the full public procurement cycle.
Our hope is that this publication will become a useful bridge between the technical standards and the day‑to‑day implementation of accessibility requirements.
If you would like to know more, we offer specialised training courses for procurers.
The full name of the technical report is “Guidelines for public procurement of ICT products and services in the European Union: accessibility award criteria and conformity assessment”.
CEN/CENELEC/ETSI guidelines for procurers, (PDF), opens in a new window
Contact
If you would like to know more, please contact project manager Peter Kemeny.