WCAG 2.1 Consultant

Position: WCAG 2.1 Consultant

Duration: 6 months with extension possible

Location: Minneapolis, MN (Hybrid)

Job Descrption:

The client wants to select a qualified Consultant to conduct a WCAG 2.1 assessment that includes addressing and remediating any non-compliance within the required timeframe.

Per Department of Justice guidance, the City is working to meet WCAG 2.1 AA requirements for all publicfacing digital and web content and services. The City is working to 1) determine scope of work to comply by April 24, 2026, including testing and remediating current issues and 2) create a plan to assure maintaining compliance beyond April 24, 2026. The city is currently seeking a vendor to assist with a scope of service as defined below.

The Consultant will work with the City of Minneapolis' WCAG 2.1 Work Group, which consists of city staff from multiple departments including, the City Attorney's Office, Information Technology ("IT"), Communications, Neighborhood & Community Relations, and the City Clerk's Office. Compliance refers to meeting the WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria provided on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) website and meeting the standards established by the Department of Justice in 28 C.F.R. 35, Subpart H.

The Consultant will work specifically with the IT department on the following activities:

1. Conduct a Current State Assessment: Review known external-facing tools and determine responsible party for development and maintenance of compliance (externally developed software versus internally developed/managed tools);

2. Conduct a Comprehensive Testing and Validation/Accessibility Test and Review: The City has used Site Improve, NVDA, and other web browser plug-ins but these tools are not sufficient for comprehensive WCAG 2.1 AA validation. The vendor will test and make recommendations to the City for remediation of all identified tools.

3. Develop Accessibility Process Integration: Accessibility is not currently integrated into the City's existing software development lifecycle (SDLC), and issues are identified after testing. Consultant will work with IT staff to establish processes for:

o Conducting accessibility audits

o Documenting accessibility issues

o Prioritizing and tracking accessibility bugs

4. Provide Recommendations: Provide recommendations for the City's Plan on how to achieve and maintain compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA, including software recommendations, process improvement, training, etc.

Qualifications

At minimum, the Consultant shall have the following qualifications:

• Familiarity with assistive technologies (screen readers, voice control, etc.) and how to test them.
• Experience conducting external user testing with individuals with disabilities.
• Experience with evaluating compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria and the digital accessibility standards established the Department of Justice in its new rule, 28 C.F.R. 35, Subpart H.

I. SELECTION OF CONSULTANT: Proposals will be reviewed by an Evaluation Panel made up of representatives of the City of Minneapolis, Information Technology and other City staff assistance as they might require. The Evaluation Panel will select a "short list" of qualified Consultants who will be formally interviewed as part of the final selection, as deemed necessary by the City. Evaluations will be based on the required criteria listed in the Section titled "PROPOSAL FORMAT", and the following:

A. Quality, thoroughness, and clarity of proposal.

B. Qualifications and experience of staff (includes a review of references).

C. How well the Scope of Services offered meets department objectives.

D. Cost of services proposed.