Accessibility user testing and audit

Tender description

Summary of the work DVLA need to ensure that digital services have been tested with users who have access needs, as well as them being compliant with WCAG standards Expected Contract Length 12 months Latest start date Monday 28 August 2017 Budget Range Up to £1500 per day, including provision of user testing participants with access needs, WCAG audit report and summary of findings from user tests. Why the Work is Being Done DVLA must ensure that digital services work for those who have specific needs or use assistive technology and ensure compliance (to minimum Accessible AA level) within WCAG2.0 web content accessibility guidelines. It is also essential that DVLA test digital services with users who have access needs to ensure that those services are not only WCAG compliant but usable. Problem to Be Solved In order for DVLA services to be accessed via GOV.UK, they must meet the minimum usability and accessibility criteria set out by Government Digital Services (GDS). The GDS standards can be found on the GOV.UK pages. We require accessibility testing and Audit across identified digital services to be compliant with WCAG standards. The different types of disabilities that need to be considered include; • Blind • Low vision • Colour blind • Dyslexia • Deaf • Limited limb mobility • Learning disabilities • Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Supplier will be required to provide coding support to buyers design team. Who Are the Users The users are citizens and users within businesses with specific needs or using assistive technology who consume DVLA digital services. These services need to be designed in a way that enables the different user segments to conduct their business with DVLA and are relevant, accessible and ultimately useable. Existing Team The supplier will work alongside the DVLA qualitative research and usability testing team, as well as the DVLA interaction designers Current Phase Not applicable Skills & Experience • Proven experience in assessing pages for usability through assistive technology and software • Proven experience in assessing pages for accessibility • Proven experience in providing designers and developers with accessibility advice • Proven experience in wireframe reviews • Proven experience in accessability auditing • Proven experience in WCAG 2.0 Accreditation • Demonstrable experience in testing services using Mobile Phones, tablets, Desktop computers and Smart TV's • Proven ability to provide coding support to buyers design team/s. Work Location The testing/audit will be undertaken in an area selected by the supplier. Working Arrangments Due to the nature of the requirement any work will be undertaken off site and in an appropriate area determined by the supplier. Security Clearance Not applicable. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 10 Proposal Criteria • Technical Solution • Approach and methodology • How the approach or solution meets your organisation's policy or goal • Value for money Cultural Fit Criteria Supplier works with our access and interaction design team providing access to the testers. Payment Approach Time and materials Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 20% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. 1. Will the contractor be required to recruit participants? 2. How many testing sessions/how many users do you anticipate? 1. Yes we would expect the supplier to recruit participants2. We anticipate up to 20 sessions (sessions may last longer than 1 day) with up to 8 participants in each, in order to ensure accessibility from a range of devices and to meet a range of specific access needs. 2. What is the expected frequency of the testing over 12 months? e.g. is it bunched around windows for specific design activities that are scheduled or is it anticipated to be spread out evenly as a recurring event over the entire year? Frequency will be in line with the development cycles of the various work streams, and so for the most part will be spread throughout the contract. 3. You indicated that this is a 12 month contract - can you confirm if you require a single audit and one round of testing with participants and if so how many users? Or if this is an ongoing engagement how frequently do you anticipate requiring audit and testing and how frequently and how many participants per round of testing? Also, please advise if you have any preferences on locations for where testing takes place? Frequency will be in line with the development cycles of the various work streams, and so for the most part will be spread throughout the contract.We anticipate up to 20 sessions (sessions may last longer than 1 day) with up to 8 participants in each, in order to ensure accessibility from a range of devices and to meet a range of specific access needs. I have no preference on where the testing takes place, but that it takes place with users who have access needs and can be observed. 4. Given information indicates the contract for 12 months, but how big is the assumed workload within that time? Do you expect these accessibility user testing and audits to be run on continuous basis (including planning, tests, reports etc.) or more occasionally on-need basis? Frequency will be in line with the development cycles of the various work streams, and so for the most part will be spread throughout the contract as required.We anticipate up to 20 sessions (sessions may last longer than 1 day) with up to 8 participants in each, in order to ensure accessibility from a range of devices and to meet a range of specific access needs.. 5. Which projects or services do you aim to cover with these tests and audits? The contract will cover accessibility testing as required, potentially at multiple stages on ALL user facing digital services. There are other dependencies such as the complexity of the design and whether it has been tested already. 6. Do the days per round include preparation (script writing) and post research analysis and report writing? Yes – but the days per round will vary based on the complexity of the service. 7. Can you clarify what is meant by coding support? Does this relate to using HTML validation tools? By coding support we mean that the supplier will be able to advise on how to make elements of the HTML or CSS code (that fail at test or audit) accessible. 8. Re: coding support. To be crystal clear, does this mean that you wish the successful testing organisation (supplier) to be writing or amending code? We feel that this is uncommon if so. We wouldn’t require the supplier to write or amend code, but to identify sections/pages of the service which aren’t accessible, and advise on how the code could be amended to address the accessibility issues. 9. 1. In your Q&A, there is no clarification about your audit requirements. Is this a single audit or do you need regular audits over the 12 month period, if so how many do you envisage & will these be instead of or in addition to the testing requirements? 2. In your Q&A, you indicate a requirement for 20 sessions with up to 8 participants in each. Can you confirm if you mean 8 participants per round of testing with a total of 20 rounds of sessions or that there will be 8 participants in each of the 20 sessions? There will be regular audits over 12 months, covering a number of different services.There will be up to 20 sessions over that period with up to 8 participants per session, depending on complexity and scope of the services being tested/audited. 10. Is there a predetermined list of accessibility software and tools which the testing is to be conducted against? There is no definitive list, but we expect testing to be conducted with the most commonly used assistive software. The link below may help.https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2016/11/01/results-of-the-2016-gov-uk-assistive-technology-survey/ 11. The application process does not ask about pricing. Will the selection process include a second phase where pricing is requested? i.e. is the current application process just a shortlisting exercise? The initial phase of the procurement process requires the supplier to submit evidence against the essential skills. These will be evaluated by the business and the suppliers who meet the evaluation requirements will be invited to submit their proposal along with their pricing. The cost will form part of the overall evaluation scoring process and a guide figure is provided on the DOS2 advert as to the maximum daily charge we would expect to pay. 12. The budget information mentions the daily fee is "including provision of user testing participants with access needs" - would the provider also be expected to provide lab space and/ or recordings of the sessions? In terms of testing space, this would be looked at on a case by case basis. We would expect either A/V recordings or transcripts of the test outputs as part of the report. 13. When you are asking the question "demonstrable experience in testing services using Mobile Phones, Tablets, Desktop Computers and Smart TV's." What kind of testing services are you referring to specifically? Testing how accessible the service is via those devices and platforms, either through the device accessibility tools or additional assistive software/hardware.