Ask which standard and level, how it will be tested, whether third-party components are included, who fixes failures after launch, and what happens when the client adds content. Vague answers to those five are the signal.

Why asking works

Nearly every supplier will say yes to do you build accessible sites, because saying no loses the job and because most genuinely intend to.

The follow-up questions are where the difference shows, since they require specifics that cannot be improvised.

You do not need technical knowledge to ask them or to judge the answers. What you are listening for is whether the supplier has done this before or is agreeing in principle.

The five questions

Which standard, and which level

Accessible on its own means nothing. There is an internationally recognised set of guidelines with defined conformance levels, and a supplier who works to it will name the version and the level without hesitating.

A supplier who cannot name a standard is describing an intention rather than a specification.

How will it be tested, and by whom

Automated tools catch a minority of issues. A supplier relying only on a scanner is testing the checkable subset.

What a good answer contains: automated scanning plus manual keyboard testing, screen reader testing, and ideally testing with people who use assistive technology daily.

Does that include third-party components

The question suppliers least expect. Booking widgets, payment pages, chat, maps, review feeds and video players are frequently the least accessible parts of a finished site and frequently outside what was quoted.

A supplier who has thought about it will say which components they have checked and which they cannot control.

Who fixes it if something fails after launch

Whether remediation is included, for how long, and at whose cost. This is a commercial term rather than a technical one and it belongs in the agreement.

What happens when we add content

The one that determines whether the site stays accessible. A site handed over accessible degrades as soon as somebody uploads an untagged image or pastes a table.

Good answers involve editor training, constrained editing so staff cannot break structure, and guidance written for the people who will actually use it.

Putting it in the agreement

Where intentions become obligations.

What belongs in writing: the standard and level as a deliverable rather than an aspiration, the testing method, whether third-party components are in scope, an acceptance process that includes an accessibility check, and a remediation period.

Acceptance criteria matter most. A site signed off on appearance has been accepted on appearance, and raising accessibility afterwards is a change request rather than a defect.

Naming it as an acceptance criterion means an accessibility failure at launch is the supplier's to fix.

If you are buying for the public sector

Or selling into it.

Public sector bodies in several Canadian jurisdictions operate under accessibility legislation with requirements that reach their websites and, through procurement, their suppliers. British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and the federal government each have their own framework, with different scopes and timelines.

Which means a public sector buyer frequently has an obligation that becomes a contractual requirement on you, and a supplier who can evidence their process has a real advantage over one asserting compliance.

The specifics differ by jurisdiction and change, so the applicable accessibility authority is the reference rather than a general summary.

Practically, for a supplier: be able to say which standard you work to, how you test, and what your own site achieves. Those three answers are what a procurement question is usually asking for.

The questions asked in the other direction

Worth anticipating if you are the supplier.

Buyers increasingly ask for an accessibility statement about your own site, evidence of testing on recent projects, and whether anyone on the team has relevant training.

None of those requires a certification that does not really exist in this field. They require having done the work and being able to describe it.

A supplier whose own site fails a keyboard test while proposing an accessible build is in an awkward position, and buyers do check.

The honest note about overlays

A supplier proposing an overlay or widget as the accessibility solution is proposing something the accessibility community broadly rejects, and that has been the subject of complaints elsewhere.

It is worth treating that proposal as an answer to the first question: this supplier is looking for a way to say yes rather than a way to do it.

The reasoning behind that position is set out in accessibility overlays: why the industry dislikes them.

Frequently asked questions

Why do the follow-up questions matter?

Nearly every supplier says yes to the first question. The follow-ups require specifics that cannot be improvised, which is where preparation shows.

What should I ask about standards?

Which standard and which conformance level. A supplier who works to one will name the version and level without hesitating.

What does good testing involve?

Automated scanning plus manual keyboard testing and screen reader testing, ideally including people who use assistive technology daily. Scanners catch a minority of issues.

Which question do suppliers least expect?

Whether third-party components are included. Booking widgets, payment pages, chat and maps are frequently the least accessible parts and outside the quote.

What belongs in the agreement?

The standard and level as a deliverable, the testing method, third-party scope, an acceptance process including an accessibility check, and a remediation period.

What if a supplier proposes an overlay?

Treat it as an answer to the first question. It is a way of saying yes rather than a way of doing it, and the accessibility community broadly rejects them.

West Coast Media Solutions Inc. provides web design, web development, hosting, digital marketing, and business consulting to organisations across Canada, drawing on more than twenty-five years in the field.

Quoting on public sector work and asked about accessibility?

We can tell you what your own site currently achieves, which is the first thing a buyer checks.

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