Accessibility is no longer optional in procurement. Businesses pursuing contracts keep hearing about two critical deliverables:
Accessibility audits and VPATs.
Both play a role in digital compliance, but have different purposes. In this blog, we’ll explain what each is, how they work together, and why businesses and agencies use accessServices, accessiBe’s team of experts, to turn accessibility into a growth strategy.
Why these deliverables decide who wins
Accessibility is now a baseline requirement in many regulated industries - not a nice-to-have. Government contracts, higher education funding, healthcare procurement, and enterprise Requests for Proposals (RFPs) all expect clear proof of compliance.
That means businesses must provide official documentation showing their products and services meet accessibility standards.
But procurement teams aren’t interested in promises; they want validation.
Two deliverables provide that validation: Accessibility audits and VPATs.
While they serve different purposes, both are increasingly required to compete in regulated markets:
- An audit demonstrates that accessibility has been tested and verified
- A VPAT provides the formal documentation procurement teams demand
Together, they give organizations the strongest possible position to secure contracts, funding, and client trust.
If you’re an agency, you should know that your clients in government, higher education, and healthcare will be asked for audits or VPATs.
Agencies that can deliver them consistently win more deals. With accessiBe, you can add these services to your portfolio - under your brand.
VPATs: your ticket to compliance
A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a formal compliance report. It documents how accessible a digital product is under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act in adherence to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
When completed, a VPAT becomes an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) - the document procurement teams look for when evaluating bids.
Why VPATs matter
- Required in procurement: Many federal, state, higher education, and healthcare RFPs require a VPAT. Without one, proposals may be disqualified before review
- Proof of compliance: A VPAT demonstrates that accessibility has been formally evaluated by experts
- Business-critical: For organizations that rely on government contracts or funding, not having a VPAT can be a deal-breaker
Agencies: If your client receives federal funding or provides services to such organizations, they will be required by law to fill out a VPAT.
Expert audits: your accessibility roadmap
An accessibility audit is a thorough, hands-on review of websites, applications, and other digital assets to check how well they meet WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 Level AA- the technical standard for most accessibility legislation. Unlike automated scans, which can only catch certain issues, audits rely on trained accessibility experts who dig deeper.
These experts test with assistive technologies such as screen readers, and also evaluate keyboard-only navigation to simulate real user experiences and uncover barriers that other methods may miss.
Why audits matter
- Diagnose issues early: Audits identify accessibility gaps before they create legal or procurement risks and provide clients with code recommendations to fix issues
- Provide a plan: They give development teams clear, actionable steps to remediate issues
- Build confidence: When paired with a VPAT, an audit shows that accessibility isn’t just documented - it’s validated
How audits and VPATs work together
Audits and VPATs are not interchangeable — they are two parts of the same process.
An audit comes first. It identifies accessibility gaps and provides a remediation roadmap so development teams know exactly what to fix. A VPAT comes next, once issues have been addressed, to formally document compliance for procurement teams.
This “audit first, VPAT second” approach creates smoother procurement processes, reduces surprises, and builds confidence with decision-makers.
Here’s what this combination delivers:
- Win contracts and funding: Audits and VPATs are often mandatory for organizations in government, education, and healthcare
- Reduce legal risk: Demonstrating accessibility compliance lowers exposure to lawsuits and complaints
- Build trust: Clients, investors, and users see documented proof that accessibility is both tested and validated
For agencies, offering VPATs and audits elevates your role. You’re no longer just a vendor building sites - you’re a trusted advisor aligned with your client’s strategy. By providing a complete compliance package, you help them win contracts, protect funding, and reduce risk, while also creating a profitable new service line for your agency.
Enhancing audits with real user insights
With accessServices, accessibility audits can also include user testing with people with disabilities.
These users bring lived experience and test with the assistive technologies they rely on every day. Their feedback highlights challenges unique to different disabilities and adds practical insight into how people actually experience a website or application.
This perspective strengthens the audit by ensuring it reflects real user needs, not just technical standards.
Press here to learn more about user testing conducted by people with various disabilities.
accessiBe’s here to help
With accessiBe, compliance becomes simple, scalable, and profitable. Our team of accessibility specialists delivers audits, VPATs, and all supporting documentation - including user testing with people who use assistive technologies - so you can focus on your core business.
- For agencies, this means adding high-margin compliance services to your portfolio under your own brand
- For businesses, it means meeting procurement standards, protecting funding, reducing legal risk, and building trust - without the overhead
Ready to turn accessibility into your growth strategy? Book a demo with our team.
