Promoting Accessibility in Procurement
The Accessible Canada Act (the Act) received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019, and came into force on July 11, 2019, with the goal of ensuring the full and equal participation of all persons, especially persons with disabilities, in society. This is to be achieved through the progressive realization of a Canada without barriers, on or before January 1, 2040, particularly by the identification, removal and prevention of barriers in federal jurisdiction in the following priority areas:
- Employment
- The built environment (buildings and public spaces)
- Information and communication technologies
- Communication, other than information and communication technologies
- The procurement of goods, services and facilities
- The design and delivery of programs and services
- Transportation
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is fully committed to the Act’s goal of making Canada barrier-free by January 1, 2040. Following consultations with persons with disabilities, their caregivers, and CRA employees with disabilities concerning the accessibility barriers they have encountered with the CRA’s service offerings, the CRA published its first-ever Accessibility Plan. The plan outlines concrete actions that the CRA will take to identify, remove and prevent accessibility barriers across its programs and services over the next three years.
In keeping with the CRA’s Accessibility Plan, and in order to comply with the Act, we are taking steps to procure accessible goods and services in support of the delivery of CRA programs and services. For example, the CRA has adopted the accessibility requirements for information and communication technology (ICT) products and services as outlined in the Harmonised European Standard EN 301 549 v3.1.2 (2021). Compliance with this standard must be demonstrated as part of all applicable CRA ICT solicitations and resulting contracts.
The CRA continues to explore ways to ensure all other goods and services procured are inclusive by design and accessible by default. As this initiative is intended to take place progressively, suppliers should anticipate that, over time, the accessibility requirements in the CRA’s procurement contracts will evolve and may become more demanding.