eTenders Forums

Hi folks

Shane Hogan here from the National Disability Authority. As you may know, Section 27 of the Disability Act 2005 puts a legal obligation on the heads of all public  bodies to ensure that goods and services procured are accessible to people with disabilities. For more details on this, see this presentation from the NDA Access Officers conference in 2007. The presentation includes template text for inclusion in your procurement policy and case studies of An Bord Pleanala and Cork County Council. The NDA Code of Practice on Accessible Public Services also provides some useful information on this issue.

There are mature standards in accessibility of buildings or websites are fairly well developed, but it can be difficult to identify appropriate criteria for accessibility in other areas. We've come across some interesting examples of how public bodies have used the procurement process to ensure accessibility of goods and services. One public body was tendering for manned security services to staff a reception counter, and included a tender requirement that the security staff would undergo the same Disability Equality training as their own staff. The security staff would often be the first point of contact with the customer, so it is important that the staff are trained to deal with customers of all abilities and disabilities.

Another organisation included a requirement for built-in stapling capability when tendering for photocopies, as some staff members did not have full power in both arms and were therefore unable to use a traditional stapler. The automatic stapling facility wil of course be of benefit to all staff, not just those with disabilities.

I'd be very interested in hearing other examples of how organisations are meeting the requirements of Section 27 of the Disability Act.

Best regards

Shane

Thanks for this Shane, hopefully you will get further examples. Liz Nolan, eProcurement Initiative, NPPPU