Department of Education Accessibility Uplift Project

⁠⁠⁠Overview

The Department of Education (ACT) is seeking to engage an external accessibility auditing provider to conduct independent evaluations of nominated Education websites and applications against WCAG 2.2 Level AA and related government accessibility requirements.

About

The Accessibility Uplift Project forms part of the department's broader digital accessibility uplift, supporting teams responsible for a wide range of websites and applications. The work supports the accessibility and inclusion objectives of the Australian Government's Digital Service Standard (DSS) 2.0 and Digital Inclusion Standard (DIS), in particular DSS Criterion 3, Leave no one behind, and DIS Criterion 4, Make it accessible, using WCAG 2.2 Level AA as the technical basis for identifying and addressing accessibility gaps.

The engagement will support the department's 2026-27 Accessibility Uplift Program, which will take a risk-based approach starting with specialist WCAG 2.2 accessibility assessments to establish a clear view of current-state risk.

Purpose

These services will support the department's work towards compliance with, but not limited to:

• The Disability Discrimination Act 1992
• The Digital Experience Policy (DX Policy), including the accessibility and inclusion outcomes of the Digital Service Standard and Digital Inclusion Standard
• Whole-of-government accessibility expectations and internal departmental policies requiring conformance with WCAG 2.2 for all digital products

Further information is available from the Australian Human Rights Commission's Standards and Guidelines on digital accessibility.

Objectives

• Establish a clear view of current-state accessibility risk through specialist WCAG 2.2 accessibility assessments
• Prioritise remediation for high-impact systems based on assessment findings
• Build accessibility maturity across the department
• Embed accessibility as a standard delivery practice through governance, standards and business-as-usual processes

Scope

The Accessibility Uplift Program will be delivered through three overlapping phases: foundation and planning, accessibility assessment, and remediation.

The scope includes:

• Conducting independent accessibility audits of nominated Education websites and applications against WCAG 2.2 Level AA and related government accessibility requirements
• Auditing prioritised systems and providing findings, risk ratings and remediation guidance (Phase 2, accessibility assessment)
• Conducting retesting to validate remediation fixes carried out by system teams and updating issue status (Phase 3, remediation)

The department currently anticipates commissioning approximately six to eight application audits, expected to be predominantly Small or Medium. This is an estimate only and does not represent a guaranteed minimum volume. The final number, mix and sequence of applications will be confirmed during Phase 1 and will depend on validated scope, application readiness, supplier pricing and available funding.

The department will select and prioritise the applications to be audited. The supplier will not be responsible for determining which applications are selected.

Enquiries

Buyer contact: mark.ciesniewski2@education.gov.au