ACR Desk

Questions · Procurement, updates and cost

Will an ACR with a lot of “Partially Supports” cost us the deal?

Not by itself. GSA tells vendors a product “will still be considered for purchase even if all of the Section 508 Technical Standards are not met,” and compared with similar products. Buyers read the remarks: which features fail, who is affected, whether there is a workaround, and when you will fix it.

What federal guidance says

GSA’s vendor FAQ (updated June 2026) says a product that doesn’t meet every Section 508 standard is still considered and “compared to other similar commercially available products.” It adds that if you have an ACR and a competitor doesn’t, “you will always be the most conformant.”

GSA’s guidance to buyers says “Partially Supports” means the product does not conform, and tells them to examine the details. The Issue Detail Supplement, which GSA recommends adding wherever a solicitation asks for an ACR, records for each issue its severity (critical barrier, major or minor issue), the area affected, the user groups affected and any workaround. GSA also suggests agencies consider asking for remediation plans for features that don’t fully conform.

What universities ask

The HECVAT (version 4.1.6) asks whether your product “substantially” conforms to WCAG 2.1 AA — entirely, or “almost all user and administrator features” — and says documentation of limitations and workarounds should be provided where it doesn’t (ITAC-08). ITAC-14 asks for “a current, detailed accessibility roadmap with delivery timelines.”

What weakens a report instead

A report with Supports on every row, or remarks that repeat the criterion’s title, gives a reviewer nothing to weigh. GSA tells purchasers to verify vendor claims with independent testing whenever possible, and to reserve the right to test before award.

How ACR Desk handles this

We write what we found. Every issue in our fix list carries the severity, the area, the affected users and any workaround — the fields of GSA’s supplement. Fix the top issues, use the included retest within 90 days, and send the buyer the updated ACR. We don’t promise a buyer’s decision.

See a sample fix list Free accessibility snapshot

Last reviewed: September 30, 2026. Not legal advice: rules change, and your buyer’s solicitation or contract governs what they require.

Sources

Primary sources only. Each was read on September 30, 2026.

  1. Accessibility Conformance Report/VPAT® Frequently Asked Questions — Section508.gov, GSA (reviewed/updated June 2026).
  2. Understanding Vendor Claims in Accessibility Conformance Reports for Section 508 Conformance — Section508.gov, GSA.
  3. ACR Issue Detail Supplement — Section508.gov, GSA (reviewed/updated October 2026).
  4. Request Accessibility Information from Vendors and Contractors — Section508.gov, GSA.
  5. Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit (HECVAT 4, current version 4.1.6) — IT Accessibility questions ITAC-01 to ITAC-18 — EDUCAUSE.