How to get a VPAT (without derailing your proposal)

Procurement asked for a VPAT and the clock is running. Here is the four-step path vendors actually follow, with realistic timelines.

Step 1 — Scan and see where you stand

Run an automated WCAG/508 scan on the product's key pages. This takes minutes and tells you whether you're looking at a touch-up or a remediation project. It also produces the skeleton of the VPAT itself: which criteria pass automation and which already show failures.

Step 2 — Fix the automated findings

Missing alt text, contrast failures, unlabeled form fields, missing language attributes — these are the fastest fixes and the first things a buyer's reviewer checks. Every one you fix upgrades a Partially Supports toward Supports.

Step 3 — Manual confirmation

An auditor verifies the criteria automation can't judge: keyboard-only operation, focus order, screen-reader announcements, error handling. This is what makes the document signable — automated results alone cannot support a conformance claim.

Step 4 — Publish and maintain

The signed ACR goes to procurement (and ideally your website's accessibility page). Re-issue it on major releases — a stale VPAT reads as an unmaintained product.

VPATForge covers step 1 free, and steps 3–4 as a fixed-price service — $1,500 for a VPAT Lite, $2,500–5,000 for a full audit with signed VPAT.