Procurement and Accessibility
Section 28 of the Disability Act entitled Accessibility of Services supplied to a Public Body came into effect on 31st of December 2005. It requires that all public bodies:
- Review existing procurement policies, practices and procedures and Identify how they can be revised to include accessibility.
- Ensure that in all public procurement exercises accessibility is considered.
- Promote this requirement to all relevant personnel and provide guidance.
As highlighted in recent European Commission Mandates (376&420) having clear standards that define functional requirements for accessibility to be used in public procurement can facilitate a policy for the prevention of accessibility barriers. Furthermore public purchases in the EU constitute an important market and amounts to €1.500 billion or 16% of the Union’s GDP.
If you are a member of a public body and are involved in the procurement process, you must consider accessibility in the procurement process. If you are unaware of the procurement policies in place within your organisation you should contact your procurement officer or if you would like further assistance on accessibility requirements, please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on 01-4151285 or e-mail [email protected].
