NSW Government WCAG 2.2 Procurement

Accessibility requirements for NSW Government procurement

What NSW agencies expect on accessibility, how buy.nsw fits in, and the evidence suppliers need to prepare. Written by a registered buy.nsw supplier that delivers for NSW Government.

Overview

Quick answer

What accessibility does NSW Government procurement require?

NSW Government digital services and the suppliers who build them are expected to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA, consistent with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and broader Australian government practice. Accessibility requirements are commonly written into NSW tenders and contracts, and agencies ask suppliers to evidence conformance with an audit and a VPAT or Accessibility Conformance Report rather than a self-declaration. Engagement runs through buy.nsw.

How NSW procurement works for accessibility

Two things run in parallel: the procurement channel, and the accessibility evidence. You need both.

  • The channel, buy.nsw. buy.nsw is the NSW Government procurement platform where agencies find and engage suppliers. A registered supplier with an active profile can be engaged through standard pathways, including direct engagement under an agency's quote threshold. ExceedAbility is a registered buy.nsw supplier (profile 12436636).
  • The evidence, WCAG 2.2 AA. Registration gets you in the door; conformance evidence wins the work. NSW agencies increasingly write WCAG 2.2 AA into tenders and ask for independent proof.

What NSW agencies ask suppliers to evidence

The emphasis is on independent evidence of the specific product being supplied, not a generic platform claim:

For the full supplier-side preparation, see our WCAG 2.2 compliance checklist for government suppliers.

How suppliers prepare

  1. Register on buy.nsw so agencies can engage you through their standard procurement pathway.
  2. Commission an independent WCAG 2.2 AA audit of the product you supply.
  3. Remediate the high-severity findings and document the rest honestly with dated plans.
  4. Produce a VPAT or ACR and an accessibility statement as your evidence artefacts.
  5. Keep accessibility in your delivery process so conformance survives the next release.

ExceedAbility and NSW Government

ExceedAbility is a registered buy.nsw supplier and has delivered accessibility work for NSW Government agencies including Environment and Heritage, Communities and Justice, the NSW Public Service Commission, the NSW Electoral Commission and Transport for NSW. We deliver WCAG 2.2 audits, document remediation, VPAT and Accessibility Conformance Reports, and organisational uplift, all on-shore with Australian resources. See our government accessibility consulting overview and our NSW Accessibility Intelligence research, and the wider engagement detail in how we work.

Common questions about NSW Government accessibility procurement

Plain answers to the questions NSW agencies and suppliers ask most often.

What is buy.nsw and do suppliers need to be registered?

buy.nsw is the NSW Government procurement platform where agencies find and engage suppliers. A registered supplier with an active profile can be engaged through standard pathways, including direct engagement under threshold. ExceedAbility is a registered buy.nsw supplier (profile 12436636). Registration does not replace conformance evidence; it is the channel through which the engagement happens.

What accessibility evidence do NSW agencies ask suppliers for?

Typically an independent WCAG 2.2 AA audit of the product, a VPAT or Accessibility Conformance Report, a remediation plan for known issues, and a public accessibility statement. For published documents, agencies expect accessible PDFs and forms to WCAG 2.2 AA and PDF/UA. The emphasis is on independent evidence of the specific product being supplied.

How can a supplier prepare for NSW accessibility requirements?

Register on buy.nsw, commission an independent WCAG 2.2 AA audit of the product you supply, remediate high-severity findings, and produce a VPAT or ACR plus an accessibility statement. Then keep accessibility in your delivery process. Honest known-issues with dated remediation plans evaluate better than an implausible claim of perfect conformance.

Does ExceedAbility work with NSW Government?

Yes. ExceedAbility is a registered buy.nsw supplier and has delivered for NSW agencies including Environment and Heritage, Communities and Justice, the Public Service Commission, the NSW Electoral Commission and Transport for NSW. We deliver WCAG 2.2 audits, document remediation, VPAT and Accessibility Conformance Reports, and organisational uplift, all on-shore.

Procuring or supplying accessibility for NSW Government?

Tell us the agency, the service and the deadline. As a registered buy.nsw supplier, we will come back with a realistic path to WCAG 2.2 AA.

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