Accessibility for Public Procurement: Auditing and Implementing BITV 2.0 and EN 301 549

Public bodies must publish an accessibility statement that goes beyond a standard disclaimer. The statement must specify the conformance status (fully conformant, partially conformant or not conformant), based on testing against EN 301 549. It must name known limitations and explain why they cannot be resolved. It must provide a feedback mechanism through which users can report barriers. And it must reference the enforcement procedure, at federal level the conciliation procedure under Section 16 BGG. We create the statement as a fixed price of €390 net.

We create the accessibility statement based on the assessment results and align it with the mandatory content under Section 7 BITV 2.0 or the applicable state law. The statement is updated annually and after every significant change to the website. The feedback mechanism is implemented as an accessible contact form that routes reports to the responsible unit in your organization.

Public institutions are subject to EU Directive 2016/2102, whose deadlines have applied in stages since 2019, and, at federal level, to BITV 2.0 as revised to implement it, which goes beyond the private-sector BFSG standard. Requirements encompass not only EN 301 549 but also explanations in easy-to-read language and German Sign Language on the homepage and a published accessibility statement with feedback mechanism. In procurement under the GWB, Section 121(2) GWB requires the technical specification to take into account the accessibility criteria for people with disabilities or design for all users when the service is intended for use by natural persons. For contracting authorities, this means formulating testable requirements, for example with reference to EN 301 549. For bidders, it means the website or application offered must meet these requirements, with evidence in the bid depending on the tender documents. We support both sides with the BITV assessment against Table A.1 of EN 301 549 and a report with the result per test step and view.

Particularly complex are the requirements for PDF documents and forms in the public sector. Forms for applications, notices and citizen communication must be just as accessible as the website itself. We audit and optimize not only the web presence but also embedded PDF documents according to the PDF/UA standard and web-based forms according to WCAG requirements for form elements, error messages and help texts. This holistic approach aims to make all digital touchpoints between authority and citizens accessible.

Accessibility in the public sector is not only a legal obligation but improves service quality for all citizens. Clearly structured web presences with semantic HTML, understandable navigation and accessible forms can reduce inquiries to citizen hotlines and service desks when citizens find and use the information and services they need online on their own. Just over 7.8 million people in Germany were living with a severe disability at the end of 2025 (Federal Statistical Office), many of whom depend on accessible digital administration.

For public institutions, we additionally offer creation and maintenance of the accessibility statement per BITV 2.0, setup of the required feedback mechanism for users and support with inquiries from monitoring authorities.

We additionally support public institutions in evaluating accessible CMS solutions and technical platforms. The choice of content management system directly impacts long-term accessibility: systems with strong semantic base structure and integrated accessibility features reduce maintenance effort and minimize the risk of new content introducing barriers.