Philadelphia Vendor Website Accessibility Standards - City Policy

Technology and Data Pennsylvania 3 Minutes Read · published February 05, 2026 Flag of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania requires that vendors providing websites or digital services to the city follow the municipal digital accessibility policy and applicable accessibility standards. This article explains how the City expects vendor websites to meet accessibility requirements, where to find the official policy, how enforcement and remedies work, and practical steps vendors should take to comply when bidding for or performing city contracts. It is written for vendors, procurement staff, and accessibility leads working with the City of Philadelphia and summarizes key actions, complaint routes, and documentation commonly requested during procurement and contract performance.

Penalties & Enforcement

The City of Philadelphia's digital accessibility policy assigns responsibility for accessibility expectations to the Office of Innovation and Technology and contracting authorities; the official policy details vendor responsibilities and complaint pathways on the city site.Official city digital accessibility policy[1] Specific monetary fines for vendor website noncompliance are not specified on the cited page.

  • Enforcer: Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT) together with the city's Procurement/Contracts office as the contracting authority.
  • Complaint intake: the city's digital accessibility contact or procurement contract manager; see Help and Support / Resources below for contact pages.
  • Inspections and audits: accessibility reviews and technical audits can be requested during evaluation or after deployment; the cited policy describes expectations but does not list a standard audit frequency.
  • Fines and fees: not specified on the cited page.
  • Contract remedies: common contract responses include corrective action plans, withholding payments, contract suspension or termination, and debarment processes when available under procurement rules; the cited city page references vendor responsibilities but does not list exact remedies or schedules.
File complaints promptly to preserve review and appeal rights.

Appeals and contract-level protests are governed by the city's procurement rules and the contract's terms; the city policy refers vendors to contracting instructions and procurement protest procedures. Time limits for appeals or protests are set in procurement documents or individual solicitation terms and are not specified on the cited digital accessibility policy page.[1]

Applications & Forms

The digital accessibility policy does not publish a standardized vendor form for accessibility compliance on the cited page; procurement solicitations sometimes require bidder attestations or accessibility checklists within the bid package, but specific form names and numbers are not specified on the cited page.[1]

Keep documentation of audits and remediation work with your contract records.

Common Violations and Typical Outcomes

  • Missing alternative text on images — often requires remediation and re-review.
  • Poor keyboard navigation or inaccessible forms — typically addressed via corrective actions and retesting.
  • Insufficient documentation of accessibility testing or vendor attestations — may prompt requests for evidence or audit.
Maintain a remediation timeline to reduce the risk of contract penalties.

FAQ

Who enforces vendor website accessibility for the City of Philadelphia?
The Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT) together with procurement/contract managers enforces accessibility requirements and handles complaint intake; see the city policy page for contact details.[1]
What technical standard should vendor websites meet?
The city policy requires sites be accessible according to the stated standards in solicitation documents; the cited policy page references compliance expectations but does not list a single numeric standard on that page.
Are there fines for noncompliance?
The cited policy page does not specify monetary fines; contract remedies are governed by procurement terms and vendor agreements.[1]

How-To

  1. Audit your website against WCAG criteria and maintain a written report with issues and priorities.
  2. Implement fixes by priority: critical barriers (keyboard, forms, labels), then enhancements (semantics, ARIA roles).
  3. Run automated and manual testing, including screen reader checks and keyboard-only navigation tests.
  4. Prepare documentation and an accessibility statement or vendor attestation to include with bids or deliverables.
  5. If a complaint arises, respond to the city's request promptly, provide remediation timelines, and use procurement appeal routes if needed.

Key Takeaways

  • Vendors must follow the City's digital accessibility policy and any standards specified in solicitations.
  • Keep audit reports and remediation records as part of contract compliance evidence.

Help and Support / Resources

  1. [1] City of Philadelphia - Office of Innovation and Technology: Digital Accessibility policy and guidance

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