A VPAT is a template. An ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report) is the completed document that maps your product’s accessibility against a standard like WCAG 2.1 AA. When you hire someone to fill in a VPAT, you are hiring them to evaluate your product or service and document the results in the VPAT format.
The person or company you hire needs to understand WCAG at a technical level, be able to fully evaluate a digital asset for accessibility, and document their findings into the structured VPAT template accurately. Getting this wrong results in a document that misrepresents your product’s accessibility, which creates unnecessary risk a and difficulty.
| Factor | What to Know |
|---|---|
| Who creates it | A qualified accessibility professional or company that evaluates your product against WCAG |
| What they deliver | A completed ACR documenting conformance levels for each WCAG criterion |
| Typical cost | Ranges from approximately $2,000 to $6,000 depending on product complexity |
| Turnaround | Usually 2 to 4 weeks, with expedited options sometimes available |
| VPAT edition | WCAG edition is the default for most SaaS companies |
| Updating | ACRs have no formal expiration but should be updated after significant product changes |
What Does a VPAT/ACR Provider Actually Do?
The provider evaluates your product against the applicable WCAG conformance level, typically WCAG 2.1 AA. This evaluation covers the interface using assistive technologies like screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, and other methods that go beyond what automated scans detect.
Scans only flag approximately 25% of issues. The remaining issues require human evaluation to identify. A credible ACR reflects this full evaluation, not a scan summary pasted into a template.
After evaluating the product, the provider documents each WCAG criterion with a conformance level (Supports, Partially Supports, Does Not Support, or Not Applicable) along with remarks explaining the current state. This is the ACR.
What Should You Look for When Hiring?
The most important factor is whether the provider conducts a real evaluation of your product. Some providers fill in the VPAT template based on automated scan results alone, which produces an incomplete and often inaccurate ACR.
Look for these indicators:
- The provider describes a (manual) evaluation process that includes assistive technology
- They specify which WCAG version and conformance level they evaluate against
- They can show you a sample ACR with detailed remarks per criterion
- They ask about your product’s functionality, user flows, and scope before quoting
If a provider quotes a flat rate without asking what your product does, that is a signal the evaluation may be superficial.
Which VPAT Edition Do You Need?
The VPAT template comes in four editions: WCAG, Section 508, EN 301 549, and INT (International). The WCAG edition is the default for most SaaS companies and covers the majority of procurement requests.
If you sell to U.S. federal agencies, you may need the Section 508 edition. If you sell into the European market, the EN 301 549 edition or the INT edition (which combines all three) may be appropriate. Your provider should help you determine this based on your sales channels.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire Someone?
Cost depends on product complexity. A straightforward web app with a few core user flows will cost less than a complex enterprise platform with dozens of views and interactive components.
Most ACRs fall in the $2,000 to $6,000 range. Providers who charge significantly less may be cutting corners on the evaluation. Providers who charge significantly more may be bundling services you do not need.
Ask what is included. Some providers bundle remediation guidance or a follow-up evaluation after fixes. Others deliver the ACR and nothing else. Neither approach is wrong, but you should know what you are paying for.
How Long Does the Process Take?
A typical ACR takes 2 to 4 weeks from the start of the evaluation to delivery of the completed document. The timeline depends on how quickly the provider can access your product and how complex it is.
Some providers offer expedited turnaround for procurement deadlines. If you need an ACR within a week, confirm this is possible before signing. Rushing an evaluation can compromise accuracy if the provider does not have the capacity to do it properly under a compressed timeline.
Can You Create a VPAT/ACR Yourself?
Technically, yes. The VPAT template is publicly available from the IT Industry Council. Anyone can download it and fill it in.
The difficulty is that filling it in accurately requires deep WCAG knowledge and the ability to evaluate your product using assistive technology. Self-issued ACRs are common, but they carry risk. If the document overstates conformance, it can create problems during procurement reviews or legal scrutiny.
Organizations that self-issue typically have an internal accessibility team with the technical expertise to conduct a thorough evaluation. If your team does not have that expertise, hiring an outside provider is the more reliable path.
How Do You Verify the Quality of an ACR?
A well-written ACR has detailed remarks for every criterion, not generic statements. Each remark should reference specific components or behaviors in your product. If the remarks column contains the same sentence repeated across multiple criteria, the evaluation was likely superficial.
You can also cross-check the ACR against your own product. If a criterion is marked “Supports” but you know your product has issues in that area, the document may not be accurate. Accessible.org and other reputable providers produce ACRs with criterion-level specificity that procurement reviewers can verify.
Accessibility Tracker Platform users can upload completed ACR data and track conformance status over time, which helps when updating the document after product changes.
When Should You Update Your ACR?
ACRs have no formal expiration date. However, the document reflects a point-in-time evaluation. If your product undergoes significant changes, the ACR may no longer accurately represent its accessibility.
A good rule: update your ACR after any major release that changes core user flows, adds new functionality, or modifies the interface in ways that could affect assistive technology compatibility. Many organizations update annually even without major changes to keep the document current for procurement cycles.
Do I need a VPAT or an ACR?
You need an ACR. The VPAT is the blank template published by the IT Industry Council. The ACR is the completed document that results from evaluating your product. When procurement teams ask for a “VPAT,” they are asking for a completed ACR.
What if a procurement request does not specify a VPAT edition?
Default to the WCAG edition. It covers WCAG 2.1 AA conformance and is the most widely accepted edition across procurement channels. If the buyer has specific requirements, they will typically state them.
Can one ACR cover multiple products?
It depends on how distinct the products are. If two products share the same interface and codebase, a single ACR may be appropriate. If they are separate products with different user experiences, each should have its own ACR to accurately reflect conformance.
How do I know if a provider evaluated my product thoroughly?
Ask them to describe their evaluation process. A thorough provider will explain which assistive technologies they use, how they scope the evaluation, and how they document each criterion. The delivered ACR should contain specific, product-relevant remarks rather than generic conformance language.
Hiring the right provider for your ACR protects your procurement eligibility and gives buyers accurate information about your product’s accessibility. The cost of a thorough evaluation is small compared to the cost of a document that does not hold up under review.
Contact a qualified accessibility provider through the Accessibility Base directory to get started on your ACR.