A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is a standardized document that describes how an ICT product or service conforms to accessibility standards. When completed, it produces an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). Federal agencies require ACRs from vendors as part of ICT procurement. Enterprise buyers increasingly require them too. A well-written VPAT builds trust; a poorly written one creates legal exposure.
Choose the right VPAT edition
The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) maintains VPAT templates. Use VPAT 2.5 (the current version) and choose the appropriate edition based on your market: WCAG edition for international, 508 edition for US federal, EU edition for European, or INT edition which covers all three. Most organizations selling internationally should use the INT edition.
The product description and evaluation scope
Start with a clear, specific description of what is being evaluated. Define the scope explicitly — which version, which user-facing interfaces, which features. Agencies and enterprise buyers use the scope to determine whether the ACR covers the parts of the product they actually use. A vague scope ("our software product") is a red flag.
How to complete conformance tables
For each criterion, you will select one of five conformance levels:
- Supports — the functionality meets the criterion.
- Partially Supports — some functionality meets the criterion, or meets it with exceptions.
- Does Not Support — the functionality does not meet the criterion.
- Not Applicable — the criterion is not relevant to this product (explain why).
- Not Evaluated — the criterion was not evaluated in this assessment.
Writing useful remarks
The remarks column is where VPATs differentiate themselves. For anything other than "Supports," include: the specific components or flows that partially or do not support the criterion, the nature of the barrier, and whether you have a remediation plan. Saying "Partially Supports: some images may lack alt text" is meaningless. Saying "Partially Supports: Alt text is missing for dynamically loaded product images in the search results component; remediation planned in Q2 2026" is actionable.
Warning
A VPAT that claims "Supports" for every criterion without evidence is not credible and creates legal liability. Overstating conformance in a federal contract context can constitute a False Claims Act violation. Accurate partial conformance with clear notes is far better than false full conformance.