DISTRICT PDF REMEDIATION RFP AND SOW TEMPLATE
DistrictProof | A brand of Salt Technologies, Inc.
Version: November 7, 2026

Complete all bracketed fields. Adapt with district procurement and counsel before issue or execution. This is proposed purchasing language, not an agreement.

1. Project and purchasing details
District: [District name]. Procurement reference: [Reference]. Project contact and accessibility contact: [Names and roles]. Submission deadline and time zone: [Date, time, zone]. Questions process, submission method and applicable district purchasing rules: [Insert approved instructions].

Purpose: obtain remediation and documented accessibility review of the documents in the agreed inventory. Identify whether this document is an RFP requesting proposals or an SOW attached to an executed agreement. Complete all bracketed fields before issue.

2. Inventory, versions and boundaries
Attach an inventory identifying each file, public URL or secure identifier, page count, content owner, source availability and required delivery date. Identify languages, scans, forms, complex tables, charts and assembled packets. State the maximum included quantity and how pages and repeated pages are counted.

Specify included formats and outputs: [PDF / editable source / HTML / other]. Identify excluded work: [Translation, content rewriting, website edits, multimedia or other]. Any exception, retention, removal or archive decision requires district authorization; the vendor must not infer permission from document age.

3. Technical requirements and user tasks
The agreed deliverables shall meet the applicable WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA success criteria identified in the written scope. If a PDF/UA standard is also required, name its edition and validation approach separately. List the intended PDF readers, assistive technologies, languages and critical user tasks.

Tasks to verify include, as applicable: navigating headings, following reading order, understanding meaningful images, identifying table headers and relationships, using links, and completing and correcting form entries with a keyboard and screen reader. Record non-applicable criteria and any unresolved findings with their basis.

4. Representative sample and proposal response
Before production, review a representative sample containing [Selected file IDs and types]. Require vendors to return a corrected sample, proposed review method, findings, delivery record, assumptions and price. Use the same sample and written questions for each bidder; identify any paid sample work in advance.

Ask each bidder to state who performs remediation and review, which tasks are automated, whether human review covers every delivered file or a sample, and any subcontracting. For an every-file review requirement, carry that requirement explicitly into the final SOW.

5. Review coverage and delivery evidence
Required coverage: [Every delivered file / specifically defined sampling, with its limits]. State the automated tools, manual checks, keyboard and screen-reader tasks, environments and review responsibilities. A tool pass alone is not sufficient acceptance evidence.

For each delivered version, provide the file identifier, version or checksum, review date, methods and coverage, task outcomes, remaining findings and responsible owner. Distinguish technical validation, human review and verification of the posted version. Deliver the evidence in [Agreed usable format].

6. Acceptance and corrections
The district acceptance lead is [Role]. The review period begins when the agreed files and complete evidence arrive and lasts [Number] business days, using [Calendar and time zone]. Acceptance requires the agreed outputs and test tasks to satisfy the written criteria; record rejection reasons against those criteria.

Define included correction rounds, response and return times, retesting, and the correction period [Terms]. Identify who approves content meaning and alternative text. Record any unresolved item, interim access arrangement and approval separately; silence or a general compliance certificate is not a substitute for an agreed acceptance process.

7. Milestones, inputs and changes
Milestones: [Intake, approved sample, production batches, district review, corrections and final handoff]. For each, record the deliverable, owner, due date and district inputs. Define how missing sources, late approvals and changed meeting dates affect the schedule.

Use written change approval for replacement files, supplements, increased page counts, new languages, accelerated delivery or added tasks. State the revised price and timing before proceeding. Later re-exports and edits require review of the changed version.

8. Price and payment schedule
Request a fixed total for the agreed inventory, with line items for document types, review coverage, evidence, corrections and optional work. State currency, minimum charges, allowance limits, recurring annual totals if applicable, taxes, travel and rush charges, and any volume assumptions.

Payment and purchasing terms: [Purchase order requirements, invoicing milestones, approved payment period and acceptance conditions]. No vendor starting price or sample estimate replaces the executed scope and price.

9. File handling, staff access and incidents
Complete the district-approved requirements for transfer method, storage locations, authorized roles, subcontractors, logging, AI processing or training restrictions, retention, deletion and backups. Identify the information classification and whether student or other sensitive records are excluded. Do not put private records in a public bid attachment.

Name the security contacts and specify incident notification timing, content and cooperation [Approved terms]. Require disclosure and approval of material processing changes. Resolve any data-processing agreement and evidence of controls before transferring non-public files.

10. Publication and final handoff
Identify who posts the returned files, updates links, retires superseded versions and checks the public result. When publication verification is purchased, record the URL, served file version, check date, method and outcome. State whether that check is included in the price.

The handoff shall include the accepted files, agreed editable sources, evidence log, open actions and staff instructions. Set the source-file retention or deletion schedule [Terms]. Define who owns ongoing updates after project closure.

11. Vendor documents and evaluation
Request the district-required company and contracting details, relevant experience, references with permission, W-9, insurance evidence, accessibility sample and proposed agreement or exceptions. Do not publish tax identifiers or sensitive onboarding documents.

Before issuing the RFP, define the evaluation criteria and weights under district rules: [Method, sample quality, evidence, schedule, data handling, price and other approved criteria]. Compare offers against the same inventory and required coverage. Keep the evaluation record separate from marketing claims.

12. Agreement and authorization
Incorporate only the negotiated requirements into the final SOW. Identify the governing agreement, order of precedence, approved schedules, authorized signatories and change process. Complete district legal and procurement review before issue or execution.

This reusable template does not establish a contract, a legal opinion, a district-wide certification or a commitment by DistrictProof. Replace all placeholders and reconcile conflicts with the district-approved agreement.

References and HTML reading version
https://districtproof.io/resources/pdf-remediation-rfp-template
https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/
https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/
https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/conformance/