CAN-ASC-4.1: Accessible Procurement - Notice of intent
This notice is to announce that Accessibility Standards Canada intends to develop a new accessibility standard. The purpose of this notice is to avoid duplication in standards development.
This notice is aimed at other standards development organizations and the public. It does the following:
- It defines the scope of the standard that we propose.
- It defines the need for the project.
- It states the time period during which the public can send us comments about the standard.
Standards development organization
Accessibility Standards Canada
Contact information
Email:
Info.Accessibility.Standards-Normes.Accessibilite.Info@canada.gc.ca
Mailing address:
320, St-Joseph Boulevard
Suite 246
Gatineau, QC K1A 0H3
Telephone:
1-833-854-7628
Work program
The work program lists all of Accessibility Standards Canada’s in-progress and completed standards. It is available on our site.
Designation number
CAN-ASC-4.1
Standard type
National Standard of Canada – Domestic
Standard development activity
New standard
International Classification for Standards (ICS) codes
- 03.100 – Company Organization and management. Management systems
- 03.200 – Leisure. Tourism
- 03.220 – Transport
- 03.240 – Postal Services
- 13.020.20 – Environmental Economics. Sustainability
- 91.010 – Construction Industry
- 95.020 – Military in General
SDO Comment Period Start Date:
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
SDO Comment Period End Date:
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Scope
The purpose of standard CAN-ASC-4.1 is to ensure the technical requirements for acoustics in the built environment are equity-based. This requires going beyond minimum technical specifications.
There are common areas where persons with disabilities may experience barriers to accessibility in procurement. Such barriers can prevent the full participation of people with disabilities including both employees and clients. These areas include:
- The goods and services purchased or leased are not accessible.
- There is a lack of flexibility throughout the procurement process. This can affect, for example, the Government of Canada employees purchasing the goods and services and the vendors selling them.
- The bidding and evaluation criteria are inaccessible. This can prevent people with disabilities from participating in bid processes (competitive and non-competitive).
- The procurement-related communications and documents are not in accessible or alternate formats.
The standard will address these barriers by establishing the following:
- accessibility criteria for purchasing and leasing goods and services
- a procurement process that is accessible, both for the employee responsible for the purchase and the bidder (vendor)
- requirements for including suppliers that show they are committed to including people with disabilities in the procurement process.
This standard will align with the technical requirements of other Accessibility Standards Canada standards. These include:
- CAN-ASC-1.1: Employment
- CAN-ASC-5.2: Accessible Design and Delivery of Programs and Services
- CAN-ASC-6.1: Information and Communication Technology.
Project need
Accessibility Standards Canada was created under the Accessible Canada Act. Its mandate is to prevent, identify, and remove barriers to accessibility in Canada for people with disabilities. To do this, it develops standards. These are based on the needs of people with disabilities. These needs are identified by consulting Canadians with disabilities. This includes the members of the Accessibility Standards Canada Board of Directors. Most Board members are people with disabilities. The Board has approved the development of this standard.
The standards developed by Accessibility Standards Canada apply to federally regulated entities, including those in the private sector. These entities are defined in the Accessible Canada Act. We also work with provincial and territorial partners. We do this to identify the needs of other stakeholders and help harmonize standards across Canada.
Accessibility Standards Canada standards are developed following the principle of “nothing without us.” This means that people with disabilities are involved in the development process:
- Its standards are developed using research that is led by people with disabilities or with lived experience.
- People with disabilities are members of the organization’s technical committees. These committees produce equity-based requirements for standards. These take into account the needs and perspectives of people with disabilities.
- The public review process for this standard will be accessible. This will allow even more people with disabilities to be part of the development process.
Date posted
June 20, 2023