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Social Platform’s guide “Public procurement for social progress” is now available on our web site in Croatian too.

Meanwhile, last week the European Commission published standard forms for the publication of notices in the field of public procurement.  Our recommendation to the European Commission is that it should design standard forms concerning contract notice, prior information notice and contract award notice in an accessible format, ensure accessibility
of procurement procedures and documents. Below the EU thresholds, the responsibility to do so should fall to member states and contracting authorities.

We will check with our experts in the disability sector to see if the standard form established ensure accessibility of procurement procedures.

Accessibility requirements for persons with disabilities and design for all users are the only social considerations that can be included in the technical specifications of procurement procedures for works, goods and services intended for use by persons, whether general public or staff of the contracting authority. Design for all is “the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialised design”.
At EU level, a standard is being developed to include design for all in relevant standardisation initiatives, as well as a standard on accessibility of the built environment. Until such EU standards are adopted, a useful source to be taken into account by contracting authorities while drafting technical specifications is provided by the principles of universal design developed by the Centre for Universal Design, North Carolina State University.
In the case of ICT, a European Standard on accessibility requirements for ICT products and services is available, as well as an online toolkit for procurers on how to use it.

The general rule is that procedures intended for use by natural persons should incorporate accessibility requirements, “except in duly justified cases”. Member states should draw up clear guidelines regarding the application of article 42 of the Directive, including specific and narrow parameters for when the Directive’s wording “except in duly justified cases” applies.  This exception – left undefined in the Directive – should be used only under very exceptional circumstances. Unjustifiable cases include those relating to any product or service designed for use by the general public or staff, and anything refused for financial reasons.