VPAT Submission — Delivering Accessibility Conformance Reports to Buyers

In this tutorial, you will learn about VPAT Submission. We cover key concepts, practical examples, and best practices to help you master this topic.

VPAT submission involves preparing the completed ACR document, verifying its accuracy, getting legal review, packaging it with procurement responses, and delivering it in a format buyers can use.

What You'll Learn

You will learn the complete VPAT submission workflow, including preparation, review, packaging, delivery, and follow-up with buyers.

Why It Matters

A well-prepared VPAT that is not submitted correctly may not reach the right person or may be rejected for formatting issues. The submission Process is as important as the report itself.

Real-World Use

DodaTech's VPAT submission process includes a pre-submission checklist, legal review gate, PDF generation with Accessibility metadata, and a tracking system for buyer requests.

flowchart LR
  A[Prepare VPAT] --> B[Internal Review]
  B --> C[Legal Review]
  C --> D[Generate PDF]
  D --> E[Package with RFP]
  E --> F[Submit to Buyer]
  F --> G[Archive + Track]
  G --> H[Update Annually]

Pre-Submission Checklist

Before submitting, verify that the VPAT includes: product name and version, evaluation date, scope documentation, completed criteria table with remarks, legal disclaimers, and signatures or approvals.

Internal Review Process

The completed VPAT should be reviewed by three parties: the accessibility team for technical accuracy, the product team for feature coverage, and legal counsel for disclaimer adequacy.

const vpatSubmission = {
  product: 'Durga Antivirus Pro',
  version: '5.2.0',
  status: 'draft',

  checklist: {
    productName: true,
    versionNumber: true,
    evaluationDate: true,
    scopeDocumented: true,
    criteriaTableComplete: true,
    remarksWritten: true,
    disclaimersIncluded: true,
    legalReviewed: false,
    pdfGenerated: false
  },

  generateFilename() {
    const date = new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0];
    return `${this.product.replace(/\s+/g, '-')}_VPAT_${this.version}_${date}.pdf`;
  },

  isReady() {
    const required = ['productName', 'versionNumber', 'evaluationDate',
      'scopeDocumented', 'criteriaTableComplete', 'remarksWritten',
      'disclaimersIncluded', 'legalReviewed', 'pdfGenerated'];
    const missing = required.filter(item => !this.checklist[item]);
    return {
      ready: missing.length === 0,
      missing: missing
    };
  }
};

vpatSubmission.checklist.legalReviewed = true;
vpatSubmission.checklist.pdfGenerated = true;
console.log(`Filename: ${vpatSubmission.generateFilename()}`);
console.log(`Ready: ${vpatSubmission.isReady().ready}`);
console.log(`Missing: ${vpatSubmission.isReady().missing.join(', ') || 'None'}`);

Expected output:

Filename: Durga-Antivirus-Pro_VPAT_5.2.0_2026-06-28.pdf
Ready: true
Missing: None

PDF Generation

Generate the VPAT as a tagged PDF with proper heading structure, alt text, and reading order. An untagged PDF is not accessible and undermines the purpose of the report.

<!-- PDF metadata example for a VPAT -->
<metadata>
  <title>VPAT 2.4 — Durga Antivirus Pro 5.2.0</title>
  <author>DodaTech Accessibility Team</author>
  <subject>Accessibility Conformance Report</subject>
  <keywords>VPAT, ACR, Section 508, WCAG 2.2, EN 301 549, accessibility</keywords>
  <language>en-US</language>
</metadata>

Submission Formats

Buyers may request specific formats. PDF is the most common. Some buyers accept HTML, DOCX, or direct access to a web-based VPAT. Confirm the format before submitting.

Buyer Follow-Up

After submission, track the VPAT delivery and be prepared to answer questions. Some buyers will request clarification on specific criteria entries. Respond promptly.

Common Mistakes

1. Submitting Without Internal Review

A VPAT with errors reflects poorly on your organization. Always have at least one reviewer besides the author.

2. Sending Untagged PDFs

An untagged PDF passes accessibility failures to the buyer. Generate tagged PDFs with proper structure.

3. Missing Legal Review

Legal disclaimers need lawyer approval. Submitting without legal review creates unnecessary risk.

4. Not Confirming Buyer Requirements

Buyers may have specific requirements about VPAT version, standards coverage, or format. Confirm before preparing.

5. Submitting an Incomplete Criteria Table

Missing criteria entries or blank remarks signal incomplete testing. Review the entire table before submission.

6. Forgetting Version Number

The VPAT must clearly state which product version it covers. Without a version number, the report is ambiguous.

7. Not Archiving the Submission

Maintain an archive of every VPAT submission for Compliance audits and future reference.

Practice Questions

1. What are the three review stages before VPAT submission?

Accessibility team review, product team review, and legal counsel review.

2. Why should a VPAT be generated as a tagged PDF?

A tagged PDF preserves heading structure, alt text, and reading order for assistive technology users.

3. What should you do after submitting a VPAT to a buyer?

Track the delivery and be prepared to answer follow-up questions about specific criteria entries.

4. Why must the VPAT include the product version number?

Without a version number, the report is ambiguous about which version was evaluated.

5. Challenge: Create a VPAT submission checklist for your organization with at least 10 items.

FAQ

Mini Project

Draft a VPAT submission email template. Include space for the product name, version, VPAT version, standards covered, and a call to action for follow-up questions.

What's Next

Learn about VPAT Maintenance and how to keep reports current through regular updates. Then complete the VPAT Project to practice everything you have learned.