Ready for a stress-free approach to PDF accessibility?

We utilize optical character recognition (OCR), advanced image processing, and proprietary AI-trained models to create fully accessible transcripts of PDF files. Complex pages undergo additional human review by accessibility specialists at no extra cost to ensure complete accuracy.

DocAccess fully adheres to WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines, ensuring compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the latest DOJ ruling 28 CFR Part 35, and the EU's EN 301 549 accessibility requirements. We also comply with state-specific regulations across all 50 states, including California's AB 434 and Unruh Act, as well as Colorado's HB 21-1110.

No. Since DocAccess creates a fully compliant, accessible HTML transcript of your PDFs, this qualifies as an "alternative format" under ADA guidelines. Therefore, your original PDFs don't require separate remediation. We have found that users with disabilities typically prefer this interactive format on the website itself, enabling quick navigation and immediate responses to their queries. Legal experts have also supported this position

We are both honored and humbled by the challenge of making documents accessible to users with all types of disabilities.

Live Assistance as a Foundation and Fallback

Understanding that every interpretive technology can fail, we provide 24/7 live interpreting via Aira, the leading visual interpreting service. Calls are free, recorded, and monitored for continuous improvement.

Expert Review

We regularly review high-complexity pages for accuracy. We partner with The Accessibility Guy to ensure that the transcriptions are accurate, complete, compliant with the WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines, and reasonably capture any structural nuances of the original PDF.

Comprehensive Accessibility Testing

In addition to testing in-house, we work with an accessibility partner, LevelAccess to conduct extensive live user testing covering a wide range of disabilities and assistive technologies, ensuring thorough compliance.

Tailored Accessibility by Disability Type

• Visual Disabilities: Our documents follow strict WCAG 2.1 AA standards, optimizing semantic structure for screen readers, alternative text for images, and concise summaries for complex information.
• Auditory Disabilities: Typically, no additional accommodations are necessary for standard documents. However, in an edge case where your document links to multimedia content without captions, we provide ASL interpreting through Aira.
• Cognitive Disabilities: DocAccess simplifies complex documents through intuitive navigation and a user-friendly "Ask a Question" feature that accommodates spelling errors and multiple languages.
• Motor Disabilities: DocAccess is fully operable via keyboard-only navigation and is tested against rigorous standards to ensure compatibility with a wide range of assistive technologies.

We offer complimentary live human assistance via Aira to help your users with disabilities overcome any document-related challenges when using DocAccess, capped at 30 minutes of free covered interpretation time per user to prevent abuse.

Installing DocAccess is a simple process, similar to installing Google Analytics. It typically takes less than 5 minutes to install and activate. It consists of a small JavaScript snippet that you can add to the footer or header of your website. This will allow DocAccess to work automatically on all of your PDF links. Instructions are available in your DocAccess dashboard. If you are not able to install the script for some reason, DocAccess will also provide you with an accessible document list that you can link to.

DocAccess counts the number of PDF pages on your website by crawling your site and counting the number of total number of PDF files. We use your sitemap.xml if one is available to ensure we are counting all of your publicly-accessible pages. After we have a complete listing of your PDF pages, we will analyze each file for the total number of pages, and provide you with a total page count.

Yes! One of the unique (and most requested) features of DocAccess is that it will count, track, and transcribe PDFs on other sites that you link directly to, ensuring an accessible experience even on documents that you need to reference but cannot control. Any document linked on your website will be automatically made accessible by default, unless you explicitly disable the document in the dashboard.

Example: if site1.org/important-documents has a link to to site2.org/external-document.pdf, that external-document.pdf will be listed in site1.org's dashboard and will be automatically transcribed for anyone on site1.org who clicks on it.

Bring it on! DocAccess can interpret almost any type of content. There is no extra charge for complex PDFs. We welcome your most complicated, ugly, seemingly unfixable documents. We see each one as a challenge to make the internet a more accessible place.

Yes and no. DocAccess will use your exact alt text on the print-friendly version of the document. However, DocAccess will add more comprehensive alt text to the transcript view to conform to WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines using a best-practices formula to best convey visual meaning.

Yes. You can install DocAccess on as many websites as you want. Simply add more sites under the "Sites" tab in your DocAccess dashboard, and they will total up in your page count and can be managed from the same dashboard. You do not need to purchase a separate plan for each site.

DocAccess will not charge you twice for the same PDF link. We track each document's fingerprint (specifically, the MD5 hash of the document) to ensure that we only count each document once.

DocAccess can now detect changes to a document (even if it is replaced at the same URL) in real time and will begin reprocessing the file immediately. It does this by comparing the document to its source each time DocAccess is opened. (Checking its SHA-256 hash against the DocAccess copy.) If there are any changes, it notifies the user, links the user to the updated version, and begins re-transcribing the document immediately.

If you delete a file and the link to the file from your website, you will effectively remove a user's ability to access both the file and the DocAccess interface for that file. DocAccess will automatically remove the file from your dashboard at the next recrawl. (Every 1-2 weeks) You may also disable it or delete it from the documents dashboard if you want to ensure no access and/or increase the number of pages available to you in the meantime.

At this time, DocAccess can only activate on publicly-accessible document links. Otherwise, we are unable to retrieve the files for transcription. We are working on expanding our capabilities to include intranet and private websites, but this is not yet available.

Absolutely not. True accessibility means making all information available to everyone, not hiding documents to reduce costs. DocAccess automatically handles every PDF on your site - old and new - without forcing you to restrict public information or make difficult decisions about what content is "worth" making accessible.

# SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

DocAccess – CivicPlus, LLC

---

## 1. Background and Purpose

The Agency requires a scalable, automated solution to ensure that all public-facing documents and PDFs are accessible and compliant with applicable federal and state accessibility laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and WCAG 2.1 AA standards.

The Agency must rapidly and cost-effectively remediate large volumes of legacy documents while ensuring that newly published documents remain continuously accessible. The solution must provide equitable digital access to all members of the public, including individuals with disabilities, without requiring significant staffing increases or infrastructure changes.

---

## 2. Description of Goods and Services

DocAccess is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform provided exclusively by CivicPlus, LLC that:

• Automates PDF and document accessibility remediation at scale
• Converts PDFs into WCAG-compliant HTML transcripts
• Generates screen-reader-friendly alternative formats
• Performs AI-assisted semantic reconstruction, including tables and document structure
• Provides AI-powered question-answering functionality to improve document navigation and transparency
• Integrates with existing government websites without custom development or infrastructure modifications
• Provides ongoing monitoring, reporting, and compliance support aligned with ADA, Section 508, WCAG 2.1 AA, and PDF/UA standards

The platform is hosted, maintained, and exclusively licensed by CivicPlus, LLC.

---

## 3. Sole Source Justification

### a. Proprietary Software and Copyright Protection

DocAccess is proprietary software developed and exclusively owned by CivicPlus, LLC. All source code, object code, system architecture, workflows, documentation, and related materials are protected under United States copyright law.

The software is not open source and is not sublicensed to third parties. No other vendor is authorized to license, distribute, host, or modify the platform.

---

### b. Secret Processes and Trade Secrets

DocAccess incorporates confidential trade secrets and proprietary processes, including:

• Automated PDF-to-HTML semantic reconstruction
• AI-driven structural remediation and table correction
• Automated accessibility transformation workflows
• Embedded transcript rendering and overlay technology
• Accessibility-specific translation workflows
• Proprietary cloud-based document processing infrastructure

These processes are not publicly disclosed and are not licensed to competitors. Replication of these processes would require access to CivicPlus’ proprietary system.

---

### c. Availability From Only One Source

DocAccess is available from only one source:

• Developed exclusively by CivicPlus, LLC
• Hosted and controlled within CivicPlus-managed infrastructure
• Not distributed through independent software publishers
• Not transferable or assignable to other vendors

While other vendors may offer limited accessibility tools or manual remediation services, no other vendor is authorized to provide the DocAccess platform or its proprietary automated remediation system.

Accordingly, DocAccess qualifies under Chapter 252 as being available from only one source due to copyright protection and secret processes.

---

### d. Unique Capabilities

DocAccess provides capabilities not available from competing solutions, including:

• Batch automated remediation of large document libraries without manual intervention
• Dynamic HTML transcript publishing for public-facing websites
• Integrated AI-powered document navigation and question-answering
• Continuous compliance monitoring and reporting
• Government-focused deployment designed specifically for public agencies

No alternative vendor provides the same combination of automation, AI integration, and government-specific compliance architecture within a single hosted platform.

---

### e. Substantial Time and Cost Savings

• Rapid implementation measured in days rather than months
• Elimination of costly manual remediation services
• Reduced reliance on outside accessibility contractors
• Immediate risk mitigation related to ADA and Section 508 compliance exposure

Manual or partially automated alternatives require significantly more staff time, higher long-term costs, and extended deployment timelines.

---

## 4. Consequences of Not Using Sole Source

Failure to procure DocAccess as a sole source may result in:

• Delayed compliance with accessibility requirements
• Increased legal exposure under ADA and Section 508
• Higher remediation costs through manual services
• Reduced accessibility and diminished public trust

---

## 5. Market Research

The Agency reviewed available accessibility solutions and remediation services. No alternative solution was identified that provides:

• End-to-end automated PDF accessibility remediation
• AI-driven document navigation and transcript generation
• Continuous compliance monitoring
• Government-focused deployment architecture

Competing solutions require significant manual processing, third-party intervention, or lack the automation and AI-driven capabilities required to meet the Agency’s operational needs.

---

## 6. Alternative Procurement Vehicles

If the Agency elects not to proceed under sole source authority, DocAccess may also be procured through cooperative purchasing mechanisms and authorized resellers.

### Cooperative Purchasing Programs

• GSA Schedule
• TIPS Cooperative Purchasing Program

These cooperative contracts may satisfy procurement requirements where permitted by local policy.

### Authorized Resellers

DocAccess may also be purchased through authorized technology resellers, including:

• Dell
• SHI Direct
• Insight
• Thundercat

Agencies may utilize existing purchasing agreements, piggyback contracts, or cooperative purchasing mechanisms through these vendors where applicable.

---

## 7. Conclusion

DocAccess, provided exclusively by CivicPlus, LLC, is the only software platform that meets the Agency’s requirements for automated document accessibility remediation, AI-driven document navigation, and continuous compliance management.

The software is protected by copyright and incorporates proprietary trade secrets and secret processes. It is available from only one source.

For these reasons, the Agency may proceed with DocAccess as a sole source procurement under Chapter 252. Alternatively, procurement may be completed through recognized cooperative purchasing vehicles or authorized resellers.

---

Some websites use Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict which external scripts can run. If you see an error like "Loading the script violates Content Security Policy directive", your site is blocking the DocAccess script.

Solution: Your website administrator or CMS vendor needs to add DocAccess to the CSP whitelist by including `https://docaccess.com` in the `script-src` and `connect-src` directives.

See our Support Page for a ready-to-use email template you can send to your website vendor.