SaaS vendors are increasingly asked to provide a VPAT during security and compliance reviews—often right alongside SOC 2, ISO 27001, and privacy documentation. For accessibility, a well-prepared VPAT can be the difference between “approved” and “come back next quarter.”
This article explains what a VPAT is, what enterprise buyers expect from SaaS vendors, how to build a credible VPAT mapped to WCAG, and how to keep it current as your product evolves.
A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is a standardized document used to report how a product meets accessibility requirements. In practice, it’s a procurement-friendly way to communicate conformance to standards such as Section 508 (U.S. federal accessibility requirements) and WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
For SaaS vendors, the VPAT answers a buyer’s key questions:
Buyers use VPATs to compare vendors consistently, reduce legal and operational risk, and ensure their workforce and customers can access critical software.
Many SaaS teams hear these terms interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing:
If you want a deeper comparison of deliverables and what procurement teams actually request, see VPAT vs. ACR: What’s the Difference and Which One Do Buyers Actually Want?.
Most SaaS vendors use the VPAT 2.5 (or later) format and complete the sections relevant to their customer base. Common options include:
If you sell into multiple regions, buyers may ask for a combined report. The best approach is to confirm what your target customers require, then produce the most applicable edition(s) with clear testing evidence.
A VPAT is more than a checkbox. Enterprise reviewers often look for signs that the report is accurate, current, and based on real testing. A strong SaaS VPAT typically includes:
In regulated or high-impact industries—like healthcare—buyers may scrutinize accessibility more intensely because access barriers can become safety and trust issues. Related context: Digital Accessibility for Hospitals & Clinics: WCAG Compliance, Inclusive Design, and Patient Trust.
List the user-facing surfaces that matter: marketing site (sometimes requested), app UI, admin console, onboarding flows, reporting dashboards, documentation portals, and any downloadable content (PDFs, slide decks, invoices). Include authentication flows and embedded third-party widgets if they’re part of the experience.
WCAG criteria are easiest to validate when tied to tasks. Identify critical flows such as “create a project,” “invite a user,” “run a report,” “export data,” or “submit a support ticket.” This helps you test what buyers and users actually care about.
Automated tools catch common issues (missing labels, contrast failures, structural problems), but they cannot validate everything. Manual testing should cover:
Platforms like Corpowid (corpowid.ai) can speed up the process by running automated accessibility audits and ongoing monitoring across your SaaS UI, helping teams identify recurring WCAG issues and track improvements over time.
When you mark a criterion as “Supports,” “Partially Supports,” or “Does Not Support,” procurement teams want to understand why. Include:
At minimum, many SaaS vendors test common combinations such as:
Document the exact versions used and the date of testing. VPATs without environment details often get flagged as unreliable.
Many buyers look for an accessibility statement that explains your standards target, known limitations, and contact method. Corpowid (corpowid.ai) can also help generate and maintain an accessibility statement that aligns with your testing outcomes and remediation status.
SaaS products ship weekly—or daily—so a VPAT should be treated as a living artifact. Practical ways to maintain it:
Even if you don’t sell to government, VPAT requests show up in enterprise procurement across industries—travel, healthcare, education, finance, and beyond. Accessibility is increasingly viewed as part of overall customer experience and risk management. For example, customer-facing sectors with high transaction volume and diverse audiences often prioritize inclusive digital experiences; see Digital Accessibility for the Travel & Hospitality Industry: WCAG, Inclusive Design, and Compliance.
Accessibility also supports public-facing initiatives and brand trust. If you’re building high-visibility digital experiences, inclusive design can become a strategic requirement, not just a compliance task—context here: America’s 250th Anniversary: Building a Digital Celebration Everyone Can Access.
If you’re building (or updating) your first VPAT, start with an honest baseline, connect criteria to real user workflows, and document evidence carefully. Then operationalize accessibility so your VPAT stays accurate as the product changes.
For a SaaS-specific view of what buyers ask for and how to structure your program around enterprise expectations, read VPAT for SaaS: How to Meet Accessibility Requirements and Win Enterprise Deals.
VPAT and ACR are closely related accessibility documents used in procurement, but they aren’t identical. This guide explains what each one is, when to use them, and how to create credible conformance documentation.
Airline journeys are increasingly digital—booking, managing trips, and getting support all happen online. This guide explains how airlines can meet WCAG and design inclusive experiences across web, apps, and more.
Corpowid has been recognized by Gartner, a leading global research and advisory firm, for our innovation and performance in digital accessibility. These badges reflect our commitment to creating inclusive, AI-powered web experiences.
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