GovAI Chat WCAG Accessibility Testing

⁠⁠⁠DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE WILL NOT CONSIDER OR INVITE ADDITIONAL SELLERS TO THIS RFQ. UNSOLICITED EMAILS AND REQUESTS WILL NOT BE ANSWERED.  

Background and Context

GovAI Chat is the Australian Public Service's foundational, purpose-built generative AI service for government work. It is designed to support APS staff across all agencies with information provision, task efficiency, and capability development.

As a whole-of-government service, GovAI Chat is intended to be accessible to all APS users, including those with disability, users from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, users with lower digital literacy, and users with varying accessibility needs.

As part of the product roadmap and commitment to inclusive design, the Department of Finance requires independent accessibility testing and assessment to ensure GovAI Chat meets contemporary accessibility standards, best practice, and the expectations of a government-wide service.

Scope of Assessment

In-Scope Systems and Content

The accessibility assessment shall cover:

(a) GovAI Chat Application (Web Interface)

• Chat interface and user interaction elements
• Prompt input and message composition functionality
• Response display and content rendering
• Navigation, menus, and feature controls
• Settings and user preference options
• Error messaging and feedback mechanisms

(b) Help and Support Materials

• Help pages and support documentation
• User guides and training materials (web-based)
• FAQs and troubleshooting resources
• Getting Started and onboarding content
• Any embedded videos or multimedia content

(c) Alternative Access Options

• Vanguard access pathway
• IP whitelisting authentication flows (if applicable)

(d) Technical Environments – Supported Platforms

The accessibility assessment shall be conducted across the following standard supported technical environments:

Browsers:

• Google Chrome (latest 2 versions)
• Microsoft Edge (latest 2 versions)
• Apple Safari (latest 2 versions on macOS; latest 2 versions on iOS)

Operating Systems:

• Windows 10 and Windows 11 (desktop)
• macOS (latest 2 versions)

Out-of-Scope

The following are excluded unless otherwise agreed:

• Backend infrastructure and administrative systems
• Third-party integrations or external linked systems not under GovAI control
• Print-based materials
• Supplier systems and vendor platforms

Accessibility Standard and Conformance Level

All assessment shall be conducted in accordance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA.

The assessment shall evaluate conformance against all WCAG 2.2 Level AA success criteria, including:

• Perceivable
• Operable
• Understandable
• Robust

Assessment methodology shall align with WCAG 2.2 Techniques and Failures as published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).