E&IT Procurement
Project Scope
California Government Code 11135 requires the CSU to comply with Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended in 1998, and to apply the accessibility standards published by the U.S. Access Board for electronic and information technology (E&IT) products and services that it buys, creates, uses and maintains. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. In terms of procurement, the CSU is required to purchase E&IT products and services that conform to the standards established for each category of covered items, if such are commercially available, and their purchase does not result in an undue burden or fundamental alteration.
Complying with Section 508 is a broad based and far reaching initiative that affects virtually every aspect of how a modern university functions and operates. Electronic and Information Technology (E&IT) includes the following categories of products and related services:
- Telecommunication products
- Information kiosks
- Transaction machines
- World Wide Web sites
- Software applications
- Computer operating systems
- Computers
- Multimedia (including videotapes)
- Electronic office equipment (such as copiers and fax machines)
- Any device or system that is used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data or information