Lincoln, Nebraska – September 12, 2026 -- Nelnet Government Services said its ADA Web Accessibility Consulting services are now listed on Civic Marketplace, letting state and local agencies procure compliance work without issuing a new request for proposal ahead of Department of Justice deadlines set for April 2027 and April 2028.
Cooperative contract removes the RFP bottleneck for public agencies
Nelnet's services were awarded through the Alliance for Innovation (AFI) cooperative purchasing program, meaning they have already been competitively solicited under public procurement rules. Listing on Civic Marketplace lets eligible cities, counties, school districts, and other public agencies access Nelnet's pre-negotiated pricing directly, cutting a process that typically consumes about a year down to an immediate purchase.
DOJ's WCAG 2.1 AA deadlines are closer than agencies expect
Under the DOJ's ADA Title II rule, state and local government websites, apps, and digital content must meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards. The DOJ extended compliance deadlines to April 26, 2027, for larger public entities and April 26, 2028, for smaller entities and special districts. Auditing, remediating, and retraining staff across years of legacy content routinely takes longer than agencies anticipate, and the deadlines mark when compliance is required, not when the work should begin.
Nelnet said most compliance gaps can be closed through targeted assessment and remediation work rather than a seven-figure platform overhaul.
Nelnet's accessibility team already remediated a 1-million-user Colorado app
Nelnet's accessibility team embedded with Colorado's Office of Information Technology to bring the myColorado app into WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. The app is used by more than 1 million residents for driver's licenses, DMV services, and benefit applications.
"Every resident deserves digital services that work for them, and every agency deserves a partner who can help them get there without adding a lengthy procurement process," said Marc Thorson, Lead Accessibility Architect at Nelnet. "Making our accessibility team available through Civic Marketplace means agencies can start real compliance work now, well ahead of the deadlines bearing down on them."
AFI cites growing operational priority for digital accessibility
Michael Wilkes, President and CEO of the Alliance for Innovation, said digital accessibility has become a growing operational priority for local governments that often need specialized expertise to address it effectively, and that adding Nelnet to AFI's cooperative portfolio gives agencies access to those capabilities.
The service package available through the contract includes accessibility assessments against WCAG 2.1 barriers, remediation of websites, mobile apps, documents and video, and VPAT/ACR compliance reporting, staff training, and ongoing Accessibility Team as a Service governance.