Wellington Tender Bylaw: Digital Accessibility Rules

Technology and Data Wellington Region 3 Minutes Read ยท published February 12, 2026 Flag of Wellington Region

Wellington suppliers must design tendered digital goods and services to meet accessibility expectations set out for the city and the wider Wellington Region. Wellington City Council procurement guidance encourages suppliers to follow recognised accessibility standards and to document compliance during bids. For technical standards and testing expectations see the national guidance on accessibility which many local contracts reference: Wellington City Council procurement guidance[1] and New Zealand Government Web Standards[2]. Current applicable procedures are described on those official pages, current as of February 2026.

Address accessibility in your tender response up front to avoid evaluation penalties.

Penalties & Enforcement

Wellington does not publish a standalone "digital accessibility bylaw" with set fines; enforcement is typically managed through contract terms, procurement evaluation criteria and the Council complaints process. Specific monetary fine amounts for accessibility failures are not specified on the cited procurement page.[1]

  • Fine amounts: not specified on the cited page; remedies are normally contractual or administrative.
  • Escalation: first instance may trigger corrective action requests; repeat or continuing non-compliance may lead to contract termination or withholding of payments; exact ranges not specified on the cited page.
  • Non-monetary sanctions: required remediation, orders to fix accessibility defects, re-evaluation of tender scoring, suspension of work, contract termination and referral to courts for breach of contract.
  • Enforcer and complaints: Contracts and Procurement teams at Wellington City Council administer procurement compliance and complaints; use the Council contact and complaints pages to report issues.[3]
  • Appeals and review: contractual dispute resolution clauses apply; formal complaints follow Council procedures and external judicial review avenues where applicable; time limits for appeals are not specified on the cited pages.
If you identify an accessibility breach, document it and notify the Council promptly.

Applications & Forms

There is no single public "accessibility fine" application form listed on the procurement page; compliance is normally demonstrated in tender submissions using supporting documents, test reports or declarations. Specific forms or templates for suppliers to declare accessibility compliance are not published on the cited procurement page.[1]

  • Compliance documents: supplier declarations, WCAG conformance reports or accessibility statements are commonly requested within tender documents.
  • Testing evidence: automated audit reports plus manual testing summaries are recommended to accompany bids.

How to meet Wellington accessibility expectations

Procurement evaluators expect clear evidence of accessibility planning, testing and remediation in supplier proposals; many tenders reference national web standards and require suppliers to follow WCAG-level outcomes or equivalent methods.

  • Plan: include an accessibility plan with milestones and responsible roles.
  • Design: adopt WCAG 2.1/3.0 techniques or the New Zealand Government Web Standards as the baseline.
  • Test: provide automated and manual test reports and user testing with people with disabilities.
  • Document: attach declarations, remediation plans and warranties in your tender submission.
Keep records of accessibility testing and remediation actions for contract audits.

FAQ

Do I need to meet a specific WCAG level to tender?
Many Wellington tenders reference national accessibility expectations such as WCAG; exact required level is specified in each tender document and not universally mandated on the general procurement page.[1]
Who enforces accessibility requirements?
Enforcement is handled through Wellington City Council procurement and contract management teams and via the Council complaints process; criminal fines are not set out in a city digital-accessibility bylaw on the cited page.[1][3]
How do I report an accessibility breach?
Report to Wellington City Council through its official contact or complaints page and follow the contract dispute process if you are a supplier or affected party.[3]

How-To

  1. Review the tender documents and note any specified accessibility standards and required evidence.
  2. Create an accessibility plan with responsibilities, milestones and remediation timelines.
  3. Run automated and manual accessibility tests and document findings.
  4. Include test reports, a remediation plan and a signed accessibility declaration in your tender submission.
  5. If a breach is found during contract, notify the Council, implement fixes and keep records of remediation.
Proactive accessibility work reduces procurement risk and improves evaluation scores.

Key Takeaways

  • Check each tender for specific WCAG or standards requirements before bidding.
  • Supply clear test evidence and remediation plans with your proposal.

Help and Support / Resources

  1. [1] Wellington City Council procurement guidance
  2. [2] New Zealand Government Web Standards
  3. [3] Wellington City Council contact and complaints

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