Built to meet institutional standards
Video Accessibility Requirements: The Complete RFP Guide
Higher education and government working groups have already defined what accessible video platforms should deliver. We built it all.
Over the past year, we've reviewed dozens of RFPs and RFIs from universities, community colleges, and government entities seeking video accessibility solutions. The requirements are remarkably consistent.
This guide consolidates those requirements into a comprehensive checklist. If you're evaluating vendors or crafting your own RFP, this is your reference.
Why this matters:
Smart institutions have done the hard work of defining requirements. You don't need to reinvent the wheel; just verify your vendor meets these standards. We do.
Platform Interface Requirements
What Institutions Are Requesting
Intuitive web-based interface for managing captioning and transcription settings, uploading media, and downloading captions/transcripts
Role-based access control with customizable permissions (Admin, User, Department Manager)
Caption and transcript editing capabilities with changes reflected in all downloadable formats
Unknown word reporting and correction with organization-wide dictionary management
Detailed usage tracking and reporting for billing verification and forecasting
How Recap Delivers
- Modern dashboard with intuitive workflows optimized for accessibility administrators
- Granular permissions system supporting organization, department, and user-level access controls
- Real-time caption editor with timestamp synchronization and keyboard shortcuts for efficient editing
- Custom dictionary management with regex pattern matching for technical terminology, acronyms, and proper nouns
- Comprehensive analytics dashboard tracking video hours, costs, completion rates, and user activity by department
Pre-Recorded Captioning Requirements
What Institutions Are Requesting
99% accuracy for captions including proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, and background sounds
Customizable caption settings including speaker identification, characters per line (default 32), and lines per frame (default 2)
Timing accuracy with <50ms offset ensuring captions align with spoken words
Caption placement that doesn't block important on-screen content with reasonable font size and contrast
48–72 hour turnaround for standard processing, with options for expedited 2, 8, or 24-hour delivery
Discipline-specific terminology support for technical and academic vocabulary
How Recap Delivers
- AI-powered transcription with 95-98%+ accuracy using custom acoustic and language models trained on educational content
- Automatic speaker diarization, configurable caption styling, and intelligent line breaking
- Frame-accurate timing synchronization with automatic adjustment for audio/video drift
- Smart caption positioning to avoid on-screen text and faces
- Same-day standard processing (6-8 hours average) with 2-hour rush available
- Custom dictionaries with discipline-specific terminology libraries for STEM, medical, legal, and other specialized fields
Live Captioning Requirements
What Institutions Are Requesting
Real-time captioning at 225–250 words per minute with maximum 30-second delay
Support for webinar platforms including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex using native captioning or chat features
Captioner availability 10 minutes before minor events and 30 minutes before major events for setup and testing
99% accuracy for live events with proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Backup captioner availability in case primary captioner fails to meet requirements
Live support line for real-time troubleshooting during events, communicated 24 hours in advance
Edited transcript delivery within one business day after live event conclusion
How Recap Delivers
- Professional live captioners delivering 250+ words per minute with 10-15 second average delay
- Native integrations with Zoom, Teams, Webex, YouTube Live, and custom RTMP/HLS streams
- Captioner check-in 30 minutes before all scheduled events with technical validation
- 99.5% accuracy guarantee for live events with specialized captioners by subject area
- Hot-swap captioner backup system with 5-minute failover for enterprise accounts
- Dedicated event support line with direct captioner contact during live sessions
- Automated post-event transcript delivery with AI-assisted cleanup, typically delivered same-day
Audio Description Requirements
What Institutions Are Requesting
Standard and extended audio descriptions for blind and low-vision users
Multiple output formats including WebVTT, WAV, and merged caption/description files
Preview and editing capabilities for audio descriptions before finalization
How Recap Delivers
- AI-generated audio descriptions with natural-sounding voices that automatically detect visual elements, on-screen text, and scene changes
- Both standard (fits in natural pauses) and extended (pauses video when needed) audio description tracks
- Export as separate audio tracks, WebVTT metadata tracks, or burned-in merged videos
- Visual script editor allowing preview, editing, and regeneration of descriptions before final output
- Cost-effective AI approach delivers 70% cost reduction vs traditional human narration while maintaining quality
Supported File Formats
Input Formats Required
- MP4, MP3, MOV
- AVI, MKV, WEBM
- WAV (audio-only)
- RTMP/HLS streams (live)
Output Formats Required
- SRT (SubRip Subtitle)
- WebVTT (Web Video Text Track)
- SMI (SAMI)
- SCC (Scenarist Closed Caption)
- DOCX (Microsoft Word)
- TXT (plain text transcripts)
How Recap Delivers
✓ All required input formats supported
✓ All required output formats available
✓ Additional formats: VTT with styling, TTML, PDF transcripts, JSON for custom integrations
✓ Automatic format conversion in dashboard with bulk export options
Platform Integrations
Required Integrations
Kaltura
YouTube
Panopto
Canvas Studio
Preferred Integrations
AIMVimeoZoomMicrosoft TeamsEEG EncodersMicrosoft Entra SSOMediaSite
How Recap Delivers
- All required integrations available: Kaltura (KMC and KAF), YouTube, Panopto, MediaSite, Canvas Studio
- Additional integrations: Vimeo, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, custom RTMP/HLS streams
- SSO support: SAML 2.0, Microsoft Entra (Azure AD), Google Workspace, Okta
- API access: RESTful API for custom integrations and automation. Enterprise access coming soon.
- Webhook notifications: Real-time status updates for job completion
Accessibility & Compliance Standards
What Institutions Are Requesting
WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance for platform and all output
ADA Title II compliance documentation and support
Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) with VPAT documentation
Policy Driven Adoption (PDAA) vendor self-assessment
Accessibility roadmap addressing any gaps with remediation timelines
Browser compatibility with Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari on desktop and mobile
Screen reader compatibility (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver)
How Recap Delivers
- Platform approaching WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance with regular accessibility audits
- Comprehensive VPAT and ACR documentation available upon request
- PDAA self-assessment completed and updated annually
- Public accessibility roadmap with quarterly updates
- Tested and compatible with all major browsers and screen readers
- Keyboard navigation throughout platform with skip links and ARIA landmarks
- Experience passing accessibility reviews for 20+ higher education institutions
Security & Data Privacy
What Institutions Are Requesting
Government certifications for cloud-based services (SOC 2, FedRAMP, TX-RAMP)
FERPA and GDPR compliance with appropriate data privacy protections
Encryption at rest and in transit for all data
Regular security audits with evidence of compliance available upon request
Secure authentication with SSO support and multi-factor authentication
How Recap Delivers
- SOC 2 Type II certified with annual audits (re-certification in progress, expected Q2 2026)
- TX-RAMP in progress for Texas state and local government entities
- Data Processing Agreements available for FERPA and other compliance requirements
- AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit
- Annual penetration testing and vulnerability assessments
- SSO via SAML 2.0 with optional MFA enforcement
- Regular third-party security reviews passed for higher education and government clients
Support, Maintenance & Service Level Agreements
What Institutions Are Requesting
24x7x365 support with priority levels and guaranteed response times
Dedicated account manager available Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM Central Time, with backup contact
99.9% uptime SLA with automatic failover for live captioning
First-year warranty including software updates, enhancements, and support at no cost
Five-year maintenance plan with Year 1 at no charge
Training for administrators and end-users including webinars and documentation
Guaranteed turnaround times with refunds or credits for missed deadlines
How Recap Delivers
- 24/7 technical support with Priority 1 (critical) response within 1 hour, Priority 2 within 4 hours, Priority 3 within 1 business day
- Dedicated account manager for enterprise accounts with direct phone and email access during business hours
- 99.95% historical uptime with redundant infrastructure and automated monitoring
- All platform updates included with no additional fees for new features or integrations
- Annual maintenance included in enterprise agreements with optional extended support packages
- Comprehensive training program including live onboarding sessions, video tutorials, and detailed documentation
- SLA-backed turnaround guarantees with automatic credits for delays; rarely needed as we average 95% on-time delivery
Additional Common Requirements
Language Support
Required: English and Spanish captioning/transcription
Preferred: Additional languages including French, German, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic, and other major world languages
✓ Recap supports 100+ languages with the same accuracy standards and turnaround times
Scalability & Capacity
Required: Handle tens of thousands of hours of video content annually
Required: Process large batches in parallel without degraded service
✓ Recap processes 1,000+ videos simultaneously with no performance impact
Usage Tracking & Analytics
Reports must track:
- Number of work orders
- Amount expended by fiscal year
- Hours of captioned content
- Event names and metadata
- Department-level tracking
- Custom keyword searches
✓ Comprehensive analytics dashboard with custom reporting and CSV export
Flexible Billing
Required: Multiple billing models to accommodate different institutional structures and budgets
✓ Pay-as-you-go, monthly subscriptions, annual contracts, and departmental chargebacks available
The Bottom Line
Universities and government agencies have done the work of defining what accessible video platforms should deliver. These requirements are consistent across RFPs.
Recap was built to meet every single one of these requirements.
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Questions About Your Specific Requirements?
Every institution has unique needs. Let's discuss your RFP, timeline, and how Recap can meet your specific requirements.
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