Federal Agencies
Matrix 508 has provided 508 compliant PDFs for posting on the following agency sites. U.S. Department of:
Commerce • Defense • Education • Energy • HHS • HS • HUD • Interior • SEC • State • Transportation • VA
Federal Contractors
Matrix is a small business subcontractor. The majority of our customers are prime contractors who need to address the Section 508 requirements in their SOW.
As most primes know, some of their largest, most prestigious jobs are confidential. You simply cannot divulge your involvement. This amounts to having valuable experience, the specifics of which cannot be discussed.
Making an EIS or EIA 508 compliant is a good example: Several Federal and State agencies regularly procure Environmental Impact Statements/Assessments. These are often massive, time sensitive, subject to ongoing “starts-and-stops”, heavily scrutinized; and carry a high profile with a corresponding need for confidentiality.
Once a study has been compiled, vetted, tweaked and completed, the draft and final PDF must be posted for public review = the EIS must be accessible (508 compliant).
Typically, there are several highly specialized tasks a prime will put in the hands of a subcontractor – this is one of them. Making an EIS accessible is no small task but Matrix does it without impeding the overall project.
Points associated with making an EIS 508 compliant:
• Statements include documents from multiple sources outside the prime contractor’s control (many reports & Appendices are only available “as is”).
• A significant part of making an EIS compliant can & should be addressed as early in the process as possible. The reality is that this seldom happens until the EIS draft is finalized and ready to be posted. Regardless, communication with the people testing the documents for compliance is essential. There are specific issues that should be clarified and Matrix has experience helping the prime at this very important stage.
• The need for organization and clear/real-time communication is paramount. On-the-fly changes increase as the delivery date approaches.
• They are subject to varying accessibility standards – DoD, BLM, State, EPA, etc.
• It takes a commitment commensurate with the study itself.
• The process usually can be done in stages. As sections are “finalized”, work may begin to make them accessible. [Finalized is in quotes because it usually means “final until we change it”.]
Suffice it to say, there is much behind-the-scenes effort required to make an EIS 508 compliant. We welcome the opportunity to demonstrate our experience and commitment.
April 2016: We got permission to divulge that we made the Keystone XL Pipeline EIS 508 compliant. Keystone is the most extensive, complex, and politically sensitive EIS of national significance.