When a competent authority contacts you about the accessibility of your website or app, it typically does not ask for one document but for a file: the published statement, the assessment on which that statement is based, and a plan with deadlines for what is not yet in order. Separate documents that do not align with each other — a statement without underlying assessment, or a scan result without follow-up steps — are usually not sufficient to demonstrate that you have taken the matter seriously.
The detail that matters most in this context is that a competent authority does not only look at what is on your site, but at how recent and how substantiated that information is. A statement that was published two years ago and has not been updated since, while the site has changed in the meantime, tells a different story than a statement that demonstrably aligns with a current assessment. The same applies to the improvement plan: does it contain a concrete list of issues and deadlines, or is it primarily a statement of intent without substance.
What is typically requested
The core of the file usually consists of five parts. First, the accessibility statement as it appeared on your site at the time of the letter, including the date it was last updated. Second, the assessment or scan on which that statement is based, with the identified issues. Third, the improvement plan: which issues will be addressed, in what order and within what timeframe. Fourth, evidence that previous commitments have also been fulfilled, for example a version history of the statement or of the plan. Fifth, if the reason for contact was a user report, the correspondence about it and what was done about it.
Which competent authority contacts you and in what format it wants to receive the documents varies by Member State. looked up per country who is responsible for what provides more guidance per situation than a general list can offer.
Why a standalone scan result is not sufficient
An automated scan provides a snapshot of part of the requirements, and that must also be stated in every report — including ours. For a market surveillance authority, that is rarely sufficient on its own: a scan shows that something has been examined, but not whether the findings have been acted upon. The difference between we scanned once and we scan, prioritize and monitor lies in the documents that exist between those two moments: the plan, the deadlines and what has been completed.
That is also why a statement and an improvement plan should ideally not exist separately, but should reference each other. Whoever can demonstrate that a identified issue appears in the plan with a date and status builds a more coherent file than someone who created the two documents independently.
Put your own house in order before it becomes necessary
Most businesses think about this file only when a letter arrives. That is not the best moment: under time pressure, aligning an examination, a plan and a statement is harder than having it organized beforehand. in a few questions see where your site currently stands provides an initial picture, without you needing an account for that.
For the next step — the examination, the plan with deadlines and the statement in the form that aligns with your country — a fixed structure is more useful than separate documents that you have to search for yourself when needed. how the underlying assessment is conducted shows where those documents come from and how they are maintained.
What you can prepare yourself
Even without any issues at hand, it is worthwhile to document when the statement was last reviewed, which outstanding issues remain, and who is responsible for them. This need not be an extensive file; a record that tracks what has been tested, what resulted from it, and what has been done about it is often sufficient as a basis. For the precise requirements for the statement and plan in your situation, the competent supervisory authority or a legal advisor remains the appropriate party to consult — this article describes common practice, not your specific case.
In short
A letter from a supervisory authority rarely requests a single document, but rather a coherent whole: the statement, the examination behind it, the plan with deadlines, and evidence that this plan is actually being followed. Those who have this file in order before it is needed do not have to assemble it under time pressure.
Would you like to know where your own site currently stands? The free quick-scan provides a first indication of that, and the answers to the questions most visitors ask goes deeper into what is and is not covered by the legislation.