4.1 Client

Firstly, the client should set up an access team to manage the process. In order to engage an auditor, the client may need to go through a tendering process^[2]. An auditor should be chosen on the basis of his or her experience and expertise in terms of

• his/her understanding of relevant legislation and standards (for further information see section 8.3);
• his/her work experience in the area and an understanding of user needs (for details of a register of access auditors see section 8.4);
• any construction/design background;
• his/her qualifications or training in this area;
• whether he/she has undertaken previous audits.

If there is a tendering process, the client should draft a brief /specification for the project. This should address issues such as the purpose and scope of the audit; information on the buildings concerned, the deliverables required, the time frame etc. In order to compare valid tenders, the client should design a scoring sheet based on weighted criteria relating to how a tenderer addresses and proposes to perform the audit, and at what cost taking into account the tenderers experience and expertise². The client should seek tenderers, by advertising or invitation². Valid submitted tenders should then be evaluated using the scoring sheet. The client may wish to invite the most competitive tenderers to elaborate on their submissions before awarding the contract to the highest scoring tenderer.

4.2 Auditor

After the client has appointed an auditor, there are a number of things that need to be carried out before the audit can take place.

A meeting should be organised with the client and the auditor to discuss how and when to proceed. The auditor may need extra information about carrying out the audit in the client's building(s). For further details and questions see Appendix 1.

After this meeting and prior to the audit, the auditor should carry out a detailed analysis of the building plans. This will have a number of benefits as it allows the auditor to familiarise themselves with the building and will provide the auditor with information such as:

• What facilities are provided for people with disabilities;
• The various zones of the building (e.g. public, staff, maintenance, toilets, circulation etc.);
• Initial accessibility concerns (for example the plans might tell if accessible car spaces are correctly designed or whether the door in an accessible toilet is correctly located).

The final step in preparation is to ensure that the auditor has all the equipment to carry out the audit. This might include^[3]:

• Some method of recording information (A clip board or PDA);
• A measuring tape (to measure door width, risers, landings etc.);
• A digital camera;
• A Grad level or gradient measuring device (to measure slopes);
• A door pressure gauge;
• A light meter;
• An induction loop tester;
• A sound meter;
• A temperature recording device (hot water).

4.3 Access Plan

The access audit is only one step that should be taken to ensure an organisation is accessible, after it has been carried out an action/implementation plan or strategy is required. An access plan:

• is a strategy for improving accessibility developed from the access audit and can ensure that access is an on going concern and help identify opportunities for change;
• could incorporate planned maintenance programmes, a schedule of works that has been devised to take into account the priority and cost information in the audit, processes to allow regular updating of the audit information and links to maintenance and management procedures;
• should also set out procedures to ensure that when opportunities for access improvements arise they are recognised.