For most SaaS products an independent ACR takes two to four weeks from scope sign-off: 5 to 10 business days of testing, plus 2 days to kick off and a few days to write up. Remediation and re-test add time after that, but the first ACR can ship before the fixes.
Ranges by product size
| Product size | Testing | First ACR |
|---|---|---|
| Small: up to 10 unique screens, one user role | 5 to 6 business days | About 2 weeks from sign-off |
| Medium: 10 to 20 screens, two or three roles | 7 to 10 business days | About 3 weeks |
| Large: 20+ screens, or web plus mobile | Scoped in phases | 3 to 4 weeks for the first phase |
"Screens" means unique templates and flows, not URLs. A product with 400 pages built from 12 templates is a small product for testing purposes. The kickoff call settles the count.
What slows it down
- No staging access. Testing on production with real customer data is slower and often not permitted. A staging environment that matches production is the single biggest time saver.
- No test accounts per role. An admin view and a student view are different screens. Each role that is missing an account adds a day of back and forth.
- Unfinished features. A screen that changes mid-test has to be tested again. Freeze the surface under test or leave the unfinished feature out of scope.
- An undecided edition. The 508 and INT editions add criteria. Deciding after testing starts means testing twice.
- Waiting on the buyer's questionnaire. If the RFP has an accessibility questionnaire, share it at kickoff so the evidence report answers it directly.
What you can do to speed it up
- Send the staging URL and one account per role before the kickoff call.
- List the screens and flows you consider in scope, and the ones you do not.
- Tell your team which build is under test and hold deploys to it until the draft ACR lands.
- Take the edition from the buyer's own words: Section 508, EN 301 549, or WCAG.
- Name one developer who can answer questions about the component library and third-party embeds.
Self-authored is faster, and that is the problem
A team can fill in the VPAT template in an afternoon. Reviewers know this, which is why a document produced that quickly, with Supports on every row, is treated as a red flag rather than a pass. The two to four weeks buy testing that holds up to a buyer who runs their own checks. Read why self-authored VPATs get rejected.
Rush work
Delivery under two weeks is possible for small products, subject to availability, at a 35 percent rush premium. The testing standard does not change. What changes is scheduling.