Carbon Reduction Plan

Where an In-Scope Organisation has determined that the measure applies to the procurement, suppliers wishing to bid for that contract are required at the selection stage to submit a Carbon Reduction Plan which details their organisational carbon footprint and confirms their commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2050. 

Carbon Reduction Plans are to be completed by the bidding supplier^[1] and must meet the reporting requirements set out in supporting guidance, and include the supplier’s current carbon footprint and its commitment to reducing emissions to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050.

The CRP should be specific to the bidding entity, or, provided certain criteria are met, may cover the bidding entity and its parent organisation. In order to ensure the CRP remains relevant, a Carbon Reduction Plan covering the bidding entity and its parent organisation is only permissible where the detailed requirements of the CRP are met in full, as set out in the Technical Standard^[2] and Guidance^[3], and all of the following criteria are met: 

• The bidding entity is wholly owned by the parent; 
• The commitment to achieving net zero by 2050 for UK operations is set out in the CRP for the parent and is supported and adopted by the bidding entity, demonstrated by the inclusion in the CRP of a statement that this will apply to the bidding entity;
• The environmental measures set out are stated to be able to be applied by the bidding entity when performing the relevant contract; and
• The CRP is published on the bidding entity’s website.    

Bidding entities must take steps to ensure they have their own CRP as soon as reasonably practicable and should note that the ability to rely on a parent organisation’s Carbon Reduction Plan may only be a temporary measure under this selection criterion. 

The Carbon Reduction Plan should be updated regularly (at least annually) and published and clearly signposted on the supplier’s UK website. It should be approved by a director (or equivalent senior leadership) within the supplier’s organisation to demonstrate a clear commitment to emissions reduction at the highest level. Suppliers may wish to adopt the key objectives of the Carbon Reduction Plan within their strategic plans. 

A template for the Carbon Reduction Plan can be found here. Please complete and publish your Carbon Reduction Plan in accordance with the reporting standard published alongside this PPN.

^[1] Bidding supplier or ‘bidding entity’ means the organisation with whom the contracting authority will enter into a contract if it is successful.

^[2] Technical Standard can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/991625/PPN_0621_Technical_standard_for_the_Completion_of_Carbon_Reduction_Plans__2_.pdf

^[3] Guidance can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/991623/Guidance_on_adopting_and_applying_PPN_06_21___Selection_Criteria___3_.pdf