Procurement · United Kingdom

The Carbon Reduction Plan — the page that wins (or kills) the tender

Since PPN 06/21 (renumbered PPN 006 in the 2025 procurement regime), bidders for UK central-government contracts over £5M a year must publish a Carbon Reduction Plan as a selection-stage condition. Local authorities, NHS trusts and large primes copied the requirement downstream — so it now appears in private supply chains too.

Turn a saving into a report figure →All reporting guides

What the CRP must contain

Required element	Detail (per the published template)
Net-zero commitment	UK operations net-zero by 2050, explicit statement
Baseline + current emissions	Scope 1, Scope 2, and five Scope-3 categories: business travel, employee commuting, waste, upstream & downstream transportation
Emission reduction targets	quantified, dated
Completed carbon-reduction initiatives	implemented measures with achieved savings
Sign-off & publication	board-level approval, published on your website, updated annually

Common fails the evaluators actually see

CRP exists but isn't published on the bidder's website (instant non-compliance)
Missing one of the five Scope-3 categories
No completed initiatives — only intentions ('we will explore…')
No board sign-off line, or older than 12 months
Numbers without methodology (factors, base year)

The 'completed initiatives' section — your strongest card

Example entry: "2026: heat-loss elimination across the production steam system — removable modular insulation on 85 bare components (ASTM C680 survey). Achieved saving: 740 MWh gas, 135 t CO2e per year, verified against metered consumption. Payback 14 months."

Evaluators score substance: a measured, completed project with method and verification out-scores a glossy strategy every time. Format yours: Carbon Savings Certificate →

Beyond the UK

The same pattern is spreading: EU public procurement increasingly weights environmental criteria under the 2014 directives' MEAT rules; large private primes (automotive, FMCG, data-centre construction) embed CRP-style annexes in supplier contracts. One well-evidenced plan with real measures serves all of them.

FAQ

Questions on this topic

Which tenders require a Carbon Reduction Plan?

UK central-government procurements over £5M/yr (PPN 06/21, carried into the 2025 regime as PPN 006). Many local authorities, NHS bodies and prime contractors apply it voluntarily below the threshold.

Does the CRP need to cover all Scope 3?

No — five defined categories: business travel, employee commuting, waste generated in operations, upstream transportation & distribution, downstream transportation & distribution. Full Scope-3 inventories are not required by the PPN.

How current must the CRP be?

Updated and republished at least annually, with board (or equivalent) sign-off within the last 12 months at the point of bidding.

Can a new company without completed measures comply?

Formally yes (commitment + baseline + targets), but the 'completed initiatives' section is where credibility lives — even one quantified quick win (insulation, LED, steam traps) materially strengthens the plan.

How this page is built: framework facts cite the legal text or official guidance named in each section (SECR: Companies (Directors' Report) Regulations 2018; ESOS: Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme Regulations; CBAM: Regulation (EU) 2023/956; CSRD/ESRS: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772). Savings figures follow ASTM C680 / ISO 12241 — the method behind our public calculators. Published by Inzonex — manufacturer of modular removable insulation (UK Patent GB2508992.1). This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.