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UK supplier guide

Carbon reduction plan for tenders:
PPN 006 explained

A carbon reduction plan (CRP) is a published, signed statement of your organisation’s emissions and your commitment to net zero by 2050. Central government asks for one as a pass/fail condition when a contract is worth more than £5 million a year.

Search tenders and read their conditions →

Checked against primary sources5 sources linked below

  1. Check the condition

    This guide’s primary sources

  2. Measure the emissions

    This guide’s primary sources

  3. Complete the template

    This guide’s primary sources

  4. Sign off and publish

    This guide’s primary sources

  1. £5m a year

    The value above which central government asks for a plan.

    This guide’s primary sources

  2. Pass or fail

    Checked against the standard; never scored.

    This guide’s primary sources

  3. Read the documents

    Only 20 notice summaries in our corpus mentioned a plan in a year.

    This guide’s primary sources

When does a tender ask for a carbon reduction plan?

When an in-scope central government body awards a contract worth more than £5 million a year, including VAT, and a plan is relevant and proportionate.

PPN 006 applies to procurements advertised on or after 24 February 2025 under the Procurement Act 2023; earlier ones follow PPN 06/21 (PPN 006, paras 7 and 9).

It covers central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Other public buyers are outside its scope: read each tender’s own conditions of participation.

  1. Central government departments, executive agencies and NDPBs.

    PPN 006, para 2

  2. Estimated contract value above £5 million a year, including VAT.

    PPN 006, para 3

  3. Only where an individual call-off is expected above £5 million a year.

    PPN 006, para 4

  4. Applied unless not relevant or proportionate to the contract.

    PPN 006, para 13

What must a carbon reduction plan contain?

A net zero commitment, current emissions, environmental management measures, sign-off and publication on your website.

RequirementWhat the buyer checks
Net zero commitmentA signed declaration committing to net zero by 2050 at the latest for UK operations
EmissionsCurrent Scope 1 and 2 emissions and five Scope 3 categories, in CO2e for the six Kyoto Protocol gases
Environmental measuresCertifications or carbon reduction measures in effect, that will apply when performing the contract
Sign-off and dateSigned off at an appropriate level, published since the tender notice or in the preceding 12 months
PublicationOn your website; the template is Annex A to PPN 006
PPN 006, paras 10 and 11, and PPN 006 FAQ, question 8, read 24 October 2026.

How do you make sure your carbon reduction plan passes?

Measure, write, sign and publish it before the tender asks.

  1. Start with the source01

    Check the condition

    Central government, over £5 million a year, relevant to the contract.
  2. Define the scope02

    Measure the emissions

    Scope 1, Scope 2 and five Scope 3 categories for one year.
  3. Read the evidence03

    Complete the template

    Net zero by 2050 commitment and the measures for this contract.
  4. Make the decision04

    Sign off and publish

    At an appropriate level, on your website.
  5. Name the next action05

    Keep it within 12 months

    Refresh it each year so it is current for every bid.

A supplier’s review sequence, based on the primary sources below. It is not a measured outcome or a prescribed buyer timetable.

Which emissions must you report?

All of Scope 1 and Scope 2, and five of the fifteen Scope 3 categories.

ScopeWhat it covers in the plan
Scope 1All Scope 1 emissions
Scope 2All Scope 2 emissions
Scope 3, category 4Upstream transportation and distribution
Scope 3, category 5Waste generated in operations
Scope 3, category 6Business travel
Scope 3, category 7Employee commuting
Scope 3, category 9Downstream transportation and distribution
PPN 006 technical standard, “Scope guidance”, read 24 October 2026. Report Scope 1 and 2 under the government’s environmental reporting guidance and the Scope 3 subset under the GHG Protocol’s Scope 3 guidance, as the standard sets out.

Is the carbon reduction plan scored?

No. It is a pass/fail condition of participation: plans are checked against the requirements, not compared or scored.

Your bid includes a carbon reduction plan

  • Pass

    The plan meets the technical standard, commits to net zero by 2050 and states the measures you will apply on the contract (FAQ, question 6).

    Carbon commitments can still be scored elsewhere, for example under social value.

  • Fail

    A plan that fails to commit to reducing emissions, or does not meet the standard, can prevent award (conditions of participation guidance).

    A parent company’s plan is allowed only if the bidder is wholly owned and the four criteria in PPN 006 paragraph 10 are all met.

How do you prepare a carbon reduction plan for a bid?

Measure, write it on the template, sign it off, publish it, and keep it within twelve months.

  1. Before you start01

    Use the current documents

    Check the primary publication and later changes before using the sequence below.
  2. Check 202

    Measure the year’s emissions

    Scope 1, Scope 2 and the five Scope 3 categories for one reporting year (technical standard).
  3. Check 303

    Use the Annex A template

    Commit to net zero by 2050 and list the measures you will apply on the contract (PPN 006 documents). GCA also publishes a how-to guide.
  4. Check 404

    Sign off and publish

    Signed at an appropriate level and placed on your website.
  5. Follow through05

    Keep it current

    The plan must date from the tender notice or the preceding 12 months, so refresh it each year. Search current tenders for the contracts you are preparing for.

An editorial order of work, not a buyer's fixed timetable. The current notice and documents determine participation and submission.

A plan that misses the standard can stop a bid, however good the rest of it is.

  1. £5m a year

    The value above which central government asks for a plan.

  2. Pass or fail

    Checked against the standard; never scored.

  3. Read the documents

    Only 20 notice summaries in our corpus mentioned a plan in a year.
Search tenders and read their conditions →

Free search across Find a Tender and Contracts Finder. A carbon reduction plan requirement is usually in the tender documents, not the notice summary.

What else should you know about Carbon reduction plan?

Check these points before committing your team’s time.

Is a carbon reduction plan mandatory for all public contracts?
No. PPN 006 applies to central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies, for contracts above £5 million a year including VAT, where relevant and proportionate. Other public buyers are outside its scope, so read each tender's own conditions.
What replaced PPN 06/21?
PPN 006, updated in February 2025 for the Procurement Act 2023. The obligation is the same, but it is now a condition of participation rather than a selection criterion. Procurements commenced and contracts awarded before 24 February 2025 still follow PPN 06/21 (PPN 006 FAQ).
Which Scope 3 emissions go in a carbon reduction plan?
Five categories: upstream transportation and distribution, waste generated in operations, business travel, employee commuting and downstream transportation and distribution (technical standard).
Can I use my parent company's carbon reduction plan?
Only if your company is wholly owned by the parent, the parent's plan commits to net zero by 2050 for UK operations and states that it applies to you, its measures can be applied by you on the contract, and the plan is published on your own website. PPN 006 treats this as a temporary measure (paragraph 10).
How old can a carbon reduction plan be?
It must have been published since the tender notice or in the preceding 12-month period, and signed off at an appropriate level (PPN 006 FAQ, question 8).

Where can you check the evidence?

Read the primary publication and the buyer’s current documents before acting.

SourceWhat it supports
PPN 006: Taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans · Cabinet Office ↗Scope, £5m threshold, timing and content, updated 10 July 2025, read 24 October 2026.
PPN 006 technical standard · Cabinet Office ↗Scope 1, 2 and the five Scope 3 categories.
PPN 006 frequently asked questions · Cabinet Office ↗Pass/fail assessment, PPN 06/21, what the plan must contain.
PPN 006 conditions of participation guidance · Cabinet Office ↗When a plan prevents award.
How to create a carbon reduction plan · Government Commercial Agency ↗Supplier guide and templates.
Follow the current primary publication for its scope and any later changes. Calculators use your inputs, not measured savings.

In the RFP Quest corpus, only 20 Find a Tender and Contracts Finder records published between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026 mentioned a “carbon reduction plan” in their title or summary; 13 of them cited PPN 006 (text match, queried 24 October 2026). The requirement normally sits in the procurement documents, so a search of notice text will miss most contracts that need a plan.

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