A carbon reduction plan (CRP) is a short published document in which a supplier commits to net zero by 2050, reports its greenhouse gas emissions and sets out the environmental measures it will use on a contract. Central government asks for one on its biggest contracts. Most contracts a micro firm bids for are nowhere near that size, but you'll still see the phrase in notices, so it's worth knowing when it really applies.
When a buyer has to ask for one
Procurement Policy Note 006 (updated February 2025) applies to central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. They should require a CRP when awarding public contracts for goods, services or works with an estimated value above £5 million a year, including VAT, under the Procurement Act 2023, unless it wouldn't be relevant or proportionate to the contract. For frameworks and dynamic markets it applies only where an individual contract under them is expected to exceed £5 million a year.
The PPN isn't mandatory for the devolved administrations, and councils and other bodies outside central government aren't bound by it. Some copy the approach for smaller contracts, so read what the notice actually asks for.
How it's assessed
Under the Act a CRP is a condition of participation: a pass or fail check that the plan meets the requirements, not something scored against other bidders. GOV.UK's FAQs give the example of one supplier committing to net zero by 2050 and another by 2030: both pass, and neither gets an advantage. Corporate social responsibility statements, policies or case studies can't be accepted instead, and neither can commitments under schemes such as the Science Based Targets initiative on their own.
What a plan must contain
The FAQs list what buyers should check. The CRP must:
- be published on the supplier's website;
- be signed off at an appropriate level and published in the 12 months before the tender notice, or since it;
- include a signed declaration of the supplier's commitment to net zero by 2050 at the latest;
- give the supplier's greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1 and 2 of the GHG Protocol, and a defined subset of Scope 3), reported in carbon dioxide equivalent; and
- describe the environmental management measures that will be used when performing the contract.
The government publishes a CRP template and a technical standard for completing it. One CRP is valid for 12 months and can be used for every procurement that asks for it. The template is designed to keep the burden on start-ups, SMEs and VCSEs down.
What it means for a micro firm
- Usually not needed. A £20,000 evaluation or a £60,000 website for a council is far below £5 million a year. If a notice of that size demands a CRP, it's worth checking with a clarification question whether the buyer really means a full PPN 006 plan.
- Sometimes asked anyway. Some buyers include it as standard in their documents. Bidlark's checklist shows it when a notice mentions one, so you see it before you start writing.
- Often an environmental question instead. Smaller tenders more often ask a short question about how you'll reduce your environmental impact on the contract. Remote delivery, digital outputs and low-carbon travel are honest answers for desk-based work.
- If you want one ready: working out a small firm's emissions is mostly energy, travel and purchased services. Use the official template and technical standard, sign it off, and publish it on your website.
Related requirements
Notices that ask for a CRP often ask for an environmental policy, ISO 14001 (or an equivalent) or a modern slavery statement too. Each appears separately in Bidlark's checklist, read against what your profile says you hold.