1. What PPN 006 is and whether it applies to you
Procurement Policy Note 06/21 — usually written as PPN 006 or PPN 06/21 — is a UK government policy that requires suppliers to publish a Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) when bidding for central government contracts above a certain value.
It was introduced as part of the UK's commitment to reach Net Zero by 2050. The idea is simple: if you want government money, you need to show a credible plan for reducing your carbon footprint.
Does it apply to your tender?
NHS: NHS England and many NHS trusts now apply PPN 006 requirements broadly, including to contracts below £5m. If you're supplying into the NHS, check the specific tender documents — don't assume the threshold applies.
If the tender ticks those boxes, a CRP is a pass/fail requirement — not a scored criterion. Submit a non-compliant or absent CRP and your bid will be rejected before the commercial evaluation stage even begins.
The requirement is also extending to devolved authorities and local government in some regions, and the private sector is watching. If you're not yet required to have a CRP, it's worth having one anyway.
2. CRP vs carbon footprint — the difference, simply
These two terms get conflated constantly, and confusing them is one of the most common reasons a CRP gets rejected. Here's the distinction:
In other words: your carbon footprint is the number that goes into your CRP. You can't write a credible CRP without calculating it first. That's why we've built the calculator below.
3. What a compliant CRP must contain
The Cabinet Office is explicit about what they want to see. Missing any of these sections will get your CRP flagged as non-compliant:
You don't need a detailed, audited footprint at this stage. A robust estimate based on spend data or published emission factors is acceptable for initial compliance — just document your methodology clearly. Over time, you're expected to improve data quality.
4. How to calculate the footprint behind your CRP
The three scope categories come from the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, the framework PPN 006 mandates. Here's what each covers:
Scope 1 — Direct emissions
Anything you burn on site or in vehicles you own. Gas boilers, diesel generators, company-owned fleet. Use your fuel invoices and apply DEFRA 2024 emission factors. For most office-based businesses this is a relatively small number.
Scope 2 — Purchased electricity (and heat)
The electricity you buy from the grid. Multiply your annual kWh by the UK grid emission factor (0.207 kg CO₂e/kWh for 2024, DEFRA). If you have a renewable electricity tariff with a REGO certificate, you can use the market-based factor (near zero) — but document it.
Scope 3 — The required five (at minimum)
PPN 006 requires at least five Scope 3 categories. For most UK SMEs the easiest and most material ones are:
The spend-based shortcut for Category 1 is particularly useful for SMEs: multiply your total annual spend on purchased goods and services by a spend-based emission factor (UK average ~0.25 kg CO₂e per £). It's an approximation, but it's auditable and accepted. Read our full guide to the spend-based Scope 3 method →
For a step-by-step walkthrough of the full footprint calculation, see: How to calculate your business carbon footprint →
5. Quick footprint estimator
Use the calculator below to get an indicative tCO₂e number for your CRP baseline. It covers Scope 1 (gas/fuel spend), Scope 2 (electricity), and a spend-based Scope 3 estimate. Adjust the inputs with your actual figures — or use the "employees" mode if you don't have your kWh to hand.
6. Step-by-step: filling in the CRP
Pull together 12 months of energy bills (electricity and gas), fuel receipts, your finance system's total spend, and any travel or waste records. The reporting year should match your financial year wherever possible.
Apply DEFRA 2024 emission factors to your gas usage (kWh or spend) and electricity (kWh). DEFRA publishes updated factors each June — make sure you're using the right year for your reporting period.
Use the spend-based method for purchased goods if you don't have supplier data. Add business travel (from expenses), waste (from contractor invoices), fuel upstream (automatic if you report Scope 1), and commuting (survey or industry average).
PPN 006 requires a commitment to Net Zero by 2050. Add at least one interim target — a 50% reduction by 2030 is the most commonly used milestone and aligns with UK Carbon Budget guidance.
These don't need to be dramatic. LED lighting, green energy tariff, EV fleet transition, supplier engagement programme, home-working policy — list what you are already doing and what you plan to do.
The CRP must be signed by a director (or equivalent board-level officer). The signature signals organisational commitment. Without it, the CRP is non-compliant regardless of content quality.
Create a dedicated page or add the CRP as a PDF download on your website. It must be publicly accessible — a locked portal or intranet page doesn't count. Include the publication date.
Most tender portals ask for a URL to your published CRP rather than the document itself. Double-check the link works from outside your network before submission.
7. Common mistakes that get a CRP rejected
8. Frequently asked questions
Is there a strict deadline for submitting a CRP?+
There is no universal annual deadline — the CRP is a pass/fail requirement for each qualifying tender. The deadline is the bid submission date. Your published CRP must be live on your website before you submit the tender link.
Who has to sign the Carbon Reduction Plan?+
A director or board-level equivalent must sign. The signatory must be named. "The Board" or "Management Team" is not sufficient. In a sole trader or partnership, the owner or a partner qualifies.
Where do I publish the CRP?+
It must be published on your organisation's own website — the URL you provide must be publicly accessible without any login. A dedicated page is cleaner than a PDF download, but either works.
Do SMEs get any relief from PPN 006?+
The policy applies regardless of supplier size, provided the contract value exceeds £5m. However, the Cabinet Office acknowledges that SMEs may use spend-based and estimation methods rather than detailed activity-based data — the bar for data quality is proportionate.
How often do I need to update my CRP?+
There is no prescribed update frequency, but the PPN 006 guidance expects "annual reporting of progress". In practice, you should update your CRP at least once a year and re-publish it with the new date and updated figures.
Can I reuse the same CRP across multiple tenders?+
Yes — as long as the CRP is still current and the published URL is live. You submit the same link each time. There is no requirement to produce a bespoke CRP per tender.
Does PPN 006 apply to subcontractors?+
The direct PPN 006 obligation falls on the prime contractor named in the government contract. However, larger primes are increasingly requiring their supply chain to have CRPs as a condition of sub-contract awards. If you supply into the NHS or a major defence contractor, expect to be asked.
What's the difference between PPN 06/21 and the UK SRS / SECR?+
PPN 006 is a public procurement requirement for suppliers. SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting) is a mandatory annual reporting requirement for large UK companies under the Companies Act. They overlap in scope coverage but serve different purposes and audiences.
Footprint figures produced by the calculator and this guide are estimates based on published average emission factors. Your actual footprint may differ. The CRP must be signed by a director and published on your website before use in a tender. Requirements may change — always verify the current rules against the current PPN 006 guidance on gov.uk.
Get the PPN 006 CRP Planner (Excel)
Pre-built with scope splits, DEFRA 2024 factors, reduction targets, and a director sign-off section. Used by UK SMEs responding to public sector tenders.