PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plans

Executive summary

Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 006 covers relevant contracts above £5 million a year including VAT under the Procurement Act 2023, bought by central government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Special-regime contracts are excluded; relevance and proportionality matter. The bidding supplier needs an acceptable, current, published Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) as a pass/fail condition. Confirm the bidder and tender requirements first. This is not a universal rule for every public contract. ^{[1, 2, 3]}

In plain terms

A CRP sets out baseline and current emissions, commitment to net zero by 2050 at the latest, and relevant reduction measures. It needs board or equivalent approval and director or equivalent sign-off. PPN 006 itself requires neither a physical signature nor an audited footprint; check additional tender requirements. Emissions totals are information, not a score. ^{[2, 3]}

Check applicability and the bidder

Divide the total advertised contract value, including VAT, by the term in years. Individual contracts under frameworks and dynamic markets are covered. Relevant procurements advertised from 24 February 2025 use PPN 006; earlier ones use PPN 06/21. Check the buyer's assessment arrangements. ^{[1, 3]}

Normally use the bidder's UK emissions and accounting boundary. For joint bids, Cabinet Office FAQ 19 says each consortium member should complete a CRP. A parent plan must meet all four conditions below. ^{[2, 3, 4]}

• The parent owns 100% of the bidder.
• The bidder adopts the parent's commitment.
• Relevant measures apply to the bidder.
• The plan is published on the bidder's website. ^{[2, 3]}

Emissions and likely evidence owners

Is the plan still current?

Example in practice

Illustrative example: uploading an old footprint does not refresh its reporting period. Check all three dates and approval; keep the submitted version and tender check.

Recommended actions

A practical way to start, with suggested owners and timing:

1. 1.

   Check the tender and bidder

   Record the buyer, value test and legal bidder or consortium. Keep each relevant plan, buyer clarifications and submitted versions; apply current guidance and tender wording.

   Bid lead, on receipt of the tender

2. 2.

   Gather the evidence

   Keep activity records, boundary decisions, factors, calculations, assumptions and explained emissions exclusions.

   Reporting lead, before drafting

3. 3.

   Approve the plan

   Keep the commitment, measures, approved plan and sign-off name, role and date.

   Director and board, before release

4. 4.

   Publish and test access

   Publish on the UK website with a prominent homepage link. Without a website, follow the technical standard's written-copy requirement. Keep the URL and tender copy. ^[2]

   Bid and website owners, before submission

5. 5.

   Check the plan is still current

   Schedule the year-end update. Recheck the 12- and 18-month tests and document accepted exceptions.

   Reporting owner, annually and before each bid

Common mistakes

• Group plan assumed sufficient: demonstrate every parent-plan condition.
• A policy statement substituted for a CRP: use the official template and required content.
• Five Scope 3 categories called a full inventory: state coverage and check separate customer requests.

How Reinventives can help

Start with a tender-specific CRP gap list and evidence tracker, with owners and next steps. We organise evidence, calculate emissions within the agreed boundary and draft or refresh the plan for approval. Procurement-law interpretation and independent assurance require separate specialists.

construction@reinventives.co.uk · 01908 023399

Sources and review dates

1. 1.Cabinet Office, PPN 006 policy, updated 10 July 2025; scope and implementation.
2. 2.Cabinet Office, CRP technical standard, updated 10 July 2025; paragraphs 9-25 and scope table.
3. 3.Cabinet Office, Adopting and applying conditions of participation, July 2025; paragraphs 7-14, Table 1.
4. 4.Cabinet Office, PPN 006 FAQs, updated 10 July 2025; Q15 emissions and Q19 consortia.