What is PPN 06/21? Carbon Reduction Plans in UK Tenders
PPN 06/21 is the UK government Procurement Policy Note that requires bidders for major central-government contracts to publish a Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) committing to Net Zero by 2050. Under the Procurement Act 2023, the same requirement has been reissued as PPN 006 for procurements advertised on or after 24 February 2025; PPN 06/21 continues to apply to earlier procurements. The CRP is a pass/fail condition of participation — not a scored question.
Read the full guide
This is a short explainer. For the complete, evaluator-focused walkthrough — what assessors actually check, the required emissions scopes, a pre-submission checklist and common mistakes — read PPN 006 Explained: What UK Tender Evaluators Actually Check in Your Carbon Reduction Plan.
The short version
- Who it applies to: in-scope central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies, for contracts above £5 million per year (including VAT) under PPN 006.
- What it commits you to: achieving Net Zero by 2050 for your UK operations.
- What you must report: all Scope 1, all Scope 2, and a defined subset of five Scope 3 categories (upstream transport, waste, business travel, employee commuting, downstream transport), in CO₂e.
- Governance: signed off by a director (or equivalent), with a stated date of board approval.
- Publication: published and clearly signposted on your UK website, and reviewed at least annually and within six months of your financial year-end.
Treat the CRP as a recurring document you can reuse and update across bids. For the detailed pass/fail tests, worked example and checklist, see the full PPN 006 guide, or learn how compliance gateways like this are surfaced automatically in our tender analysis guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both apply during the transition. PPN 06/21 governs procurements under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (commenced before 24 February 2025), while the same requirement now sits in PPN 006 for procurements advertised on or after that date under the Procurement Act 2023. The substance is essentially the same.
Yes. It must be signed off by a director (or equivalent), and should state that the board, or equivalent management body, has approved it, with the date of approval — and be published on your organisation's UK website.
See our definitive guide, PPN 006 Explained: What UK Tender Evaluators Actually Check in Your Carbon Reduction Plan, which covers the pass/fail checks, emissions scopes, common mistakes and a pre-submission checklist.