PPN 06/21 is Now PPN 006: What UK Businesses Need to Know

If you've been tracking the UK government's procurement requirements around carbon reporting, you may have noticed a change in the policy reference number. PPN 06/21 — the Procurement Policy Note that made Carbon Reduction Plans mandatory for government suppliers — has been reissued as PPN 006.

This isn't a new policy. It's a consolidation and renumbering as the Cabinet Office moves to a cleaner sequential format for all procurement policy notes. The Scope 3 reporting requirements and the core £5m threshold remain unchanged. However, there is one important technical update that businesses should be aware of — and it could mean more contracts now fall within scope than you might expect.

What Is PPN 006?

PPN 006 (formerly PPN 06/21) requires any supplier bidding for a central government contract worth £5 million or more per year to:

• Have a published Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) on their website
• Report their Scope 1, Scope 2, and five mandatory Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions against a defined baseline year
• Commit to achieving Net Zero by 2050 in line with the UK's national target
• Have the CRP signed off at board or senior management level

Compliance with PPN 006 is assessed as a Pass/Fail criterion — not a scored element. If your CRP does not meet the requirements, your bid will be disqualified, regardless of how strong it is on price or capability.

What's Actually Changed?

For most suppliers, the practical requirements remain the same. The key updates under PPN 006 include:

• Updated reference templates — existing CRPs should reference PPN 006 rather than PPN 06/21 going forward
• VAT now included in the £5m threshold — for procurements starting on or after 24 February 2025, the £5m trigger is calculated including VAT, aligned with the Procurement Act 2023. Previously it was often cited as £5m excluding VAT. This means slightly more contracts now fall within scope than before.
• Frameworks and DPS confirmed — the requirement applies to frameworks and Dynamic Purchasing Systems where the anticipated individual contract value is £5m or more per annum
• Publication requirement reinforced — your CRP must be publicly accessible on your website, not just held internally or submitted as an attachment

Which Scope 3 Categories Are Required?

There have been no changes to the Scope 3 categories required under PPN 006. While there are 15 total Scope 3 categories in the GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain Standard, suppliers must report on exactly five mandatory categories:

• Category 4: Upstream transportation and distribution
• Category 5: Waste generated in operations
• Category 6: Business travel
• Category 7: Employee commuting
• Category 9: Downstream transportation and distribution

These five categories must be included in your CRP alongside your full Scope 1 and Scope 2 figures. Omitting any of them is a common reason for non-compliance.

Do I Need to Update My Carbon Reduction Plan?

If you already have a compliant CRP from PPN 06/21, you do not need to start from scratch. Ask yourself three questions:

1. Does your CRP reference "PPN 06/21"? If so, update it to reference PPN 006.
2. Is your CRP published and publicly accessible on your website? If not, it needs to be.
3. Has your baseline year data or emissions profile changed significantly? If yes, it's worth refreshing your figures.

Carbon Reduction Plans are living documents. The government expects them to be updated as your emissions data evolves — at minimum, annually.

Why This Matters Beyond Compliance

PPN 006 sits within a much broader shift in how the UK public sector procures goods and services. With the government committed to achieving a Net Zero public sector by 2045, carbon credentials are fast becoming a standard part of supplier qualification — not just for large contracts today, but increasingly across all tiers of the supply chain.

Businesses that have robust, verified carbon data are better positioned to win contracts, demonstrate ESG commitments to customers, and future-proof against tightening requirements. Those that treat it as a box-ticking exercise risk being caught out as scrutiny increases.

"A Carbon Reduction Plan is only as credible as the data behind it. Procurement teams are getting better at spotting plans that lack substance."

How CarbonVerified Can Help

CarbonVerified is built specifically for UK SMEs navigating PPN 006 compliance. Our platform lets you:

• Log and track your Scope 1, 2, and the five mandatory Scope 3 categories (upstream transport, waste, business travel, employee commuting, and downstream transport) using DEFRA-approved factors
• Generate a PPN 006-compliant Carbon Reduction Plan PDF ready for publication and tender submission
• Check your compliance status instantly with our PPN 006 Compliance Checker
• Store your verified data securely for year-on-year comparison and audit readiness

Further Reading

For the official policy text and buyer guidance, refer to the Cabinet Office's published version of PPN 006 on GOV.UK. If you have questions about how your specific contract or sector is affected, we recommend checking with the contracting authority directly.

If you'd like help getting your Carbon Reduction Plan in order, start with our free PPN 006 Compliance Checker — it takes under two minutes and gives you a clear picture of where you stand.