Sectors → Construction
Carbon consultancy for UK Construction
From PPN 006 on £5m+ public contracts to RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment on planning applications, UK construction firms are being asked for verified carbon data on every major bid. We make sure yours stands up to evaluator scrutiny.
Why construction can no longer ignore carbon measurement
These are the regulatory and commercial pressures already landing on businesses in your sector. Carbon measurement is no longer a marketing project, it is a procurement and compliance requirement.
PPN 006 on every £5m+ public contract
Procurement Policy Note 006 requires a compliant Carbon Reduction Plan with verified Scope 1, 2 and selected Scope 3 emissions for any central government contract above £5 million. Most main contractors now cascade this requirement down to Tier-1 and Tier-2 subcontractors as a pass/fail at PQQ stage.
GOV.UK – PPN 006RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment
The RICS WLCA Standard (2nd edition, 2023) is now referenced by the GLA London Plan, Part Z amendments and most local authority planning policies. Developers, architects and contractors are increasingly required to disclose embodied and operational carbon at planning and on completion.
RICS – Whole Life Carbon AssessmentBuilding Safety Act & client demands
Tier-1 contractors (Balfour Beatty, Kier, Skanska, Mace, Wates) now require Scope 3 supplier emissions data as part of pre-qualification. Without it you are screened out before the commercial team even sees your bid.
Building Safety Act 2022Typical emissions hotspots in construction
In construction, embodied carbon in materials and Scope 3 categories 1 (purchased goods) and 11 (use of sold products) typically dwarf direct fuel use on site. A credible footprint has to capture both, most off-the-shelf calculators don't.
Scope 1: direct
Diesel for plant, generators and site vehicles; gas for site cabins; refrigerants in cooling units.
Scope 2: purchased energy
Electricity drawn from the grid for site cabins, tower cranes, welfare units and temporary lighting.
Scope 3: value chain
Concrete, steel, aggregates, timber and bricks (Cat 1); subcontractor travel and HGV deliveries (Cat 4); waste-to-landfill (Cat 5); operational carbon of the completed asset (Cat 11).
Read our full guide to Scope 3 emissions for UK businesses.
How we help construction companies
Carbon Footprint Assessment
We measure your full Scope 1, 2 and 3 footprint to GHG Protocol, including embodied carbon in materials and subcontractor emissions, and produce a verifier-ready report.
Carbon Footprint AssessmentPPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plan
We build a CRP that follows the official Annex A template exactly and survives evaluator challenge, the document the buyer's evaluation panel actually wants.
Carbon Reduction PlanSupplier engagement at scale
Use our Supplier Engagement Portal to chase Scope 3 data from hundreds of subcontractors and material suppliers without spreadsheets or manual follow-ups.
Supplier Engagement PortalRecommended tool
Supplier Engagement Portal
Construction firms typically have 200+ active suppliers. Our portal automates the chase so you actually get the Scope 3 data your CRP needs.
Explore the Supplier Engagement PortalOr explore our full toolkit for SMEs working towards net zero.
Construction clients we've worked with
Real construction achieving measurable carbon reductions and net zero compliance with our expert carbon consultancy.
J Hopkins Contractors
Highways maintenance and civil engineering contractor delivering road surfacing, kerb repairs and small-scale civils across the UK. We delivered a fully compliant, audit-ready PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plan in under 2 weeks for their National Highways tender submission.
Key Results:
- National Highways, Tender submission accepted
- Scope 1, 2, 3, Full GHG Protocol footprint
Construction carbon FAQs
Strictly, PPN 006 only applies to direct bidders on central government contracts above £5 million. In practice, almost every Tier-1 main contractor (Balfour Beatty, Kier, Skanska, Mace, Wates, Morgan Sindall) now requires a CRP from Tier-2 and Tier-3 subcontractors at PQQ stage as part of their own Scope 3 reporting and to demonstrate supply-chain alignment.
If you bid for or work on public-sector construction frameworks (Pagabo, Procure Partnerships, SCAPE, NHS Shared Business Services), you will be asked for one.
RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment measures the embodied and operational carbon of a single building or asset across its lifecycle (modules A1–C4). It is required by the GLA London Plan and increasingly by local planning authorities.
PPN 006 measures the carbon footprint of your business (Scope 1, 2 and selected Scope 3) and sets a Net Zero target by 2050. The two are complementary, your business CRP shows your overall trajectory; the WLCA shows the carbon impact of a specific project you've delivered.
For PPN 006, purchased goods and services (Scope 3 Category 1) is one of the five mandatory Scope 3 categories. For construction firms, this is dominated by cement, concrete, steel, aggregates and timber. We use UK-specific emissions factors (BEIS, ICE database, EPDs) to calculate this from your spend or volume data.
Our standard turnaround is 10 working days from receiving complete data. We've delivered urgent CRPs in under 5 working days for tenders with imminent deadlines, but the data quality is always our gating factor, not our timeline.
Yes, our Supplier Engagement Portal is built specifically for this. We import your subcontractor list, send branded emissions surveys, automate reminders and aggregate the responses so your team can stay focused on delivery.
A consultant-led approach for construction
We work with UK SMEs across construction on consultant-led Carbon Footprint Assessments, PPN 006-aligned Carbon Reduction Plans and ISO 14068 carbon neutral certification, every output reviewed by our team, not auto-generated.
Ready to Start Your Carbon Journey?
Contact our team today and join hundreds of organisations already reducing their carbon footprint and achieving net zero compliance with expert guidance.