Climate action in Northern Ireland tenders: PPN 01/21 social value

In Northern Ireland, climate action is usually scored in tenders as social value under the Executive’s Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 01/21. At least 10% of the total award criteria must go to social value for services contracts above £500,000 including VAT and works contracts above the UK procurement threshold. Delivering Climate Action is one of four social value themes. Commitments must be specific, measurable and relevant to the contract, and at least one key performance indicator (KPI) tracks them once you win.

That makes a measured carbon baseline useful. “We will cut emissions” scores poorly. “We will cut fleet emissions on this contract by a set percentage from a measured baseline, and report quarterly” is the kind of answer the policy asks for.

What does PPN 01/21 require?

The revised PPN 01/21 Social Value in Procurement was approved by the Northern Ireland Executive on 5 December 2024 and took effect on 24 February 2025. It replaced the earlier PPN 01/21 Scoring Social Value. The main rules for suppliers:

Rule	What it means
10% minimum weighting	Social value scores at least 10% of the total award criteria on services contracts above £500,000 including VAT and works above the UK procurement threshold
Works below the UK threshold	For works contracts above £500,000 but below the UK threshold, social value must be included as a condition of contract, even if not scored
Smaller contracts	Public bodies can still score social value outside these thresholds, and can give it more than 10%
Real Living Wage	Payment of the Real Living Wage must be a condition of contract for all works and services tenders
At least one KPI	According to Social Value NI, at least one KPI must be developed for the social value aspects of contracts

The threshold rose to £500,000 for services partly to remove barriers for small and micro businesses on lower-value contracts. Some public bodies set their own policies: the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission’s January 2026 policy, for example, applies a 10% weighting to goods and services contracts above £1 million excluding VAT. Always check the tender documents.

What are the four social value themes?

PPN 01/21 sets out four themes, each broken into indicators. The buyer picks the themes and indicators that suit the contract.

Theme	What it aims to do	Records in your ESG Now report that help
Increasing secure employment and skills	Create jobs and training, support in-work progression and skills for a greener, low carbon economy	Headcount, FTE, leavers, training days and budget, Real Living Wage status, benefits
Building ethical and resilient supply chains	Tackle employment inequality, reduce modern slavery risk, promote diverse supply chains and social enterprises	Supplier due diligence, modern slavery statement, number of suppliers, payment terms, code of conduct
Delivering climate action	Support climate adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity, the circular economy and net zero by minimising carbon emissions	Footprint by scope in tCO2e, vehicle emissions, energy in kWh, renewable share, targets, action plan
Promoting wellbeing	Support wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion, and community cohesion	Women in the team, diversity monitoring, gender pay gap if known, harassment policy, H&S records, community activity

The theme descriptions above follow the January 2025 supplier webinar material published by Social Value NI.

How are climate action commitments scored and monitored?

There are two scoring approaches, and both mark your written methodology rather than a promise on its own.

1. Social value points. The default for construction and construction-related professional services. The supplier delivers a minimum number of points from a menu of initiatives, set at 100 points per £1 million of contract value in the published guidance, and completes a Social Value Delivery Plan spreadsheet.
2. Fixed social value indicator. The buyer chooses one or more themes and indicators and asks an evaluation question about them. Panels score how well your methodology addresses them.

For either approach, Social Value NI’s guidance tells suppliers to be specific: say what you will do, how much, over what period, how you will measure it, who is responsible and what resources you will use. It also stresses additionality, meaning the social value must come from this contract and go beyond its core deliverables, and says not to submit general corporate social responsibility policies.

After award, commitments become contract terms. Performance is managed through the KPI, and some bodies use a web-based social value monitoring portal, pre-loaded with your targets, where you report delivery. Poor performance is handled under the normal contract management procedures.

Does PPN 006 apply in Northern Ireland?

England’s PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plan policy applies to UK central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies on contracts above £5 million a year including VAT. It is not mandatory for the devolved administrations, so Northern Ireland departments do not apply it.

You are bidding to	Main climate requirement
A Northern Ireland department or public body	Social value under PPN 01/21, often including Delivering Climate Action
A UK central government body, for a contract above £5 million a year, delivered in Northern Ireland	PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plan may apply, plus any social value scoring

Northern Ireland also has its own legal target. The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 sets net zero emissions by 2050, which is why buyers are keen to see suppliers cutting carbon.

How do you write a measurable climate commitment?

Start from a measured baseline, then tie the commitment to the contract. Here is an illustrative example for a facilities firm with six diesel vans, four of which would serve the contract.

Baseline: In the year to March 2026 our vans emitted 38.4 tCO2e, calculated from fuel card litres using UK Government conversion factors, equal to 0.27 kgCO2e per mile.

Commitment: We will replace two of the four vans assigned to this contract with electric vans by month six, plan routes to cut contract mileage by 10% and report monthly mileage, fuel and charging kWh. Target: a 35% reduction in contract fleet emissions per mile against our 2025/26 baseline by the end of year two. Our operations director owns delivery and reports quarterly against the KPI.

Notice what makes it work: a real starting figure, a method, a contract-specific action, a date, a measure and a named owner. Numbers like these come straight from a footprint that shows every calculation line. Our guide to social value for small suppliers has more examples across the other themes.

How long will yours take?

Pick the option that sounds most like your business. You will see a realistic time, what to have nearby and a head start on the questions.

Which sounds most like you?

Sole trader working from homeConsultants, designers, developers, coaches10 to 15 minSole trader or freelancer in a co-working spaceA desk at a WeWork, Regus or local hub10 to 15 minSmall team in a co-working or serviced officeStartups and agencies with 2 to 25 people15 to 20 minSME with its own office and no vehiclesProfessional services, tech firms, studios20 to 30 minSME with vans, cars or regular staff travelTrades, field services, consultancies on the road30 to 45 minShop, cafe, workshop or product businessRetail, hospitality, makers and manufacturers30 to 45 min

Your estimate

About 30 to 45 minutes

Around 55 to 60 questions, most of them multiple choice

A bit more detail, and a much stronger report.

Vehicles are often the biggest part of a small firm's footprint, so this is where your report gets really useful. Fuel receipts or mileage logs both work, and estimates are fine too.

Handy to have nearby

• Fuel card statements, receipts or rough annual mileage per vehicle
• A recent energy bill for your office or yard
• Your headcount and any training records

Missing something? Estimates are fine, and you can come back to any answer later.

Vehicle emissions are the area grant funders and green lenders most want to see. Having them measured puts you ahead.

Start with this profile

First report free. No card needed.

What mistakes cost marks in social value answers?

Social Value NI’s supplier guidance lists the habits that lose points. Most of them are easy to avoid.

• Answering a different question. If the buyer asks about employment and skills, writing about recycling scores nothing, however good your recycling is. Read the theme and indicator the buyer chose.
• Stock answers. A paragraph copied from your last bid rarely fits a new contract. Make it specific to the buyer’s priorities.
• Claiming value the contract does not create. The guidance uses the example of claiming eight apprentices when only four will work on the project. Count only what this contract delivers.
• Overpromising. Every commitment becomes a contract term. A smaller target you hit is worth more than a bold one you miss.
• Skipping the research. Departments develop their own social value strategies, and the Department of Finance’s Social Value Strategy 2025-2027 links to its Climate and Sustainability Action Plan. Reading the buyer’s plans helps you pick commitments they care about.

Your ESG Now report helps with the last two. It shows what you already do, so you can describe genuinely additional activity, and it gives you the figures to set targets you can actually meet.

How to prepare your Northern Ireland bid

1. Read the social value criteria. Check the weighting, the themes and indicators chosen, and which scoring approach is used.
2. Measure your baseline. Start your ESG Now report. A business with vans takes 30 to 45 minutes, an office SME 20 to 30, and answers save as you go.
3. Pick actions from your action plan that apply to this contract, not the whole business.
4. Write each commitment with an activity, figure, timescale, measure and owner.
5. Use your social records for the other themes. Training, Real Living Wage status and supplier checks support the remaining indicators.
6. Plan your reporting. Decide now how you will collect the monthly or quarterly data the KPI will need.

Your first report is free, with no card needed. For more on bidding, visit the public sector tenders hub.