Answer the main contractor's carbon questions and stay on the framework

Who asks construction firms about ESG?

Often a main contractor or a public sector client. A contractor that reports the emissions in its supply chain, known as Scope 3, needs figures from its subcontractors, so a prequalification questionnaire or supply chain portal may ask for your carbon footprint, environmental policy and health and safety evidence.

Public work adds more. Central government contracts above £5 million a year usually require a Carbon Reduction Plan under PPN 006, and other public clients may ask their own net zero and social value questions, so check each tender pack. A bank offering a green loan for electric vans may want to see your baseline too.

What makes up a construction firm’s carbon footprint?

For most small builders and trades, fuel dominates. The report measures:

• Company vans, cars and HGVs: petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric, from fuel litres or mileage, reported as Scope 1 (EV charging goes into Scope 2)
• Plant and generators: red diesel (gas oil), diesel, petrol or LPG bought for plant, excavators and site generators
• Office or yard energy: electricity, gas, heating oil or LPG from your bills or deliveries, or estimated from floor area
• Waste: general waste and recycling, from transfer note tonnages or estimated from container sizes and collections
• Water, from bills or estimated from headcount
• Business travel by air and rail, plus staff driving their own vehicles for work (grey fleet), taxis and hotel stays
• Employee commuting, estimated from days on site, how people travel and a typical distance

Be aware of the limits. Purchased materials such as concrete and steel can be included only as an optional spend-based estimate, not as supplier-specific product footprints. Subcontractors and owner-drivers using their own vehicles are outside the footprint. The report states its coverage clearly in the methodology appendix.

Your fleet is where the biggest gains are

Because vans make up so much of the footprint, they are also where you can show the clearest progress. It is also where the figures are easiest to get: most firms already have fuel card statements for the accounts, and those litres are the most accurate basis for the calculation. If some vans are on expenses rather than cards, mileage records or a sensible annual estimate fill the gap, and the report labels which is which. Common steps include route planning to cut mileage, telematics to reduce idling, and switching urban vans to electric when they are due for replacement. A measured baseline lets you show a main contractor or lender exactly what those changes achieve.

Your private action plan puts the options in order for your business. If you are bidding for public work, our guide to the PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plan explains how your figures feed into the official template. To be clear, ESG Now does not generate a PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plan document. It gives you the carbon footprint, baseline, and figures you need to complete the official CRP template.

How long it takes

A firm with vans usually finishes in 30 to 45 minutes. Have your fuel card statements or rough annual mileage per vehicle, a recent energy bill for your office or yard, your waste details and headcount to hand. Answers save as you go, so you can stop to dig out a statement. Your first report is free. Start your report and send the main contractor proper figures this week.