Big news for companies looking to support the NHS: From 6 April 2026, a significant supplier requirement came into force across NHS procurement.
If you’re submitting a tender to the NHS, you now need to meet a clear baseline: Evergreen Level 1 at the point of tender submission.
Here’s what’s changed, what it means in practice, and how to get compliant quickly (without overcomplicating it).
The Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment is the NHS’s standardised framework for assessing supplier sustainability maturity.
It replaces older tools like the Carbon Waste and Water Reduction Assessment (CWW), and creates a single, consistent way for suppliers to demonstrate progress.
Think of it as your entry point into NHS sustainability compliance, with Level 1 now being the minimum requirement to compete.
Previously, suppliers could submit a tender with any Evergreen level.
Now, the requirement is stricter, meaning you must have achieved Evergreen Level 1 before your tender closes. This change is designed to ensure credible carbon reporting is already in place to prepare the market for the stricter requirements coming into force in 2027.
Level 1 sets out what the NHS considers a credible starting point for carbon reporting. At its core, it’s about showing that your organisation has moved beyond intent and into action, and focuses on 3 core areas:
Alongside that, you’ll need a Carbon Reduction Plan that fully aligns with PPN 006 guidance. In practice, that means clearly setting out your Scope 1 and 2 emissions, along with the relevant Scope 3 categories, and demonstrating how those figures have been calculated. The plan needs to be formally approved at board or director level, updated annually, and published on your website so it can be easily accessed during procurement.
Wondering why the sudden change? It hasn’t exactly come out of nowhere. Around 60% of the NHS’s total carbon footprint comes from its suppliers, and with more detailed reporting requirements launching in 2027 and upcoming public targets and disclosures on the horizon (see our recent regulation update), the NHS is tightening requirements now to get ahead.
Many suppliers assume they’re “close enough”, but often fall short at the submission stage, which is typically when clients come to us for support.
At tender stage, procurement teams aren’t just looking for a plan. They’re checking whether it stands up to scrutiny. A Carbon Reduction Plan might look complete, but miss key PPN 006 requirements. Scope 3 emissions are often only partially covered, or based on assumptions that aren’t clearly evidenced. In some cases, plans haven’t gone through formal board approval, or simply aren’t published in a way that can be verified during evaluation.
Even where the data is there, inconsistent methodologies or a lack of audit trail can raise questions. None of these issues are unusual (are difficult to fix with the right support) but they can be enough to hold up, or even disqualify, a submission.
Flotilla has been supporting clients with Evergreen Assessments since their launch, helping organisations move quickly from partial readiness to full Evergreen Level 1 compliance.
Our approach combines a verified carbon reporting platform with hands-on support from qualified sustainability consultants. That means you’re not just meeting the requirement — you’re doing it in a way that’s robust, efficient, and ready for future regulation changes.
We help you:
Most importantly, we make sure your submission is credible, complete, and ready before tender deadlines.
If you’re not sure whether your Carbon Reduction Plan or emissions data would stand up at tender stage, we can sense-check it quickly and give you a clear view of any gaps.
And if you need to build it properly from the ground up, we’ll help you do it in a way that works, without slowing your team down.
Get in touch with Flotilla and we’ll help you move from “nearly there” to fully compliant.
