Climate Change Commercial Ask

On 21 March 2019 councillors at Suffolk County Council voted to declare a climate emergency, and in July 2020 Cabinet agreed a set of recommended actions arising from the work of a Policy Development Panel. 

Suffolk County Council aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. Through practical action it aims to save money, generate income and reduce carbon emissions to net zero for its own operations and services.

We want to ensure the environmental impact of the Council’s procurement of goods, services and works is minimised in line with our response to the climate emergency.

We will include environmental factors in the specification of requirements for goods, services and works.  We will also include Social Value environmental benefits in the evaluation criteria of our tenders and quotations.

• Read guidance to staff and bidders regarding what to consider when evaluating Social Value environmental bid responses (PDF)

We also have guidance for our staff in commercial roles regarding what to consider when working with our contractors to mitigate the environmental impact of our contracts. 

• Read our Climate Change Commercial Ask Contract Management Checklist (PDF)

Help available to reduce your environmental impact

The Carbon Charter is an accreditation recognising businesses for effective environmental management. carboncharter.org includes a wealth of resources available to all businesses, providing support and guidance on carbon reduction and related activities, including the following key guidance. 

•  Carbon Footprint Calculator
•  Environmental Policy and Action Plan Guidance
•  How to write an Environmental Action Plan

Further Resources Available

• UK Business Climate Hub Government website for business with tools and guidance 
• Carbon Reduction Plan Template From October 2021 Central Government contractors of contracts over £5m per annum are required to publish Carbon Reduction Plans on their website using as a minimum this template. 
• Suffolk Chamber of Commerce - Ten Steps To Net Zero guidance for locally based businesses

For further information regarding the Climate Change Commercial Ask contact - 

procurementbusinesssupport@suffolk.gov.uk