Supplier Decarbonisation RFP Template

A supplier decarbonisation request for proposal should make bidders solve a defined commercial and emissions problem, not invite generic sustainability presentations. State the suppliers, categories, markets and Scope 3 outcomes in scope; require traceable data and an executable engagement plan; then score delivery capability, supplier adoption, governance and cost separately. The template below can be used to appoint a programme partner or adapted into climate requirements for a strategic sourcing tender.

1. Define the decision before drafting the RFP

Start with the outcome the procurement process must support. Common objectives include improving purchased-goods emissions data, enrolling priority suppliers in target-setting, developing factory projects, obtaining product carbon footprints, or combining these into a multi-year programme. Mixing every ambition into one tender usually creates incomparable bids.

The RFP owner should document:

• the Scope 3 categories and purchasing categories covered;
• the supplier population, countries, languages and tiers;
• existing data, systems, questionnaires and supplier relationships;
• the required baseline year and programme period;
• who owns supplier communication, technical review and commercial decisions;
• which outputs will influence sourcing, contracts, product design or capital support.

ISO 20400 positions sustainable procurement as the integration of sustainability into procurement decisions and processes, not as a separate reporting exercise 1. Apply that principle here: every requested deliverable should support an identified decision.

2. Paste-ready RFP structure

Use the following sections as the backbone of the tender document.

A. Context and objectives

The buyer seeks a delivery partner to establish and operate a supplier decarbonisation programme covering [categories], [number or segment of suppliers] and [geographies]. The programme must improve decision-useful carbon data, identify and advance feasible reduction actions, and provide an auditable view of progress. Bidders must distinguish confirmed emissions reductions from estimates, target-setting, renewable-energy claims and avoided emissions.

Explain the corporate inventory boundary and relevant targets, but do not ask bidders to reverse-engineer the strategy from public reports. The GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard provides the common structure for assessing value-chain emissions and focusing reduction activity 2.

B. Scope of services

Ask bidders to price and describe each work package:

1. Mobilisation: governance, stakeholder interviews, data review and programme design.
2. Supplier prioritisation: carbon, commercial and delivery criteria; proposed segmentation; handling of missing data.
3. Data collection: questionnaire, evidence list, calculation rules, validation and issue resolution.
4. Engagement: communications, onboarding, training, local-language support and escalation.
5. Reduction planning: site or product diagnostics, opportunity assessment, business cases and action plans.
6. Tracking: baseline, milestones, dashboards, change log, annual refresh and assurance support.
7. Handover: methods, files, supplier history, documentation and capability transfer.

Require bidders to mark exclusions and buyer dependencies against every work package. This reveals where a low headline price relies on procurement teams, local offices or suppliers doing unpriced work.

C. Bidder response requirements

Request concise evidence under common headings:

• proposed methodology and standards used;
• team roles, seniority, location, languages and named delivery lead;
• experience in the relevant industries and sourcing markets;
• supplier contact and onboarding model;
• data architecture, security, access controls and export formats;
• quality checks, uncertainty treatment and assurance readiness;
• project plan, assumptions, risks and client responsibilities;
• pricing by phase, supplier tier, site or deliverable;
• two comparable references, subject to permission.

Do not award points for client logos without evidence of the bidder’s role. Ask what the proposed team actually delivered and which outputs were accepted.

3. Specify the carbon data you expect

An RFP should define a minimum data model while allowing bidders to recommend improvements. For each relevant supplier or facility, require:

• legal entity, site, reporting period and purchased product or service;
• Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, energy and fuel activity data;
• organisational and product boundaries;
• emission factors, global warming potentials and factor versions;
• allocation method and physical denominator;
• primary- versus secondary-data share;
• renewable-electricity instruments and supporting evidence;
• verification status, source files, uncertainty and data owner.

For purchased goods and services, GHG Protocol guidance distinguishes supplier-specific, hybrid, average-data and spend-based methods. It recommends collecting methodology, source, verification and primary-data information when using supplier-specific data 3. Ask bidders to explain when each method will be used and how estimates will be replaced over time.

Where product footprints are required, specify the functional unit, cradle-to-gate boundary, allocation rules and version control. WBCSD’s PACT Methodology Version 3 adds a harmonised product-level framework, improved electricity accounting, verification pathways and stronger data-reliability requirements 4. A bidder may propose PACT or a sector method, but must make compatibility and limitations visible.

4. Ask for an engagement model, not just a questionnaire

Supplier participation is a delivery risk. Ask how the bidder will segment suppliers, secure internal procurement support, communicate expectations, build capability and handle non-response.

The SBTi supplier-engagement guidance sets out the full operating journey: supplier selection, internal buy-in, expectations, communications, resources, data collection, incentives and performance tracking 5. Use those stages to test whether a bid covers programme adoption as well as carbon accounting.

Include these questions:

• How will suppliers be selected and sequenced?
• What is the minimum request for a low-maturity supplier?
• Which materials will be available in local languages?
• How will the team distinguish inability, unwillingness and legitimate confidentiality concerns?
• Which escalation steps involve the buyer’s category managers?
• How will supplier progress affect sourcing decisions?

The US EPA notes that suppliers may be sensitive about data use because emissions information can reveal operational and cost information 6. Require a clear purpose statement, confidentiality controls and a route for suppliers to challenge incorrect data.

5. Use a transparent evaluation matrix

Separate mandatory gates from scored criteria. Security, conflicts, legal acceptance and the ability to export buyer data may be pass-fail. An illustrative 100-point scoring matrix is:

Criterion	Weight	Evidence to test
Carbon-accounting method and data quality	20	Boundaries, calculation rules, validation, uncertainty and assurance
Delivery plan and reduction methodology	25	Workplan, decision gates, engineering depth and feasible interventions
Supplier engagement and APAC delivery	20	Segmentation, languages, local coverage, onboarding and escalation
Technology and interoperability	10	Data model, APIs, exports, permissions and audit trail
Governance and team	15	Named roles, capacity, reporting, change control and references
Total cost and commercial model	10	Transparent assumptions, unit rates, optional modules and exit costs

Publish the weights in the RFP. Use the same scripted questions for shortlisted bidders and score evidence before consensus discussions. Adjust weights to the actual objective; a software procurement and a factory-transformation programme should not use the same matrix.

6. Make requirements proportionate

Do not impose the most detailed request on every supplier. Define a core dataset, a conditional site or product module, and an evidence module for priority suppliers. Mark each field mandatory, conditional or optional.

For CSRD-related requests, the European Commission explains that companies with 1,000 employees or fewer are protected by the value-chain cap. Information beyond the cap may still be requested, but the supplier must be told what exceeds it and that it can decline; reporting companies should ask only for information they need 7.

This proportionality also improves procurement outcomes. A small component supplier should not lose a tender merely because it lacks a polished climate report if it can provide reliable activity data and a credible improvement plan.

7. Convert the winning bid into contract controls

Attach the final method, data dictionary, implementation plan and price assumptions to the contract. Define:

• milestone acceptance criteria and evidence;
• buyer and bidder responsibilities;
• supplier-contact permissions and escalation;
• data ownership, retention, portability and deletion;
• calculation and factor change-control rules;
• treatment of acquisitions, new suppliers and product changes;
• service levels for validation and issue resolution;
• governance cadence and corrective-action process;
• exit assistance and handover.

Track both programme delivery and climate outcomes. Delivery indicators can include priority suppliers onboarded, evidence validated, action plans approved and projects reaching investment decision. Outcome indicators can include energy or emissions changes, but require a documented boundary, baseline and verification status. Do not combine targets set, projects proposed and reductions achieved into one number.

Avoid guaranteed portfolio reductions unless the supplier controls every dependency. The contract can hold the partner accountable for quality, timeliness and agreed interventions while recognising that factories, buyers, energy providers and finance owners make separate decisions.

8. Run a disciplined tender process

Issue a data-room pack with the supplier segmentation, current methods, sample data and expected interfaces. Allow written clarification, then answer all bidders consistently. Shortlist on the written response before demonstrations.

For the final stage, give bidders the same anonymised supplier case and ask for a prioritisation, data request, engagement plan and first 90 days. This tests how the team converts evidence into action. CDP’s 2026 supply-chain work similarly emphasises integrating environmental data into procurement and turning disclosure into decisions 8.

The RFP should connect to the buyer’s existing supplier prioritisation model, product-carbon data rules and operating plan. For an on-the-ground example, see how to launch a supplier decarbonisation programme in China. To adapt this structure to your categories and APAC supplier base, talk to our team.