{"id":2487,"date":"2025-12-08T12:46:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T12:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/?post_type=dcc_docs_document&#038;p=2487"},"modified":"2026-01-05T15:49:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T15:49:09","slug":"low-carbon-supplychain-strategy-andaction-plan-2024-2026","status":"publish","type":"dcc_docs_document","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/document\/low-carbon-supplychain-strategy-andaction-plan-2024-2026","title":{"rendered":"Low Carbon Supply Chain Strategy and Action Plan 2024 &#8211; 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column doc-aside is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\">\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#strategy-summary\">1. Strategy summary<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#2-background\">2. Background<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#3\">3. Vision for 2030<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#4-target\">4. Target<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#5-priority-areas\">5. Priority areas<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#finance-and-resources\">6. Finance and Resources<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#monitoring-performance-and-next-steps\">7. Monitoring performance and next steps<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#8\">8. Delivery of actions<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#9-references\">9. References<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div><\/aside>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"dcc-documents-cpt-fixed dccdocs-sticky dccdocs-hidden\">\r\n    <div class=\"grid-container\">\r\n        <div class=\"grid-x grid-margin-x\">\r\n            <div class=\"cell medium-12\">\r\n                <a class=\"back-to-top hide-for-print\" href=\"#main\"><svg class=\"app-c-back-to-top__icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"13\" height=\"17\" viewBox=\"0 0 13 17\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M6.5 0L0 6.5 1.4 8l4-4v12.7h2V4l4.3 4L13 6.4z\"><\/path><\/svg> Contents<\/a>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column doc-content is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:75%\">\n<article class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"strategy-summary\">1. Strategy summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2019, the Council set a target to achieve a net-zero supply chain from 2030 by avoiding carbon-intensive activities where possible and modifying activities to reduce emissions to progressively replace high-carbon practices with low-carbon solutions.<br>To do this the council will focus on four priority areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Improving the quality of the supply-chain carbon data<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Procurement commissioning and contract management processes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Supporting suppliers, and<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Supporting and training DCC staff.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As an interim target, the Council aims to have 50% of its spend covered by net-zero targets by the end of 2025\/26 (March 2026). This strategy describes how the authority will accelerate activity to achieve the interim target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"227\" src=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/112\/2025\/12\/Figure-2-DCC-Route-to-a-net-zero-supply-chain-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2491\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/112\/2025\/12\/Figure-2-DCC-Route-to-a-net-zero-supply-chain-1.jpg 602w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/112\/2025\/12\/Figure-2-DCC-Route-to-a-net-zero-supply-chain-1-300x113.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Figure 2: DCC route to a net-zero supply chain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-background\">2. Background<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/article>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2.1 Purpose of strategy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>In February 2019 Devon County Council (DCC) declared a Climate Emergency and has since set the target to become net-zero carbon by 2030, including its supply chain, in its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/our-environmental-performance\/environmental-performance-action-plans\/carbon-reduction-plan\">Carbon Reduction Plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The carbon emissions from the council\u2019s supply chain are roughly 19 times larger than the council\u2019s corporate footprint, with the latest figure (2020\/21) showing the supply chain carbon emissions to be 386 ktCO2e.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This strategy sets out how DCC intends to accelerate activity over the next 3 years to March 2026 to achieve the interim target of 50% of spend covered by net zero targets and plans by 2025\/26. Learning will inform the subsequent phase from 2026\/27 \u2013 2030\/31.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2.2 Climate change<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) state that climate change is unequivocally happening and is being caused by human impacts on the climate. Increased greenhouse gasses (GHG) released by human activity trap more heat, causing the climate to warm. 2020 was the joint hottest global surface temperature on record<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/climate.nasa.gov\/news\/3061\/2020-tied-for-warmest-year-on-record-nasa-analysis-shows\/\" rel=\"noopener\">i<\/a><\/sup> and the past seven years have been the hottest since records began<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/science-environment-59915690\" rel=\"noopener\">ii<\/a><\/sup>. Temperatures are already between 0.5 \u2013 1 degree higher in Devon than they were in the 1970s<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/www.devonwildlifetrust.org\/what-we-do\/defending-wildlife\/meeting-threats-climate-emergency\" rel=\"noopener\">iii<\/a><\/sup>. Projections of warming in Devon show a worst-case scenario increase of over 4 degrees<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/uwe.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/MapJournal\/index.html?appid=bc3a9c4e3b6649d590da32f58a59a354\" rel=\"noopener\">iv<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This warming increases the likelihood of extreme weather events, with extreme storms, heatwaves and droughts already causing damage and destruction, and gives rise to higher sea levels, putting coastal communities at risk. Devon can expect to see increasingly wetter, hotter winters and drier, hotter summers, with floods and heat waves more frequent and severe. Increased frequency of extreme weather events will have significant impacts for the population of Devon and its public services with widespread disruption, strain on public services and economic stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The IPCC report highlights the importance of keeping warming below 1.5 degrees from pre-industrial levels by reducing carbon emissions to limit damaging impacts of global warming. Every tonne of emissions avoided is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2\">2.3 Policy context<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>International<br><\/strong>The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, is an international binding agreement amongst 196 parties including the United Kingdom. The parties have committed to action to keep warming well below 2 degrees, preferably by 1.5 degree, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving a climate neutral world by 2050<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/unfccc.int\/process-and-meetings\/the-paris-agreement\/the-paris-agreement\" rel=\"noopener\">v<\/a><\/sup>. The agreement commits the parties to taking both mitigating and adaptive actions in response to climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>National<\/strong><br>The UK Climate Change Act 2008 requires greenhouse gas emissions to be significantly reduced and to adapt to climate change risks. In 2019 it was amended to a legally binding target to be net-zero by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Local<\/strong><br>Devon County Council have signed the Devon Climate Emergency (DCE) declaration and are one of many partner organisations who are committed to collaborating and creating a net-zero Devon. The DCE Devon Carbon Plan sets out to create a net-zero carbon Devon by 2050 at the latest, with an interim 2030 target of 50% reduction compared to 2010 levels. Local Authorities are well placed to influence action to mitigate climate change as procurers, commissioners, and service providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Devon County Council context<br><\/strong>Devon County Council (DCC) have declared a climate emergency and set a 2030 net-zero target through its Carbon Reduction Plan. Net-zero means significantly reducing the carbon emissions produced and any residual emissions being offset, a term used to describe the removal of carbon emissions from the atmosphere. Carbon in this strategy refers to a group of greenhouse gasses (GHG) including carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DCC\u2019s strategic priorities include tackling climate change. As a strategic priority, tackling the climate crisis must underpin all council activity and be a priority shared with the council\u2019s partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-1\">2.4 Scope of strategy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The council commissions and procures for a range of goods and services that serve the people of Devon. Although the council does not have direct control over the companies in the supply chain, there is opportunity to influence and reduce their impacts on the environment while carrying out work commissioned and procured, by the council. The strategy will influence the emissions of this procured and commissioned revenue and capital spend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3\">3. Vision for 2030<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2030 the council will have a net-zero carbon supply chain. The authority will have high-quality data about the carbon emissions arising from its receipt of goods and services. Those emissions will be declining rapidly due to the previous years\u2019 efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Staff responsible for leading commissioning and procurement processes and managing contracts will be using new skills to ensure that all requests for quotations and invitations to tender include carbon-related evaluation criteria and\/or the specifications for the goods and services incorporate low-carbon and circulareconomy requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All suppliers will be reporting to DCC the carbon emissions or raw activity data related to the delivery of the contract, having been supported to develop their knowledge and skills to do this. Similarly, suppliers will have been supported to understand the low-carbon solutions available to them and will have started implementing these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4-target\">4. Target<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Setting an absolute emissions reduction target from the supply chain is challenging for a number of reasons. Firstly, the amount of money spent within the supply chain and hence the extent of goods and services purchased changes from year to year \u2013 this means the carbon emissions will vary as well. Secondly, the data available for the supply chain\u2019s carbon emissions are currently low-quality (see Section 5.1) but will be improved over the coming years. This means that emissions may appear to increase or decrease simply because the council\u2019s data quality has improved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of an absolute emissions reduction target, the authority will increase the effort being made within the supply chain to minimise emissions. Currently, 20% of the authority\u2019s spend is covered by a net-zero target \u2013 these are either targets set within the organisations of companies delivering the council\u2019s contracts, or are contract specific. The council will aim to increase this to 50% of its spend covered by net-zero targets by the end of 2025\/26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"5-priority-areas\">5. Priority areas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The resources required to deliver these priority areas are shown in the table at Section 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5.1 Carbon data<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key themes: Accuracy, Monitoring, Transparency, Reduction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To gain an accurate measure of the supply chain emissions and carbon reduction efforts DCC must collect, store and analyse carbon data from the supply chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The latest figure for 2020\/21 shows the supply chain carbon emissions to be 386 ktCO2e. DCC currently calculate the supply chain carbon footprint using government spend factors. These give an estimation of DCC\u2019s supply chain carbon emissions based on how much is spent in categories. The conversion factors have not been updated since 2009 so the estimation of the supply chain emissions have largely stayed the same since its initial baseline in 2012\/13. This means carbon saving measures already utilised in contracts are not currently accounted for in the supply chain carbon footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is therefore important to start receiving primary data from suppliers to gain a more accurate picture of the council\u2019s supply chain emissions. The council has begun to receive primary carbon data from some contractors and are integrating these figures into the supply chain carbon footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The council will need carbon emissions data about products and services from \u2018cradle to grave\u2019. Alternatively known as \u2018whole life-cycle carbon\u2019, this approach provides a true picture of a product\u2019s or service\u2019s carbon impact on the environment by considering the carbon emissions arising from materials extraction, processing, construction, use and disposal. Life-cycle assessments ensure that lower carbon emissions from a product when in use, for example, will not be rendered invalid by increased carbon emissions from manufacturing, disposal, or replacement frequency, in comparison to the traditional alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a-collecting-data\">a. Collecting data<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>DCC will need to collect carbon data from suppliers in a consistent format. This will enable the council to get a more accurate picture of the actual emissions associated with the supply chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Options for gathering carbon data:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Spend data<\/strong><br>DCC currently work out supply chain carbon emissions based on spend conversion factors for categories of public spend. This requires spend data for DCC\u2019s supply chain to then be multiplied by the corresponding government conversion factor.<br>This requires low data demand and all data needed is internal. However, it produces an inaccurate figure of supply chain emissions and does not account for carbon reduction solutions, unless they result in lower expenditure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Company-wide emissions: percentage revenue<br><\/strong>This requires the company to measure their whole company emissions (quoted companies or companies with over 250 employees, \u00a336m annual turnover, or \u00a318m balance sheet total have had to report their carbon emissions in their Directors\u2019 Report since 1st April 2019) and provide this to DCC alongside the percentage of their revenue that comes from DCC contracts. The percentage of the company emissions associated with revenue is then assigned to the DCC contract. This is more accurate than spend conversion factors and less data intensive than collecting raw data. However, the carbon data is not directly for DCC\u2019s contract, so would not account for specific carbon reduction measures in the contract, but would pick up the carbon benefit of low-carbon initiatives delivered across the whole company\u2019s operations e.g. if the company operated a fleet of electric vehicles that are used on all of its clients\u2019 contracts. Emissions calculated by companies will likely cover different scopes of activities, and may not cover their own supply chain (and hence not \u2018cradle to grave\u2019, but they will be following UK <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/environmental-reporting-guidelines-including-mandatory-greenhouse-gas-emissions-reporting-guidance\" rel=\"noopener\">Environmental Reporting Guidelines<\/a> that will ensure an acceptable level of consistency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Contract-specific carbon data<\/strong><br>Suppliers provide precalculated carbon data for emissions associated specifically with the DCC contract. This would provide DCC carbon data for the council\u2019s contracts, but the council would need to set out clear guidelines for how this would be calculated. It would require DCC\u2019s contractors to engage with their suppliers right back to the origin of materials to ensure the \u2018cradle to grave\u2019 approach, which may be difficult for the council\u2019s suppliers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Contract-specific raw activity data<\/strong><br>Collecting raw activity data from suppliers over the course of the contract, for example tonnes of different materials used and the distance they have been transported, to then calculate the emissions associated with that activity, is a very accurate method for producing carbon data. This also gives the council control over how the activity data is turned into carbon data, and the approach will be able to demonstrate clear carbon reduction when improved practices are introduced. However, it is a very data intensive method.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The council are in the process of developing and testing a system built in-house by DCC\u2019s information technology partner, SCOMIS, for storing and visualising carbon data collected from suppliers as part of a pilot approach in the Highways, Infrastructure, and Development service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The strategy:<br>S1. Prioritise collecting \u2018raw activity data\u2019 or \u2018company-wide: percentage revenue\u2019 emissions data, dependent on which is most relevant to the contract in question. \u2018Contract specific carbon data\u2019 may be collected where justified, e.g. rental vehicle contracts where the distance travelled and carbon intensity of each vehicle can be used to calculate emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>S2. Focus effort initially on collecting data from the highest value contracts, which are likely to be the carbon hotspots, moving to lower value contracts later in the decade. However, where contractors operating smaller value contracts are keen to engage and supply emissions data, then their enthusiasm should be supported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The actions:<br>A1. Approach existing suppliers who are already likely to be calculating their company-wide emissions, to then calculate the associated emissions for the contract using the percentage revenue technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A2. Continue developing a tool to collect suppliers\u2019 raw activity data. Test it with willing suppliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A3. Roll-out the tool to all contracts for which raw activity data collection is most appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">b. Storing data<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>To enable the analysis of carbon data, DCC must be able to store the data that will be received from different sources and using the different data calculation methods. This is important to ensure the supply chain carbon footprint can be easily calculated. The council are in the process of developing a system in-house for storing carbon data for the corporate carbon footprint and the supply chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The strategy:<br>S3. Aggregate supply-chain carbon emissions data into one system for easy analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The actions:<br>A4. Ensure the tool acquired for storing the council\u2019s carbon data can accept supply-chain data and meets users\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">c. Verifying and auditing data<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a risk that carbon data and activity data provided to DCC by suppliers is inaccurate. This presents particular problems if carbon data is being used as part of a quotation or tender evaluation process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Precalculated carbon data received from suppliers must reach a minimum standard and be available for random audit. Large businesses are likely to have undertaken a third-party, independent verification of their carbon data which will give the authority confidence that the data is correct and of high quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Audits could be undertaken by contract managers, specialist staff (e,g. existing procurement or environmental specialists), Devon Audit Partnership or external consultants. The relative merits and costs of each solution need to be understood before determining the most appropriate solution for DCC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The strategy:<br>S4. Randomly audit suppliers\u2019 carbon or activity data to check its integrity, where this has not already been subject to independent verification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The actions:<br>A5. Determine the most appropriate solution for undertaking random audits of suppliers\u2019 carbon or activity data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">d. Analysing data<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Carbon intensity reporting, for example reporting carbon emissions of care homes as kgCO2e per resident, will aid carbon reduction efforts by pinpointing carbon hotspots in contracts and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The strategy:<br>S5. Analyse data from contracts to monitor carbon reduction performance and to target further efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5.2 Procurement, commissioning, and contract management<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key themes: Proportionality, Monitoring, Reduction, Engagement<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The council procure and commission a wide range of goods and services and provide community services which will continue to be provided at high standards whilst working to reduce their associated carbon emissions.<br>The climate emergency agenda needs to be embedded in procurement and commissioning daily activity. To do this, the council will implement the carbon management hierarchy (Figure 3) when procuring and commissioning goods and services. <sup><a href=\"https:\/\/www.local.gov.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/Sustainable Procurement Toolkit_1.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">vi<\/a><\/sup> As part of this, DCC will encourage circularity &#8211; to transition to a sustainable supply chain, we must move away from a linear economy. A circular economy reduces waste and carbon emissions by refurbishment, repairing, reusing and recycling resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"483\" height=\"246\" id=\"longdesc-return-2513\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment?longdesc=2513&#038;referrer=2487\" tabindex=\"-1\" src=\"http:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/112\/2025\/12\/Figure-3-LGA-Sustainable-procurement-carbon-hierarchy.jpg\" alt=\"Figure 3 LGA Sustainable procurement carbon hierarchy. Triangle with wide top, narrowing to point at bottom. Top\/widest tier: &quot;Rethink the Need&quot; What is the required function? Can this be delivered without need for a purchase eg through enhanced social car collaboration? Second tier down: &quot;Procure function&quot; If a purchase is necessary, how can the required function be delivered in the best way? Does this mean co-designing or considering alternatives, including innovation? Third tier down &quot;Reduce&quot; if a purchase is necessary, is it possible to reduce the amount procured, through, for example, the application of 'circular' approaches? lowest\/bottom\/smallest tier &quot;Specify&quot; if a purchase is necessary, ensure the relevant specifications are applied that focus on relevant intended economic, social and environmental outcomes.\" class=\"wp-image-2513\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/112\/2025\/12\/Figure-3-LGA-Sustainable-procurement-carbon-hierarchy.jpg 483w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/112\/2025\/12\/Figure-3-LGA-Sustainable-procurement-carbon-hierarchy-300x153.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 483px) 100vw, 483px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Figure 3: LGA Sustainable procurement carbon hierarchy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The council are beginning to introduce carbon reporting and reduction requirements into their evaluation and contract documents, but also into the specifications for goods and services, for example specifying the use of warm asphalt for highways maintenance rather than hot-mix that uses more energy. Devon County Council will continue to introduce these measures in a proportionate and relevant manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The strategy:<br>S6. Consider carbon reduction opportunities as early as possible in the procurement and commissioning process, following the sustainable procurement carbon hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>S7. Include carbon reduction criteria in quotation and tender evaluations that are proportionate and relevant to the contract. Innovation for low carbon solutions will be encouraged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>S8. Incorporate low-carbon and circular economy principles into the specification of goods and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>S9. Conduct premarket engagement to discover the maturity of the market around carbon for specific contracts. This will inform what carbon measures can be included in specific contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>S10. Employ effective contract management. This will include establishing carbon baselines for all contracts, initially prioritising high value contracts, against which to assess performance by setting specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound carbon reduction Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>S11. Incorporate an escalation process into contracts for suppliers who do not achieve carbon targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The actions:<br>A6. Update procurement and commissioning procedures and practices to reflect this strategy and embed the climate emergency agenda in routine functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A7. Review current high value contracts that still have an extended period before the contract ends and collaborate with these suppliers to deliver carbon reduction measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carbon reduction measures considered in commissioning and procurement will be linked to the Impact Assessment process and the associated reporting of sustainability considerations through the Cabinet approval process. This will provide scrutiny of the degree to which carbon reduction has been sought and, if necessary, decisions taken on any increased initial costs associated with these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5.3 Supporting suppliers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key themes: Collaboration, Communication, Education, Proportionality<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DCC are transitioning to a low carbon future and will need current and future suppliers to come on this journey. The council\u2019s suppliers are knowledgeable about the services and goods they provide, making collaboration essential.<br>It is also important to support and encourage Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to ensure they can be a part of delivering the climate emergency agenda. The council acknowledge that, while there is generally a desire to align with the climate emergency agenda, some suppliers may not currently have the know-how or resources to be actively working to reduce their carbon emissions. Through engagement with suppliers the council have found there is a desire for support to both calculate and reduce carbon emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The strategy:<br>S12. Continue to engage and communicate with suppliers by providing appropriate support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Calculating emissions:<br><\/strong>DCC are creating a webform form to receive raw activity data from suppliers for highways works to calculate the carbon emissions associated with the schemes. This will mean suppliers will not be required to calculate their emissions but will just need to enter activity data which will then produce carbon figures for the works. This project could lead the way for other services to adapt this tool to receive raw data from their suppliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The actions:<br>A8. Signpost to useful resources for businesses to calculate their carbon footprints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A9. Publish a roadmap and guidance to show what will be expected to be provided to the council as part of tendering procedures and contract management in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A10. Look into running webinars and engagement days to support suppliers in submitting the necessary data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Carbon reduction:<br><\/strong>Supplier engagement suggested that there was a want for sector-specific carbon reduction advice. While some suppliers have their own net-zero targets and plans, there are still a large number that do not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The actions:<br>A11. Collate and signpost suppliers to existing guidance on preparing carbon reduction management plans and setting organisational targets. Run workshops if there is demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>SMEs and local economic development:<br><\/strong>The Council\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/economy\/document\/procurement-strategy-2021-2026\/\">Procurement Strategy<\/a> aims to prioritise opportunities for local suppliers, SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprise when planning the procurement approach. Prioritising local economic development aids the carbon reduction agenda as it shortens supply chains whilst boosting the local economy. DCC will ensure that the journey to a net-zero supply chain will not discourage SMEs from bidding for council contracts by making carbon reduction requirements proportionate and relevant to contracts. (See Strategy S6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5.4 Supporting DCC staff<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key themes: Communication, Education, Embedded culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To implement a net-zero supply chain, it will be important for DCC staff to be upskilled in this workstream to develop a carbon reduction ethos in the council\u2019s procurement and commissioning activity. This will give staff confidence around the issue, aid discussions with suppliers and the monitoring of the carbon-performance of contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The strategy:<br>S13. Upskill DCC staff so that they can confidently and effectively manage supply-chain carbon emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The actions:<br>A12. Explore offering Carbon Literacy training to teams regularly involved in procurement and commissioning activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A13. Provide an online portal of best practice resources, e-learning and supporting webinars to include templates for incorporating carbon management into contracts, advice on developing carbon KPIs and guidance on monitoring suppliers\u2019 performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A14. Investigate the implementation of volunteer Carbon Champions who will receive additional training and be a point of contact for their teams for carbon queries, to answer questions and to signpost to the correct person or resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"finance-and-resources\">6. Finance and Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The costs to the council of implementing this strategy to March 2026 can be split into four areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Initial costs of setting up processes for recording and tracking carbon data<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ongoing costs of obtaining, monitoring, and analysing data and offering support to suppliers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Training and support for DCC staff<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Actual cost of a net-zero supply chain<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Initial costs of setting up processes for recording and tracking carbon data <\/strong>There are currently two ongoing workstreams regarding carbon data management: the Highways Carbon Reduction Project, and the corporate approach to calculating and reporting the council\u2019s overall carbon footprint. These are being delivered using existing resources with no additional cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ICT commissioning are currently developing a bespoke system for the Highways Carbon Reduction project. This is expected to be able to be rolled out to other service areas for use within existing resources. The corporate approach is looking to use free tools being developed for local authorities across the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The risks that apply to this area of costs include IT costs being more than the amount budgeted. The likelihood of this risk is low with the workstreams already underway and on track for completion. Also, the risk that the solution developed for Highways Carbon Reduction Project is not appropriate for roll out to other services. This is a low risk as adaptability is being considered as part of the design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ongoing costs of obtaining, monitoring, and analysing data and offering support to suppliers<\/strong><br>There will be a gradually-increasing workload related to the requirement for ongoing carbon data collection and analysis. This will increase over time as more contractors are obligated to report data to DCC. Over the next three years this will absorbed within existing resources (the Low Carbon Procurement Officer role).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Offering support and information to suppliers, initially through web pages and engagement events, will be met through existing resources. This will be kept under review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Training and support for DCC staff<br><\/strong>Training and support for DCC staff to carry out this work stream will require revenue budget for carbon literacy training. The role-out of this training on a modest scale can be accommodated within the existing revenue budget assigned to the Carbon Reduction Plan and through staff who are already trained as carbon literacy trainers volunteering to run training sessions. This approach is currently being piloted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Actual cost of progressing towards a net-zero supply chain<br><\/strong>By the late 2030s, the CCC predict that the extra up-front expenditure and investment required to deliver low-carbon solutions will be compensated by reductions in operational spending<sup>vii<\/sup>. For example, energy efficiency measures will likely reduce costs to suppliers, and therefore the council. Furthermore, low carbon technologies and solutions are likely to decrease in price as they become more widely used, making low-carbon solutions the norm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, over the next three years, the cost of some low carbon solutions will be more than the business-as-usual practice, which if specified will lead to DCC costs increasing. The costs of implementing low carbon solutions will need to be considered on a case-by-case basis. Costs can be minimised by ensuring a high level of collaboration between the council and suppliers to be identifying the most affordable low-carbon solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"monitoring-performance-and-next-steps\">7. Monitoring performance and next steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Devon County Council\u2019s Low-Carbon Supply Chain Steering Group feeds into the Environmental Performance Board. This steering group will monitor the implementation of this strategy, provide a quarterly progress report to the board and escalate issues that need addressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The council will report its supply chain emissions annually. DCC will publish the total figure of carbon emissions in tCO2e and will report the supply chain carbon intensity as a figure of tCO2e per \u00a3million. By reporting the carbon intensity figure, the council can monitor the effectiveness of measures to reduce carbon emissions even if the overall spend covered by the scope of this strategy reduces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The percentage of DCC spend covered by a carbon reduction plan and target will also be published annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"8\">8. Delivery of actions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><div class=\"table-scroll\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Action Area<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Action<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Date<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Responsible parties<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Resources<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Carbon Data<\/td><td>A1. Approach existing suppliers who are already likely to be calculating their company-wide emissions, to then calculate the associated emissions for the contract using the percentage revenue technique.<\/td><td>2022 onwards<\/td><td>\u2022 Low Carbon Procurement Officer<br>\u2022 Service Area<br>Commissioning Managers and Officers<\/td><td>Within existing staff time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Carbon Data<\/td><td>A2. Continue developing a tool to collect suppliers\u2019 raw activity data. Test it with willing suppliers.<\/td><td>2022-2025<\/td><td>\u2022 Highways Carbon Reduction Project<br>\u2022 Scomis<\/td><td>Within existing staff time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Carbon Data<\/td><td>A3. Roll-out the tool to all contracts for which raw activity data collection is most appropriate.<\/td><td>2025 onwards<\/td><td>\u2022 Low Carbon Procurement Officer<br>\u2022 Service Area<br>Commissioning Officers<\/td><td>Within existing staff time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Carbon Data<\/td><td>A4. Ensure the tool acquired for storing the council\u2019s carbon data can accept supply-chain data and meets users\u2019 needs.<\/td><td>2022-2025<\/td><td>\u2022 Climate and Ecological Emergency Officer<br>\u2022 Low Carbon Procurement Officer<br>\u2022 Scomis<\/td><td>Within existing staff time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Carbon Data<\/td><td>A5. Determine the most appropriate solution for undertaking random audits of suppliers\u2019 carbon or activity data.<\/td><td>2025<\/td><td>\u2022 Low Carbon Procurement Officer<br>\u2022 Climate and Ecological<br>Emergency Officer<\/td><td>Within existing staff time. The actual auditing solution may require additional revenue funding, which would be the subject of future discussions.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Procurement,<br>Commissioning,<\/td><td>A6. Update procurement and<br>commissioning procedures and practices to<\/td><td>2022 onwards<\/td><td>\u2022 Low Carbon Procurement Officer<br>\u2022 Procurement Managers<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Procurement,<br>Commissioning,<\/td><td>A7. Review current high value contracts that still have an extended period before the contract ends and collaborate with these suppliers to deliver carbon reduction measures.<\/td><td>2022 onwards<\/td><td>Service Area<br>Commissioning Managers<\/td><td>Within existing staff time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Suppliers<\/td><td>A8. Signpost to useful resources for businesses to calculate their carbon footprints.<\/td><td>2022 onwards<\/td><td>Low Carbon Procurement<br>Officer aided by Business<br>Support &amp; Innovation and<br>Devon Climate Emergency<\/td><td>Within existing staff time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Suppliers<\/td><td>A9. Publish a roadmap and guidance to show what will be expected to be provided to the council as part of tendering procedures and contract management in the future.<\/td><td>2025<\/td><td>Low Carbon Procurement Officer<br>Procurement Managers<\/td><td>Within existing staff time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Suppliers<\/td><td>A10. Look into running webinars and engagement days to support suppliers in submitting the necessary data.<\/td><td>2025 onwards<\/td><td>Low Carbon Procurement Officer<br>Climate and Ecological Emergency Officer<\/td><td>Within existing staff time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Suppliers<\/td><td>A11. Collate and signpost suppliers to existing guidance on preparing carbon reduction management plans and setting organisational targets. Run workshops if there is demand.<\/td><td>2024 onwards<\/td><td>Low Carbon Procurement<br>Officer aided by Business<br>Support &amp; Innovation and<br>Devon Climate Emergency<\/td><td>Within existing staff time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Supporting<br>DCC staff<\/td><td>A12. Following the pilot in 2022-23, expand the offer of Carbon Literacy training to teams regularly involved in procurement and commissioning activity.<\/td><td>2024 onwards<\/td><td>Climate and Ecological Emergency Officer<\/td><td>Within existing staff time and revenue budgets.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Action Area<\/td><td>Action <\/td><td>Date<\/td><td>Responsible parties<\/td><td>Rescources<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Action Area<\/td><td>A13. Provide an online portal of best practice resources, e-learning and supporting webinars to include templates for incorporating carbon management into contracts, advice on developing carbon KPIs and guidance on monitoring suppliers\u2019 performance.<\/td><td>2025<\/td><td>Low Carbon Procurement Officer<br>Procurement Managers<\/td><td>Within existing staff time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Action Area<\/td><td>A14. Investigate the implementation of volunteer Carbon Champions who will receive additional training and be a point of contact for their teams for carbon queries, to answer questions and to signpost to the correct person or resource.<\/td><td>2025<\/td><td>Low Carbon Procurement Officer<br>Climate and Ecological Emergency Officer<br>Service Area<br>Commissioning Managers<\/td><td>Initially within existing resources but may need further revenue budget to sustain activity<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"9-references\">9. References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>i <a href=\"https:\/\/climate.nasa.gov\/news\/3061\/2020-tied-for-warmest-year-on-record-nasa-analysis-shows\/\" rel=\"noopener\">2020 Tied for Warmest Year on Record, NASA Analysis Shows \u2013 Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ii <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/science-environment-59915690\" rel=\"noopener\">Past seven years hottest on record &#8211; EU satellite data &#8211; BBC News<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>iii <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devonwildlifetrust.org\/what-we-do\/defending-wildlife\/meeting-threats-climate-emergency\" rel=\"noopener\">Fighting the climate emergency | Devon Wildlife Trust <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>iv <a href=\"https:\/\/uwe.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/MapJournal\/index.html?appid=bc3a9c4e3b6649d590da32f58a59a354\" rel=\"noopener\">Climate Change in East Devon (arcgis.com) v The Paris Agreement | UNFCCC<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>vi<a href=\"https:\/\/www.local.gov.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/Sustainable Procurement Toolkit_1.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\"> Sustainable Procurement Delivering Local Economic, Social and Environmental Priorities vii Paying for net-zero, Institute for Government<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"document-meta-acf-block clearfix \" id=\"block_879f33bddd57d7bbd450cd349b573392\"><div class=\" dcc-documents-meta\"><div class=\"dcc-documents-widget dcc-documents-widget-block\"><div class=\"dcc-documents-widget-box2\"><p class=\"dcc-documents-published\">Published <time datetime=\"2025-12-08T12:46:25+00:00\">08\/12\/2025 12:46pm<\/time><\/p><p class=\"dcc-documents-updated\">Last Updated <time datetime=\"2026-01-05T15:49:09+00:00\">05\/01\/2026 3:49pm<\/time><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"9-references-1\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1. Strategy summary In 2019, the Council set a target to achieve a net-zero supply chain from 2030 by avoiding carbon-intensive activities where possible and modifying activities to reduce emissions to progressively replace high-carbon practices with low-carbon solutions.To do this &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/document\/low-carbon-supplychain-strategy-andaction-plan-2024-2026\" aria-label=\"Continue reading Low Carbon Supply Chain Strategy and Action Plan 2024 &#8211; 2026\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":602,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"documents_category":[],"class_list":["post-2487","dcc_docs_document","type-dcc_docs_document","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"updated":"","dccdocs_documents":null,"section-guidance":"","sections":null},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documents\/2487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documents"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/dcc_docs_document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/602"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documents\/2487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2561,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documents\/2487\/revisions\/2561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"dcc_docs_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documents_category?post=2487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}