Suppliers preparing to submit tenders to NHS Supply Chain should be aware of an important update to sustainability requirements taking effect from 6 April 2026. From this date, suppliers must have achieved Evergreen Level 1 in the NHS Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment by the point of tender close.

The Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment (“Evergreen”) is NHS England’s central platform for suppliers to report sustainability maturity and provide consistent sustainability data to NHS procurement teams. It replaces legacy tools such as the Carbon, Waste and Water Reduction Assessment (CWW) and forms part of the NHS’s broader net zero and sustainable procurement strategy.

What Evergreen Level 1 requires

Evergreen Level 1 represents the baseline sustainability standard that NHS Supply Chain expects suppliers to meet from April 2026.

To achieve Level 1, suppliers must:

• Demonstrate a commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
• Publish a PPN 006-compliant Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP).
• Report UK Scope 1, Scope 2, and relevant Scope 3 emissions.

A compliant CRP must include emissions data, a clear net zero commitment, board- or director-level approval, annual updates, and publication on the supplier’s website.

Level 1 does not require global emissions reporting or the full social value and modern slavery disclosures that apply at higher Evergreen levels.

How this change supports suppliers

Requiring Level 1 by April 2026 helps suppliers to build foundational carbon reporting practices ahead of 2027 requirements, align their reporting with NHS expectations at an early stage, avoid last‑minute compliance issues as standards tighten, and demonstrate credibility and readiness during tendering.

By setting a clear, achievable minimum standard, this approach supports suppliers to progress in a structured way towards the long‑term net zero commitments across the NHS.

Relationship to the Five Supplier Asks

Evergreen forms part of the NHS’s wider sustainability expectations for suppliers, often referred to as the “Five Supplier Asks”:

1. Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP)
2. Social value reporting
3. Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment
4. Horizon scanning
5. Modern slavery prevention

Suppliers must continue to meet all applicable requirements when bidding for and delivering NHS contracts. Achieving Evergreen Level 1 does not replace obligations under the other sustainability and compliance frameworks.

Practical implications for tendering

• Evergreen Level 1 must be achieved before tender closure from 6 April 2026.
• Submissions should be reviewed and updated annually, or when significant organisational changes occur.
• Further reporting requirements are expected from 2027, including expanded emissions disclosure.

Suppliers intending to bid for NHS contracts should review their current carbon reporting position and ensure that their Carbon Reduction Plan meets PPN 006 requirements well in advance of April 2026.

It is important for suppliers to note that while Evergreen Level 1 will be mandatory from 6 April 2026, it will not form part of the scored evaluation criteria within NHS Supply Chain tenders. Suppliers must meet the required level at the point of tender close in order to be eligible, but their Evergreen maturity level will not attract additional weighting or contribute to qualitative scoring.

Looking beyond April 2026, further requirements are scheduled to take effect in 2027. At that point, suppliers will be expected to publicly report emissions reduction targets and publish a globally scoped Carbon Reduction Plan covering Scope 1–3 emissions.

For further support on Evergreen submissions, suppliers can contact the NHS Supply Chain Sustainability Team at sustainability@supplychain.nhs.uk.

The latest NHS Supply Chain (NHSSC) supplier webinar, held on 3 December 2025, provided essential updates for suppliers on cybersecurity compliance and sustainability expectations. The session, part of NHSSC’s regular information series, featured speakers from its Cyber Security and Sustainability teams, offering insight into upcoming requirements that suppliers will need to meet to remain eligible for tenders and contracts.

Cyber security requirements for suppliers

Jennie Lewis, Cyber Security Compliance Coordinator at NHS Supply Chain, led the session’s opening presentation on supplier cybersecurity. She outlined NHSSC’s adoption of the UK Government’s Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 014, which sets out new baseline security expectations for all suppliers in scope.

All suppliers handling personal information or providing ICT systems and services will be required to demonstrate compliance with Cyber Essentials Plus — a government-backed certification that confirms an organisation has robust cybersecurity controls in place. Certificates must be renewed annually and verified through an external audit. Suppliers can confirm certification validity via IASME, the national accreditation body.

Suppliers processing NHS patient data will also need to complete the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT), an NHS England-mandated self-assessment to evidence responsible data handling and compliance with information governance standards. For questions on data or security requirements, suppliers can contact cybersecurity@supplychain.nhs.uk.

Where suppliers do not yet hold Cyber Essentials Plus or DSPT certification, NHS Supply Chain has introduced an Information Security Third Party Questionnaire (ISTPQ). This pass/fail assessment, completed at the Supplier Questionnaire stage of a tender, will be reviewed by NHSSC’s Cyber Security Team to assess equivalency to Cyber Essentials standards. NHSSC will take a risk-based approach to non-compliance, weighing the criticality of the product or service against potential cyber risk. However, suppliers without certification may face reduced opportunities for participation in future tenders.

The Cyber Security Team also confirmed that NHS England will be notified of any vulnerable or insecure products or services identified through this process, as part of broader efforts to strengthen supply chain resilience across the NHS.

Evergreen deep dive: sustainability and net zero

The second presentation, delivered by Jade Gaffney, Sustainability Advisor, and Heidi Barnard, Head of Sustainability, explored the Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment, one of five key sustainability criteria suppliers must meet. The “Five Asks” — covering Carbon Reduction Plans, Social Value, the Evergreen Assessment, Horizon Scanning, and Modern Slavery — are central to NHS England’s net zero and sustainability strategy.

From 1 April 2026, all suppliers bidding for new NHSSC tenders will be required to achieve Evergreen Level 1 or above. Level 1 aligns with the Carbon Reduction Plan requirements, meaning suppliers must publicly commit to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 for all scopes. Suppliers unable to meet this requirement will remain eligible for existing contracts but may be excluded from new tenders after this date.

The Evergreen Assessment is hosted on the Atamis platform, accessible under the Information section. NHSSC advised suppliers to ensure their Evergreen submission is correctly linked to their Atamis account to prevent data visibility issues. Annual updates are mandatory, with no automatic reminders issued. Suppliers gathering Scope 3 emissions data should enter “0” placeholders where figures are unavailable, ensuring the assessment remains complete. Queries about sustainability assessments can be directed to sustainability@supplychain.nhs.uk.

The Evergreen framework supports NHSSC’s goal of embedding environmental accountability throughout its supply base, ensuring that procurement decisions contribute directly to the NHS’s wider sustainability and net zero commitments.