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The Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment is a sustainability questionnaire used across NHS procurement processes. Its purpose is to provide a single framework through which NHS organisations can assess suppliers’ sustainability performance.
Previously, suppliers could be asked various sustainability-related questions depending on the individual NHS organisation or framework they were applying to. The Evergreen assessment removes this inconsistency by creating one standard assessment that can be reused across multiple NHS tenders and framework agreements.
This creates a more efficient process for both suppliers and procurement teams while ensuring sustainability requirements are assessed fairly and consistently.
The assessment was introduced to support the NHS Net Zero roadmap and to ensure suppliers are contributing to national sustainability targets.
A significant proportion of the NHS's carbon emissions comes from its supply chain rather than direct operations. As a result, suppliers are increasingly expected to demonstrate that they are measuring, managing and reducing their environmental impact.
The assessment allows the NHS to monitor supplier progress and encourage long-term improvements in sustainability performance.
The Evergreen assessment may be required for organisations that:
In many cases, completion of the assessment is mandatory. Failure to complete it can prevent suppliers from progressing through procurement stages or being considered for certain contracts.
The Evergreen assessment focuses on four key areas of sustainability performance.
After completing the assessment, suppliers are assigned a maturity rating from Level 1 to Level 4.
Level 1 – Basic commitment
At Level 1, organisations demonstrate early-stage sustainability activity. This typically includes basic carbon reporting, an initial Carbon Reduction Plan, and early commitments to improving environmental performance.
Level 2 – Structured approach
This indicates stronger governance and more established sustainability reporting processes.
Level 3 – Advanced maturity
At Level 3, organisations demonstrate a more sophisticated approach to sustainability, including independently validated Net Zero targets, stronger carbon management systems, and more developed integration of sustainability across the organisation.
Level 4 – Leading practice
At Level 4, organisations show leading performance with sustainability fully embedded into operations and strategy. This includes validated long-term targets, strong oversight of supply chains, and industry-leading environmental and social performance.
The Evergreen assessment is closely aligned with the NHS Net Zero roadmap. It is a questionnaire, but responses must be backed by credible evidence, not assertion.
As NHS sustainability requirements continue to develop, suppliers will increasingly be expected to provide measurable evidence rather than general statements of intent.
Preparing for Evergreen takes time. To complete the assessment effectively, suppliers typically need:
Waiting until sustainability requirements become stricter can make compliance difficult, particularly if suppliers have not yet established systems for carbon measurement and reporting. Early preparation allows organisations to build reliable data, demonstrate progress and strengthen their position for future NHS procurement opportunities.
Climate Essentials is designed to make Evergreen submissions simpler by providing the data, tools, and structure required for compliance in one place.
With licences starting from £132 per year, Climate Essentials helps organisations build credible, long-term compliance into their reporting processes.
The fully managed service from Climate Essentials is designed to reduce the workload on your team by handling the emissions measurement and reporting process on your behalf.
What’s included:
This service helps ensure emissions data is collected consistently and in line with recognised carbon accounting standards.
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