Construction site carbon tools
two complementary roles in public procurement
In public procurement, the project owner formulates the criterion and contractors respond to it. Each stakeholder needs their own tool. This page explains how construction site carbon tools complement each other to structure a coherent tender.
Two roles, two needs
In public procurement, the project owner (client) and tendering contractors intervene at different stages of the process, with distinct needs:
The project owner
- — Estimate the reference construction site carbon
- — Formulate an objective criterion in the tender
- — Define the scoring scale
- — Receive and compare candidates' assessments
- — Document the award decision
The tendering contractors
- — Input data specific to their construction site
- — Calculate their construction site carbon assessment
- — Present the result in the required format
- — Document assumptions and emission factors used
- — Optimise their bid on the carbon criterion
These two roles are not interchangeable. A project owner using a tool designed for contractors would lack calibration and benchmarking functions. A contractor using a client-side tool would not have the data entry interfaces suited to their operational data.
A complementary toolkit
Several tools coexist today in the construction site carbon landscape. Each addresses a specific need depending on the stakeholder's position in the public procurement chain:
| Characteristic | Client-side tools | Contractor-side tools |
|---|---|---|
| User | Project owner, project management consultant | Construction company, subcontractors |
| Primary function | Pre-assessment, criterion calibration, bid benchmarking | Site data entry, assessment calculation, reporting |
| Project phase | Programming, tender, bid analysis | Bid response, execution |
| Scope | Cross-cutting (all lots, all bids) | Specific to the candidate (their data, their scope) |
| Expected output | Calibrated tender criterion, benchmark report | Quantified construction site carbon assessment, bid document |
Efficarbone is positioned on the project owner side. Other recognised tools — operated by construction industry federations — equip contractors on the candidate side. The two categories do not substitute for each other: they work together.
How the tools work together in a procurement process
In a public procurement process that includes a construction site carbon criterion, the workflow naturally follows three stages:
This workflow ensures that each stakeholder uses a tool suited to their role. The project owner does not substitute for contractors in calculating their assessment, and contractors do not calibrate the criterion they are responding to. It is this separation of roles that makes the construction site carbon criterion defensible in the event of a legal challenge.
Frequently asked questions
RE2020 lump-sum values are national averages calibrated to simplify the regulatory calculation. They do not reflect actual site conditions: supply distance, energy mix, waste management. On a well-managed site, actual measurement can be lower than the lump sum.
Not necessarily. A site with long supply distances or poor waste management may have emissions above the lump sum. Actual measurement is a factual record, not an optimisation. It primarily serves transparency and traceability.
Efficarbone is a tool designed to be used directly by project owners and their project teams. Site data collection (delivery notes, consumption records) is integrated into the operational process. IRICE validates the results as an independent third party.
Structure your construction site carbon criterion
Efficarbone supports the project owner: reference pre-assessment, tender criterion calibration, bid benchmarking.