The Carbon Credit RFP Template: 27 Questions to Ask Before You Buy in 2026

Most corporate carbon credit purchases in India still happen via casual email exchanges, broker phone calls, or last-quarter spreadsheets. That is also why so many of those purchases end up in headlines a year later. The fix is unglamorous: run procurement the way you would run any other materially important purchase, with a real RFP.

Below is the template we use with our clients. Twenty-seven questions across seven sections. Use it before you sign the next purchase order. For broader context on procurement, see our corporate buyers guide and 5-question checklist.

Section 1: Project identity

1. What is the project ID, the issuing registry, and the methodology under which credits are issued?

2. Where is the project located: country, state, and exact GPS coordinates for nature-based projects?

3. Who is the project developer, and how long have they operated this specific project?

4. Is the project registered under a recognised standard (Verra VCS, Gold Standard, ACR, Puro.earth, or CAR)?

Section 2: Vintage and volume

1. What is the vintage of the credits being offered (year the reduction or removal occurred)?

2. What is the total volume available, and what is the projects expected lifetime issuance?

3. How many credits from this project have been retired versus still in circulation?

Section 3: Integrity and additionality

1. Does the project carry an ICVCM CCP label, and which CCP criteria has it met? See our integrity evaluation guide for what to look for.

2. How was additionality demonstrated: financial, regulatory, common-practice, or barrier analysis?

3. Has the project been independently rated (Sylvera, BeZero, Calyx)? What rating did it receive and when?

4. What is the methodologys baseline approach, and how was leakage accounted for?

Section 4: Permanence and reversal risk

1. What is the expected permanence: 30, 100, or 1,000-plus years?

2. What is the buffer pool contribution, and what reversal events trigger buffer drawdown?

3. Is there insurance or guarantor coverage against reversal?

Section 5: Co-benefits and SDG alignment

1. Which UN Sustainable Development Goals does the project verifiably contribute to?

2. Are there third-party co-benefit certifications (CCB, W+, Social Carbon, FairTrade Climate Standard)?

3. For nature-based projects: what biodiversity outcomes have been independently monitored?

4. For community projects: how is benefit-sharing structured and audited?

Section 6: Pricing and commercial terms

1. What is the all-in price per tonne, and what is included (verification, delivery, retirement, taxes)? Our pricing guide explains what fair looks like in 2026.

2. Is this a spot purchase, a forward, or a long-term offtake?

3. What is the delivery schedule, and what happens if issuance is delayed?

4. Is the seller authorised to sell? Chain-of-title documentation, please.

Section 7: Contract and claims

1. Will the credits be retired in our name, and how soon after purchase?

2. Are Article 6 authorisation and corresponding adjustment status documented? Read more on what this means in our Article 6.4 explainer.

3. What representations and warranties does the seller make about additionality, double-counting, and standard alignment?

4. What is the indemnity and liability provision if the credits are subsequently challenged?

5. What is the dispute resolution mechanism, and in which jurisdiction?

How to score responses

Build a simple matrix: weight 40 percent on integrity (sections 1, 3, 4), 25 percent on pricing (section 6), 20 percent on co-benefits (section 5), and 15 percent on contract terms (section 7). The lowest-priced response is almost never the highest-scoring one. That is the entire point.

A note on brokers

If you are buying through an intermediary, the seller in the contract should still be the original project developer or a clear chain-of-title holder, not the broker. We cover broker selection in our broker selection guide.

The right time to ask a hard question about a carbon credit is before you buy it, not after a journalist asks you about it.

Where Csquare fits

We run carbon credit procurement processes end-to-end for Indian corporates: from RFP design through diligence, contract negotiation, and retirement documentation. If you are planning a 2026 purchase of more than 5,000 credits, talk to us before you issue the RFP.