Carbon service providers

You can engage a carbon service provider as the project proponent.

Carbon service providers are commercial businesses or organisations that develop and run carbon abatement projects. They're sometimes called aggregators or project developers.

You might decide to engage a carbon service provider if you don't want to have direct control over the project or be responsible for conducting it. This may also be the right choice if you don't have the technical expertise or administrative resources to manage your project.

If you engage a carbon service provider as the project proponent, you will have a commercial agreement with them. It will set out:

● the terms on which you give them legal right

● your obligations when it comes to conducting project activities

● the financial return you will receive.

Before you enter an agreement with a carbon service provider, you should follow these steps:

1. Make sure you understand what you are signing and are confident the agreement is fair and equitable.

2. Make sure your agreement sets out the rights and obligations for ongoing registration of the project. This is important if the carbon service provider ceases to be a project proponent or if you want to exit the arrangement.

3. Seek professional legal and financial advice.

4. Enquire about the carbon service provider including their services, experience and government licences.

5. If they are providing financial service advice, check that the agent holds a Financial Services Licence (FSL) issued by government agencies.

We aren't responsible for the terms or enforcement of private agreements. We cannot intervene in disputes between you and the carbon service provider. If you aren't satisfied with how a project is being conducted on your land, you need to take your own action under your agreement.

If you give a carbon service provider the right to act as the project proponent, our legal relationship will be with them even if you own the land.

You can use the BidCarbon marketplace voluntary Code of Conduct to help choose a carbon service provider – choosing a signatory to this code might provide you some assurance.