Refer a project and let us do the sourcing
You produce the metric and the biodiversity gain plan. BNG Sourced by Green Acres BNG sources the off-site units that fit it, from providers across England and comes back with options you can put in front of your client. Free for your client, with no commitment from you.
- One referral covers supply from multiple providers across England
- Options returned with the trading rules, distinctiveness and multiplier already checked
- Allocation evidence that drops straight into the biodiversity gain plan
- No referral fees paid or charged, so your advice stays independent of us
Refer a project
Tell us the client, the location and the requirement. We can deal with you or the client, whichever you prefer.
Free for developers. Your details are only used to source your units.
What we need in a referral
| Item | Why |
|---|---|
| Deficit by unit type | Area, hedgerow and watercourse are sourced separately |
| Distinctiveness and condition of habitat lost | Sets the trading rule for replacement |
| Development LPA and postcode | Defines local, adjacent and elsewhere for the multiplier |
| Planning stage and deadline | Decides whether a forward allocation is needed |
| Whether we may contact the client | You keep control of the relationship |
Working alongside your advice
We do not give ecological or planning advice and we do not replace your metric. We source supply that fits it, report the arithmetic and let you advise the client. If the metric changes before the gain plan is approved, tell us and we work with the provider to adjust the allocation. Many consultants use us on every scheme with an off-site deficit because it removes the search and the provider due diligence from their fee.
For planning consultants
If you are preparing the biodiversity gain plan, we can supply the provider’s register reference, allocation confirmation and legal agreement summary in the form the authority expects. See the gain plan guide.
Why refer
- One request covers supply from multiple BNG providers across England, not one bank
- Options come back checked against the trading rules, distinctiveness and the spatial risk multiplier
- Providers supply planning-ready documentation, so the allocation evidence drops straight into the gain plan
- You keep the client relationship. Tell us whether we may contact the client directly or go through you
- It costs your client nothing. Where our involvement results in an introduction, the provider pays us an introduction fee
How we work with you
- You refer the project with a requirement summary: unit types, quantities, distinctiveness, planning stage and timing.
- Our specialists source potential supply and check the match.
- We send you the options with the arithmetic shown. You advise your client.
- We make the introduction and the client agrees price and terms directly with the provider.
Our ecologist evidence checklist sets out what a provider and planning authority need before an allocation.
Metric versions and the small sites metric
Providers and planning authorities expect the current statutory biodiversity metric. Where a development qualifies as a small site, the small sites metric can be used if the authority accepts it, but a provider’s units are calculated on the full metric, so tell us which version you used. We flag mismatches before an introduction so the gain plan does not stall on a version query.
Issues we see most often in referrals
- Hedgerow and watercourse deficits identified after area units have been reserved
- Distinctiveness recorded as medium for habitat that is high, which changes the trading rule
- The multiplier applied by local authority only, missing a National Character Area match that would have made supply local
- Allocation requested before the planning reference exists, which the register needs
Working with planning authorities
Authorities approve gain plans on the evidence: metric, baseline, on-site plan and off-site allocation. The allocation confirmation from the provider, with the register reference and legal agreement summary, is the piece most often missing. We ask every provider for it before an introduction so you can attach it in the form the authority expects and we stay available if the officer raises a query about the gain site.
Consultant questions
Do you pay referral fees to ecologists?
No. Our introduction fee is paid by the provider. We do not pay or charge consultants, which keeps your advice independent.
Can I refer a project without a completed metric?
Yes. A draft requirement is enough to start a search. We refine it as the metric is finalised.
Will you name providers to my client before I have reviewed them?
Not if you ask us to go through you. Choose that option on the referral form.
Can I refer several schemes at once?
Yes. Send one referral per scheme so each gets its own reference or email hello@bngsourced.co.uk with a list.
Do you share referral details with other providers?
Only what is needed to confirm supply and never your client’s identity without permission.
Can you source units for a scheme outside England?
No. Mandatory BNG and the register apply in England only.
Got a metric with an off-site deficit?
Refer the project and we will come back with matched options for your client.
- One referral covers supply from multiple providers across England
- Options returned with the trading rules, distinctiveness and multiplier already checked
- Allocation evidence that drops straight into the gain plan
- No referral fees paid or charged, and you keep the client relationship
Free for developers. Your details are only used to source your units.