Prioritize EPDs By ROI, Not Guesswork

The procurement signal hiding in plain sight

More public owners now call for Environmental Product Declarations in project specs thanks to LEED v4.1 credits and Buy Clean policies that reward low embodied carbon (LEED, 2023; US GSA Buy Clean, 2024). That requirement gets written into real solicitations you can query.

In the United States, start with ConstructConnect or Dodge Construction Network to scan active opportunities that reference EPDs by CSI division or keyword. In the European Union, use Tenders Electronic Daily (TED), the open access journal of above-threshold procurement notices that includes construction works and materials categories.

A simple pipeline that surfaces winners

Pull every live and recent project that mentions EPDs or closely related language. Useful keywords include “Environmental Product Declaration,” “Type III,” “EN 15804,” “ISO 14025,” “Buy Clean,” “product-specific EPD,” and the product family name.

For each hit, tag it to your product families. The goal is a clean list that says which families actually show up in funded projects that care about EPDs.

Estimate the money your product can touch

You do not need perfect cost data to size each opportunity. Start with the project’s total value and apply a category share factor that represents the typical slice attributable to that product family. Calibrate using one or more of these sources: the project bill of quantities when available in EU notices, CSI division allowances and historical estimates from your team, or widely used cost references like RSMeans for US work and national cost guides in Europe (RSMeans, 2024; UK NRM, 2024).

When a tender lists a sublot or package value for your category, use that directly. Otherwise, apply a conservative share factor.

Map the competitive gap

Scan aggregated EPD databases that collect declarations from multiple program operators so you can see at a glance which competitors already declare in your category. Start with Building Transparency’s EC3 for an international view, then layer on market-specific platforms such as ÖKOBAUDAT in Germany or INIES in France. Pull category snapshots from these repositories to spot which ranges are saturated and which remain under-served.

The wider the gap between your catalog and published competitor EPDs, the bigger the potential win lift from being spec-eligible.

Score each product family with one formula

Give every family a clear ROI score that shows exactly how much potential revenue you unlock for the modest investment in creating its EPD:

Expected EPD ROI score =
Σ across relevant projects of
(project or sublot value × category share factor × competitive gap).

Treat conversion as a baseline you already see when you meet documentation asks.

Multiply impact with smart scope and PCR alignment

A Product Category Rule is the rulebook of Monopoly. Ignore it and the game falls apart. Read the PCR to see whether one product-specific EPD can legally cover a family with multiple configurations, or whether you should start with a representative declaration and add variants later. Most construction product EPDs follow EN 15804 and ISO 14025, which define how to group similar products when performance and production are comparable (EN 15804+A2, 2019; ISO 14025, 2010).

When one declaration covers a family, the ROI of that first EPD often jumps because you unlock more SKUs with the same effort.

Align to where policy heat is highest

Policy momentum now spans both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States, federal and state Buy Clean programs continue to focus on concrete, steel, asphalt, and glass, with insulation rising fast (US GSA Buy Clean, 2024; California Buy Clean, 2017).

Europe is moving just as quickly. France’s RE2020 mandates whole-building carbon budgets and effectively requires EPD-backed data for structural and envelope materials (RE2020, 2022). The Netherlands sets maximum Milieukostenindicator (MKI) scores for government projects, pushing suppliers to publish low-carbon EPDs (Netherlands SPP, 2023). Denmark and Germany have introduced LCA thresholds in new building codes, and the upcoming revision of the EU Construction Products Regulation will make digital EPDs compulsory for CE-marked products (Regulation (EU) 2024/1234, 2024).

Follow the jurisdictions that name your category most often; their specs will echo the laws within months.

Publish fast, then compound

EPDs typically have a five-year validity window, which means speed matters because you want as many selling cycles as possible on the clock. This is where Parq’s model helps. We pair white-glove data collection with a platform that moves quickly, then publish with a program operator of your choice. That combination means fewer internal detours and earlier revenue from being spec-ready.

Your Monday plan

Run the tender queries, assign category share factors, and compute first-pass ROI scores, then decide which families should move first. If that feels like a spreadsheet maze, reach out! We’ll show you how to prioritize your portfolio with hard market data and policy signals instead of hunches. Connect with Eric to see the model in action and map a step-by-step plan for your products.