- What type of carbon removal is Frontier looking to purchase?
We look for permanent carbon removal solutions that have the potential to be low-cost and high-volume in the future, even if they’re not today. We use three lenses to make purchasing decisions:
- Approach | Does the carbon removal approach meet our target criteria?
- Execution | Can this team deliver on the proposal, given where the technology is today?
- Portfolio | Does this help us build a diverse, risk-adjusted portfolio of carbon removal approaches?
For a flavor of the technologies we have purchased from, see our latest purchase announcement or the details of our purchases on our GitHub.
- What does Frontier’s selection process look like?
Frontier issues regular RFPs to source carbon removal supply. A basic overview is as follows:
- Respond to RFP | Frontier issues a request for proposals (RFP), collects a brief pre-application, and conducts a pre-screen. Frontier will invite eligible carbon removal technologies that permanently remove carbon dioxide (> 1,000 years) to submit an application.
- Apply | Invited applicants submit detailed project proposals with data demonstrating how their CDR approach has a path to deliver against the criteria listed above. The application will evolve over time, but past application templates can be found here as a reference.
- Qualify | One member of Frontier’s science team will assess the basic scientific validity of each concept and send qualified applications to a full review.
- Review | Qualified applications are reviewed by a panel of two to three scientific experts and one governance expert against our target CDR criteria. The Frontier team synthesizes feedback, initiates follow-up when needed, and makes the final purchasing decision for prepurchases and smaller offtakes. For larger offtakes, finalist projects will be invited for further review.
- Additional diligence, if applicable | For larger offtake agreements, the process will involve additional diligence steps, including an in-person meeting at finalists’ facilities.
- Announce | Frontier facilitates purchase agreements between the buyer (a Frontier member) and the selected supplier and announces purchases publicly.
As the diversity of carbon removal approaches increases and various pathways mature, we’ll continue to iterate our process accordingly.
- How should I engage with Frontier before the purchase cycle begins?
- First, familiarize yourself with our target criteria. If you think you might be a good fit, please get in touch with the Frontier team to let us know you’re considering applying (suppliers@frontierclimate.com). There will be a number of opportunities to connect with the team ahead of applying – including office hours and application support sessions.
- Does Frontier provide guidance on how to submit a competitive application?
- Yes. During purchase cycles we offer application support sessions for projects that are invited to apply, with the goal of helping every candidate submit as compelling an application as possible for their approach.
- I think I meet Frontier’s CDR criteria. Is a purchase guaranteed?
- No. We evaluate purchase decisions using the three lenses described above. While we conduct a formal scientific review process and do our best to be as objective as possible, this field (including most companies that apply) is nascent with real uncertainties. We use both data and judgment to make decisions, with the goal of maturing a portfolio of solutions to get permanent carbon removal on its best possible trajectory.
- What types of contracts does Frontier offer?
To support technologies at different stages of development, we deploy Frontier funds by purchasing carbon removal through various tracks:
- Prepurchases | Frontier will make early-stage purchases that are paid up front. This track is designed to pressure-test the viability of exciting technologies, with an emphasis on expanding the number of CDR pathways and companies working on this problem. These are low-volume, small dollar contracts that, if successful, can be converted into longer-term offtakes.
- Offtakes | Frontier anticipates that the majority of funds in the advance market commitment will be used for short- and long-term offtake agreements to purchase future tons of carbon removal at an agreed price if and when delivered. This track is intended to accelerate the scaling of promising CDR approaches by providing the year-over-year revenue visibility needed to help companies secure financing and deploy systems in the field.
More details on these purchasing tracks can be found within Frontier’s Fall 2022 Request for Proposals.
- What does a Frontier offtake agreement look like?
- We are currently developing the agreement framework with the goal of making it maximally accelerative for carbon removal, and plan to share this structure publicly soon.
- How can I stay up to date on future purchase cycles?
- We’ll share updates here. You can also request to join our mailing list by letting us know at suppliers@frontierclimate.com.
- Can I share suggestions for making Frontier’s process better?
- Absolutely. Please share any feedback at suppliers@frontierclimate.com.