Many companies put more effort into CDP every year and still see their scores stay flat or decline. The issue usually lies in how responses are evaluated.

CDP scoring follows a defined methodology. Responses are assessed across 13 modules and four tiers: Disclosure, Awareness,Management, and Leadership. Progression is sequential, and higher-tier points are awarded only when lower-tier requirements are fully met.

This means that when responses don’t align closely with the scoring framework, points are not awarded even when sustainability practices are well established. In many cases, this only becomes visible after submission, when changes are no longer possible.

The scoring rules are public and detailed, but applying them consistently requires familiarity with the methodology, particularly when multiple teams contribute to the response. This challenge has increased as CDP’s methodology has evolved in recent years.

If you want a clearer picture of how recent CDP changes affect scoring, we’ve broken this down in this article.

What teams often need at this stage is away to see how their responses will be evaluated before submission, while there is still time to adjust.

What the beSirius CDP gap assessment covers and how it works

To address this, beSirius has developed a CDP gap assessment that evaluates existing responses against the official scoring methodology.

Responses can be uploaded into the system before submission and reviewed ahead of the CDP deadline. This allows teams to identify gaps, understand how their answers are evaluated, and make targeted improvements before submitting, rather than reacting to results after scores are published.

The assessment assumes responses are accurate and focuses on framework compliance: structure, completeness, and alignment with CDP’s tier requirements. It does not evaluate evidence quality or draft answers.

The assessment is organised around fourcore views:

1. A heat map shows performance across all modules and tiers, making it easy to see where responses currently sit within the scoring structure
2.  Each module can then be reviewed in detail, showing which tier requirements are met and which remain in complete.
3. A scoring deep dive shows where points are gained or lost, based on specific criteria from the methodology.
4. At the question level, the assessment highlights gaps and provides clear guidance on what would be required to improve alignment with CDP scoring rules.

Together, these views support informed adjustments to responses before submission. The assessment evaluates existing responses and provides targeted, methodology-based guidance on how answers could be adjusted to meet specific scoring criteria.

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‍CDP 2026 timing to keep in mind

CDP has published the high-level disclosure timeline for 2026.

Key dates 2026

• Week of April 20 – Questionnaire and guidance published
• Week of April 27 – Scoring methodology published; requesters can submit lists
• Week of June 15 – Response window opens
• Week of September 14 – Deadline to submit responses eligible for a CDP score
• Week of October 26 – Deadline for unscored submissions and edits
• Week of November 30 – Scores and A Lists published in the CDP Portal and on the CDP website

Want to see the assessment in practice?

We can walk through the CDP Gap Assessment using an example submission and show how scoring decisions follow the methodology.

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For additional practical guidance, the CDP Success Toolkit 2025 outlines how to plan and structure CDP submissions.