Purpose

Lincolnshire County Council has a statutory duty to ensure that eligible children receive Free School Meals, irrespective of the education setting they attend, as set out in:
• Education Act 1996.
• Welfare Reform Act 2012.
• Children and Families Act 2014.

Due to ongoing capacity pressures within the Alternative Provision (AP) system, a growing number of children are educated through IESP arrangements across multiple and often non-standard settings. Many of these settings do not have the infrastructure or ability to provide FSM directly.
The current FSM voucher system enables Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) case workers to order FSM vouchers for eligible children who are not attending a mainstream school setting. This includes children receiving:
• Interim Home Tuition (IHT)
• Education Other Than At School (EOTAS)
• Permanent Exclusion (PEx), where the child is not on a school roll.

The voucher-based delivery model continues to meet operational requirements. The current contract has already been extended to its maximum permitted term and will end in October 2026, and therefore a compliant alternative procurement route is required.
The GCA Payment Solutions 3 framework (RM6383) replaces the previous CCS Payment Solutions 2 framework and provides a fully compliant procurement route for closed-loop voucher solutions under Lot 3, specifically designed to support voucher issuance and redemption by approved suppliers.
Using this framework will:
• Ensure continuity of FSM provision for vulnerable children.
• Maintain compliance with statutory duties.
• Provide a compliant, nationally recognised procurement route.
• Continue to support effective budget management within existing financial envelopes.
This approach aligns with best practice and mitigates procurement, contractual and service continuity risks.

Decision

That the Executive Director of Children’s Services approves the proposal to source a Free School Meals (FSM) voucher system for children receiving Interim Education Support Packages (IESP) via the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) Payment Solutions 3 Framework (RM6383), Lot 3 – Vouchers, to ensure continuity of provision, achievement of best value and ongoing compliance with statutory duties.

Alternative options considered

Do nothing –the current contract will cease on the 29th October 2026. There will be no replacement system in situ to ensure that families receive their FSM vouchers and LCC will fail to meet its statutory duties.
Undertake a full tender – to award a new contract to a supplier through a standard procurement process. This option was considered but rejected as the level of resource required to undertake a full procurement exercise would not be justifiable or proportionate when compared with the use of an existing Crown Commercial Service framework that has already been competitively established and meets the Council’s requirements.