Purpose

he existing contract with NYAS has been in place
since 1st October 2021, following the award from a
successful Light Touch Regime (LTR) procurement. The
option to extend the contract was included within the
terms and conditions of award, allowing for an extension
of up to 24 Months until 30th September 2028.
The contract costs £30,000 per annum.
As there is a statutory requirement to provide an
Independent Visitor Service to Children in Care and the
existing contract has an extension clause available to be
utilised, it is recommended that this contract is
extended.

Decision

That approval is given to extend the Independent Visitor Service provided by The National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) for Children in Care in Lincolnshire. The extension will be effective from 1st October 2026
until 30th September 2028. The contract would be extended at a cost of £30,000 per annum. The total value of the extension is therefore £60,000

Alternative options considered

Alternative Option 1 – Re-Procure
The option to re-procure the contract was discounted as
there is an existing contract in place with built-in
capacity to extend the service for up to a further two
years. It would therefore not be efficient for LCC to use
resources to complete a procurement exercise at this
time.

Alternative Option 2 – Do Nothing
The option to do nothing was discounted due to the
statutory requirement to provide an Independent Visitor
Service to Children in Care. To do nothing would mean
the existing contract would expire on 30th September
2026 and there would be no agreement in place to
deliver this service, placing the Council in breach of its
statutory obligations.