Purpose

• The Best Start Lincolnshire: Early Years and Family Service
contract commenced 1
st April 2023 and will end 31st March
2027. There is an option to extend the contract up to 12
further months to 31st March 2028.
• Two variations to the Contract from 1st May 2023 and 10th
August 2023 to 31st March 2025 were agreed to support the
delivery of evidence-based programmes as part of the Start
for Life and Family Hubs Programme offer in Lincolnshire.
These variations were allowed for under Section 72(1)(f) of
the Public Contract Regulations 2015. The total value of the
variations was £137,658.52 which was 2.87% of the initial
Contract value.
• The Service is performing well in terms of performance
against its key performance indicators (KPIs).
• The Government announced the continuation and
expansion of the Start for Life and Family Hubs Programme
through the Best Start Family Hubs Programme from 1st
April 2026 to 31st March 2029. The Best Start Family Hubs
Programme includes an explicit outreach offer to families of
children aged 0 to five years that are not accessing services
within their Best Start Family Hubs. This requirement arose
from subsequent Government policy developments
following the 2022 re-procurement and could not
reasonably have been foreseen by a diligent contracting
authority at that time.
• The Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life Strategy sets out
the Government’s commitment to improve child
development and increase the good level of development
(GLD) of all children by 2028, recognising school readiness
gaps open early and drive later inequalities.
• Lincolnshire’s Best Start in Life Strategy and Local Plan,
approved by the Executive Councillor for Children’s Services
on 6th July 2026, sets out Lincolnshire’s ambitions to support
more children to be ready for school and achieve a GLD,
driving change through the Best Start Family Hubs
Programme. The Strategy includes an enhanced outreach
offer targeting priority groups of families, and their children
(aged 0 to 5), who do not ordinarily access Best Start Family
Hub services in areas where the greatest impact can be
achieved.
• Lincolnshire’s Best Start Family Hubs delivery plan
submitted to the Department for Education (DfE) and
approved by the Executive Director for Children’s Services
also includes an enhanced outreach offer.
• This further variation will not alter the core purpose of the
Contract or its key objectives, which include supporting all
Lincolnshire children in their early years to have the best
start in life and supporting parents/carers and their children
to access high quality, early educational learning within local
communities.
• The Service will continue to provide high-quality educational
and fun sessions for children in their early years (aged 0 to
five) and their families to access through children’s centres
(including centres which are also designated Best Start
Family Hubs) and community-based outreach support. The
enhanced outreach offer is an extension to the existing
targeted support model rather than a new service offer.
• The enhanced outreach offer will include targeted outreach
support within the home and local communities to priority
groups of children aged 0 to five, and their families, who do
not normally engage in Best Start Family Hub and children’s
centre services, and who may be at risk of not achieving a
good level of development (GLD) by the end of their
Reception year at school.
• The initial focus of the enhanced outreach offer for a full
year of delivery shall be in the Lincoln area.
• The extension to the Contract is allowed for within the
contractual terms and conditions.
• The total value of the enhanced outreach variation would
increase the overall value of variations to up to £563,702.4
(11.9% of the initial contract value).
• The variation to the Contract is allowed for under Regulation
72(1)(C) as the need for the variation has been brought
about by circumstances which could not have been
foreseen; the variation does not alter the overall nature of
the contract; and the total value of the increase in price of
the Contract does not exceed 50% of the initial contract
value.

Decision

The Executive Director of Children’s Services in consultation
with the Executive Councillor for Children’s Services approves
an extension and variation to the Best Start Lincolnshire: Early
Years and Family Service Contract with the Early Years
Alliance (trading as Pre-School Learning Alliance). The current
Contract ends on 31st March 2027 and shall be extended for
12 months from 1st April 2027 to 31st March 2028.
The Contract shall also be varied from 1st September 2026 to
enhance the service’s targeted offer to include outreach
support within the home to priority groups of children aged 0
to five years and in areas of the county identified by the
Council. This is an extension of the community-based
outreach support already available through the service.
The maximum value of the variation for the 2026/27 financial
year shall be up to £168,277 and £209,141 for the 2027/28
financial year. The value of the extension from 1st April 2027
shall therefore increase from £1,593,855.26 (excluding VAT)
to £1,802,996.26 (excluding VAT). The overall value of this
variation shall be up to £377,418.

Alternative options considered

Do nothing (extension): this was not a viable option. The
Contract with the Early Years Alliance (trading as Pre-School
Learning Alliance) expires on 31st March 2027. To do
nothing/de-commission would mean that this service would no
longer be available from 1st April 2027. The Best Start
Lincolnshire: Early Years and Family Service is integral to the
Council’s wider early years offer. An extension to the current
Contract is allowed for within the contractual terms and
conditions.
Do nothing (variation): this was not a viable option. This could
negatively impact on the Council being able to meet the
requirements of the Best Start Family Hubs Programme in
relation to outreach support for priority groups of children
(aged 0 to five years), and their families who do not normally
engage in Best Start Family Hub services. This could result in
the DfE reducing the funding available to the Council which
could also negatively impact on Lincolnshire’s Best Start in Life
Strategy and Local plan and ability to support priority groups of
children, and their families, who would benefit from the
enhanced outreach offer.
Commission through a competitive procurement process: the
extension to the Contract is allowed for within the terms and
conditions. The variation to the Best Start Lincolnshire: Early
Years and Family Service Contract is legally compliant with the
Public Contract Regulations 2015. As such there would be no
benefit in undertaking a competitive procurement process, as it
would require officer time to complete and to ensure best value
for money for Lincolnshire children and their families, time
would be better served on focusing on the continuation of the
Best Start Lincolnshire: Early years and Family Service Contract
and the Best Start Family Hubs Programme to ensure no
disruption for services uses and no delays in the enhanced
outreach offer being implemented.