Purpose

t was recommended to undertake a procurement exercise, via
a Further Competition (Call-Off) under an existing Dynamic
Purchasing System (DPS) Framework Agreement led by the
Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO) for the provision of an
Appropriate Adult Service for children in Lincolnshire.
Lincolnshire County Council initiated the Further Competition
on 7th September 2026 and it closed on 17th September 2026.
Three submissions were received and the evaluation of the
responses against the award criteria set out in Further
Competition documentation has now been completed. The
Council is in a position to award the contract to the successful
Supplier according to their evaluated and scored submissions

Decision

That the Executive Director of Children’s Services approves
the award of a Call-Off contract to Child Action Northwest
under an existing Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)
Framework Agreement led by the Yorkshire Purchasing
Organisation (YPO).
The Contract will commence 1st December 2026 and will run
for a period of 2 years. There will be an option for the Council
to extend the Contract by a period of 16 months to 31st
March 2030.
The total Charges payable to the Supplier under Year 1 of this
Contract shall not exceed £39,330 excluding VAT or £47,196
inclusive of VAT. This figure is based on the anticipated annual
delivery requirement of 874 hours.
Subsequent contract Years shall be subject to an annual
inflationary uplift of 3%. The maximum total contract value
including all available extensions is £135,474 excluding VAT or
£162,568.20 inclusive of VAT.

Alternative options considered

To not award the contract
This is not a viable option as the Council has a statutory duty to
provide an Appropriate Adult Service for children who are
detained in police custody or who attend a voluntary police
interview. Not awarding the contract would remove a statutory
provision and create a risk that the Council would be unable to
meet its statutory responsibilities.
To enter into a contract with an alternative Supplier who
submitted a quotation.
This is not a viable option. The quotations have been evaluated
in accordance with the award criteria set out in the Further
Competition documentation. The Council would likely be
subject to Legal challenge should it not award the Further
Competition in accordance with the award criteria. The other
bidder submissions did not score the highest overall in
accordance with the award criteria.
Direct Award.
This is not a viable option as direct award is not permitted
under the terms of the YPO Appropriate Adults DPS 1015. The
DPS requires all approved providers on the Framework to be
offered the opportunity to compete for call-off contracts
through a Further Competition process