Purpose

Adult Services and the Lincolnshire
Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (LSCP) also hold an
agreement with Tri-X to deliver the same/or similar service. This
exception therefore seeks to extend the current agreement with
Tri-X, to allow a procurement to take place which will encompass
the needs of all three service areas, thus providing an opportunity
to generate efficiencies, whilst avoiding a gap in an essential
service during 25/26.

Decision

That the Executive Director of
Children’s Services approves an exception to the
Council’s Contract and Procurement Procedure Rules (CPPRs)
for the Quality & Standards Team to extend its current
contractual arrangement with Signis Ltd t/a Tri.X for the provision
of a platform to host the Online Children’s Service’s
Policy and Procedures Manuals until the end of March 2027. The
total exception value to enact this extension will be £15,945
(excluding VAT) or £19,134 (including VAT) covering the
period from 01st August 2025 until 31st March 2027.

The overall value of the contract from 01st August 2024 to 31st
March 2027 will be £25,535 (excluding VAT) or £30,642
(including VAT).

Adult’s Services and the LSCP also hold a contract with Tri-X
for the same/or similar service, consequently a joint procurement
activity will be required for a service from 01st April 2027
encompassing the requirements of all service areas.

Alternative options considered

Alternative Option 1: Undertake a Request for
Quotation (RFQ) process seeking at least three written
quotations.

Desktop research shows that Tri X/Signis is widely used by several
Local Authorities—including Leeds, Coventry, Durham,
Barnsley, and North Yorkshire to host their Children’s
Services policies and procedures manuals. The market for this type
of service is relatively limited due to the specialised knowledge
required to maintain content and ensure that this is reflective of
the most up to date legislation. Due to this the service area has
only been able to identify two potential alternative external
providers within the market who may be able to deliver this
function, with a further potential supplier identified via a search
of ProContract.

Extending the current agreement would enable the alignment of
future procurement activities across the LSCP, Children’s
Services, and Adults Services for the hosting of Policy and
Procedure manuals in 2026-2027, and will provide an opportunity to
generate economies of scale across Directorates. Initiating a
competitive procurement process at this stage is unlikely to
generate any efficiencies for the Council in the short-term.

Additionally, as the current agreement with Signis t/a Tri-X is set
to expire in July 2025, launching a new procurement now would
create a gap between the end of the existing agreement and the
commencement of a new commissioned service. This gap would pose a
risk to Lincolnshire County Council’s regulatory compliance
and could leave staff without access to the most current policies
and procedures.

Alternative Option 2 – Do Nothing

If the Council does nothing the current agreement with Signis t/a
Tri-X will come to an end in July 2025 and there will be a gap in
provision whilst a procurement activity is undertaken.

The Online Children’s Services Procedures Manual hosts
essential policies, procedures, and guidance to ensure the
safeguarding and promotion of children’s welfare. By hosting
these documents, Children’s services managers and staff have
access to materials to ensure they consistently follow established
protocols and receive clear directions or advice when making
decisions or taking action. If the contract for hosting this manual
were to end, Lincolnshire County Council

(LCC) would risk falling out of regulatory compliance, and staff
could lose access to the most current policies and
procedures.