The Department paid Edenred the face value of eCodes issued to families, less any cancelled or expired codes, meaning that the final cost to the Department was the value of vouchers that families received.52 Under the terms of its framework contract, Edenred paid the Crown Commercial Service a management charge of 1% of the value of vouchers issued.53 The Department argued that it was difficult to see how it could have achieved equivalent value through any other alternative arrangement.54