Accora move into Lab Testing for Covid

Accora Ltd, the Cambridge based business ran by the Drake family, win a contract worth over £18 million to supply lab testing facilities to the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC). Accora have a background in supplying seating, beds and mattresses to the NHS & care sector. 

The contract worth a total of £18,729,060 came through the priority Test & Trace VIP channel, referred by Lord Lansley. Lansley is the former Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire (1997-2015) and the former Secretary of Health (2010-2012). The contract was for the provision of laboratory testing facilities, testing equipment, consumables and personnel for performance of diagnostic (RT-PCR) testing for COVID-19 and delivery of reports, published on the UK government contracts finder website 26th November 2020.

It was awarded under the negotiated procedure without prior publication (OJEU), this procedure is where the opportunity was not advertised, because for example only one supplier is capable of delivering the requirement, or due to extreme urgency brought about by unforeseen events.

The testing was not carried out in the UK but an undisclosed location in Europe, starting on the 24th October 2020 and ended on the 8th December 2020.

The order form can be found  along with the justification for use of supplier (article 32)

Since I originally wrote this article Accora have been included on a National Microbiology Framework agreement with other suppliers in April 2021, a framework agreement with a value of £15 billion.

​Accora is owned by the Drake family, Timothy, Anthony, Laurie, Nicholas & Samuel Drake. We have also found records of a now dissolved company called TMVO Ltd, where some of the Drake family including Tim were directors. TMVO Ltd was registered as a Non Party campaigner (3rd party) with the electoral commission in 2005, a somewhat strange registration as members of the Plymouth Brethren do not vote. Records show donations just shy of £10,000 with a total spend of £24,000.

Ex-Brethren members in the Cambridge area report that Tim Drake was responsible for brethren political activities in the Cambridge area and organised the brethren support for posting of leaflets on behalf of Andrew Lansley when he an MP. 
 
Timothy Drake is listed as a trustee of the Causeway Gospel Hall Trust in Cambridge, Anthony Drake is listed as a trustee of The Mowbray Gospel Hall Trust in Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, according to the charity commission.

Samuel Drake is also listed as a director of Onebus Limited, a subsidiary undertaking of OneSchool Global UK. OneSchool Global are schools for Plymouth Brethren church members children.

Accora Ltd had previously won a contract with NHS Scotland for the supply of ward beds to the Louisa Jordan Hospital (SEC Glasgow - Nightingale Hospital). This contract was also without a competitive tender process as above and the award value was £248,200.