The report is believed to be one of the most comprehensive analyses of any company awarded government Covid-19 contracts.  It will also be provided to the COVID-19 Public Inquiry to assist their considerations regarding future evidence that may be required.

In total, the OCO Global report confirms that Randox processed over 17 million PCR tests as part of the government’s national testing programme between March 2020 and June 2022. The company also provided a further 7.7 million PCR tests plus around 1.8 million lateral flow tests to corporate clients and international travelers.

The report estimates that Randox’s private testing facilitated 4.4 million international return journeys, many of them crucial to support the economy in a time of medical and financial emergency. Other tests supported the nation’s social fabric, enabling people to travel for leisure purposes and to meet families.

The evidence highlights the Northern Ireland-based company’s 40 years experience as one of the world’s leading diagnostic testing companies. This experience, says the OCO report, coupled with the company’s ability and willingness as a private business to innovate and invest its own resources in rapidly upscaling to meet the crisis enabled it successfully to deliver testing on a vast scale. The report also says that innovation in software, automation and robotics, in particular, helped ensure that Randox optimised laboratory efficiency and drove down costs to the benefit of contracting parties.

The report sets out the high level of financial risk taken by Randox during the pandemic and their rapid expansion of laboratories, staff levels and capacity to meet the emergency demand for testing.

In just ten months, Randox increased its capacity to process PCR tests – from 300 tests per day on March 30th 2020, to 120,000 per day by January 2021.

This involved building, equipping and staffing 80,000 square feet of PCR testing laboratory space at the Randox Science Park in County Antrim – the equivalent of a football pitch of new laboratory space.

Overall, the report confirms these improvements and development enabled Randox to deliver 12 per cent of the UK’s PCR testing – and a considerably higher percentage at times when Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths rocketed to their highest levels. It also notes that the Randox rate of void samples was 15 per cent below the average for the testing programme as a whole.

The report adds: “These improvements would be passed on to the UK Treasury as Randox was able to drive down the cost of testing from £49.60 to £18.00.

“Private individuals also benefited from Randox process improvement as the company was at the forefront of driving down the price of private testing. By October 2021 the cost of a PCR test (click and collect) would be £34.99, a 70 percent decrease from December 2020.”  This price included the sample collection kits and all logistics and services, not within the government contracts.

In assessing Randox’s performance the report goes on to say:  “Randox is a privately owned company that can make decisions quickly and this proved invaluable in the frenetic early stages of the pandemic when companies and governments across the world were scrambling for supplies and consumables.

“Randox’s willingness to invest came with significant risk: through the majority of the National Testing Programme, Randox were only paid for tests completed and there were no guarantees that payment for the number of tests indicatively contracted for would be received.

“This placed considerable risk with Randox who were having to purchase vast quantities of consumables, despite the uncertainty around how long the pandemic would last or how government policy might change.

“It was this successful risk management which enabled Randox to be one of the best performing laboratories across the National Testing Programme.”

Gareth Hagan, CEO of OCO Global said:

“OCO Global was commissioned by Randox to compile a full, open and comprehensive report into the value of the company’s work, performance and delivery of PCR testing during the pandemic. Randox was a cooperative partner, providing access both to data and to personnel from across the organisation.

“We were able to use external interviews and data sources to corroborate our research. We are satisfied that the facts and the evidence-based findings of our report accurately reflect the work of Randox  during the Covid-19 emergency.”

A spokesman for Randox said:

“We believe this report delivers clear evidence of the performance, outcomes and value of the work which Randox is proud to have carried out during one of the greatest peacetime emergencies to have hit the world and the UK.

Editors Notes

Gareth Hagan is interview for media interview

OCO Global is a leading specialist provider of trade and investment services. Headquartered in Northern Ireland, OCO Global has offices in the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Japan, UAE, China and the U.S.

OCO Global’s clients include leading national, state and regional economic development organizations such as The Department For International Trade (DIT), Enterprise Florida and The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), as well as private companies seeking to enter new markets or grow their domestic base, including EY, PWC, Siemens, Smiley Monroe, Pepsico and Santander.

Media Enquiries to Ian Monk /Heather Vernon

Ian.monk@woburnpartners.com                  +44 7970 026072

Heather.vernon@woburnpartners.com      +44 7747 097821

27th July 2022: Randox response to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report, ‘Government’s contracts with Randox Laboratories Ltd’

A spokesperson for Randox said:

“The PAC report is deeply flawed and wrong in assumptions it makes and the conclusions it draws about Randox.

“As the UK’s largest diagnostic company, with four decades of experience, over 2,000 professional staff on hand at the start of the pandemic and more than £350m of prior investment in diagnostic and engineering innovation, Randox was uniquely situated to respond to the national need when COVID-19 emerged in early 2020.

“In supporting the UK’s urgent requirement for coronavirus testing Randox reacted with speed, efficiency and flexibility in delivering value. The company developed and built, in record time, the UK’s largest COVID-19 laboratories and testing services. It provided the Department of Health and Social Care with a PCR testing capacity at the time of greatest need, rising from 300 tests per day to 120,000 per day by January 2021.

“Altogether Randox processed over 25 million samples for UK’s National Testing Programme and in support of international travel for business and personal reasons. This played a crucial role in keeping vital elements of the UK economy functioning during lockdowns.

“In adapting to rapidly changing DHSC and Department of Transport requirements, Randox delivered unique value to the government, the national economy and to individuals.

“At no stage, either during its deliberations or in its preparation of this report, did the PAC make any contact whatsoever with Randox. Consequently many elements of its report relating to Randox are false, based as they are, on wrong and unchecked assumptions about the company. For that reason, they and any publications arising from them are the subject of a legal complaint.”

“The issues the report raises around internal DHSC record keeping are clearly a matter for DHSC”

For all media enquiries, please contact Ian Monk on ian@ianmonk.com or  +44 7970 026072 / + 44 203 011 1933