Does the warranty include maintenance?

In UNDP's 2025 requirements it does: the warranty of at least two years includes preventive and corrective maintenance, and post-warranty services are to be detailed in a service level agreement.

What if there is no local service agent?

Global Fund guidance (2024) says that without a local service agent, for example for plants outside their warranty and maintenance contract, a maintenance plan should be developed for the host facility's engineers, who may need advanced training.

How long should a PSA plant service contract last?

Q: How long should the service and maintenance contract for a new PSA oxygen plant last?

Procurement documents set different periods for a PSA plant service contract: Global Fund guidance (2024) strongly advises a 5-year warranty and maintenance contract, a 2020 WHO interim specification (superseded in 2024) asked for maintenance and spare parts costed for at least 3 years, and UNDP (2025) asks for two years or more of maintenance under warranty.

How long should the service and maintenance contract for a new PSA oxygen plant last?

What procurement documents ask for

Document	Period	What it covers
Global Fund / Build Health International, Sustainability guidance for PSA oxygen plants (22 August 2024)	5 years, strongly advised	A long-term warranty and maintenance contract
WHO, Technical specifications for PSA oxygen plants, interim guidance (8 June 2020)	Warranty of 48 months, with option to extend; costs set for at least 3 years from installation	Agreed terms of warranty and maintenance contract; preventive maintenance parts and kits included during the warranty; costs of preventive and corrective maintenance and spare parts
UNDP, REQ-OXY-001 (effective 1 January 2025)	Warranty of at least 24 months (2 years) from commissioning	Preventive and corrective maintenance, refresher training for users and technicians and spare parts during the warranty; post-warranty obligations in a service level agreement
World Bank press release (5 December 2021)	Three years	UNOPS procured and installed PSA plants under a World Bank-financed project and was to operate and maintain them fully
Paraguay, Ministerio de Defensa Nacional, tender SBE 399201 (answer of 14 July 2021)	24 months from final acceptance	A sworn declaration of warranty that includes spare parts and corrective and preventive maintenance

The WHO document was issued as interim guidance, said it would expire 2 years after publication and was superseded by WHO's technical specifications of 31 December 2024.

Planning beyond the contract

The 2024 Global Fund guidance asks for long-term financial planning over the plant's life cycle, which it puts at 10 years on average, including funds set aside for unexpected repairs or system upgrades. The 2020 WHO specification asked for a life span of at least 10 years guaranteed by a letter from the manufacturer, so that the equipment and spare parts are not discontinued during the 10 years after procurement. UNDP asks for spare part kits to be available throughout the plant's lifespan, and for any supplier obligations on maintenance, repair or post-warranty services to be written into a service level agreement that specifies response times for emergency repairs, scheduled maintenance intervals, spare parts availability and technical support responsibilities.

Where there is no local service agent, for example for plants outside their warranty and maintenance contract, the Global Fund guidance says a maintenance plan should be developed for the host facility's engineers, who may need advanced training to carry it out.

What the contract should state

Service contract guidelines written by Build Health International for the Global Fund's Project BOXER (20 May 2024) do not set a duration, but list what the contract should define:

Termination: the notice period for either party, when immediate termination is allowed (for example breach of contract or non-performance) and the obligations of each party on termination.
Costs: whether the labour, travel and accommodation of the service provider's agents are included in the fee or billed separately, and any caps on reimbursable expenses.
Service intervals: by hours of operation, calendar dates or both, whether they differ by equipment, and who schedules the visits.
Proof of service: for example spent or replaced parts handed to hospital staff, operators invited to watch the service, and detailed service reports with photographs.
Spare parts and consumables: where they are stored, who keeps the inventory records and which parts the warranty does not cover.
Emergency repairs and remote support: which costs are included, how repairs are started and authorised, the time within which the supplier is expected to respond to remote support requests, and how to escalate when there is no response.

Ultra Controlo

UltraCare, the Ultra Controlo technical assistance programme for its medical gas systems, covers preventive maintenance and monitoring, corrective service, original spare parts and rental equipment, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. See what UltraCare is.