# What are the key steps to establish a PSA plant in a hospital? **What are the key steps to establish a PSA oxygen plant in a health facility, from needs assessment to operation and sustainability?** UNDP's REQ-OXY-001 (2025) sets out six stages for establishing a PSA oxygen plant in a health facility: planning and assessment, documentation and specifications, technical work during procurement, installation and commissioning, operation and monitoring, and sustainability, starting with a multidisciplinary team and an assessment of oxygen demand, infrastructure and power. Section 7 of UNDP's technical and regulatory requirements for oxygen plants (REQ-OXY-001, effective 1 January 2025) describes the steps below for UNDP country offices and project teams; UNDP says the timeline in its process table is illustrative and should be adapted to the context. Its site evaluation form and sample commissioning report are adapted from the web annexes of WHO's Foundations of medical oxygen systems (2023), which also cover procurement considerations and site readiness. ## 1. Planning and assessment - Form a multidisciplinary team of biomedical engineers, civil engineers, project managers, procurement officers and finance professionals, with a work plan setting timelines, roles, responsibilities and milestones, and involve donors, the ministry of health and hospital staff. - Assess oxygen demand at facility or regional level, the infrastructure, space and electrical requirements, power stability, operating hours and backup oxygen sources. See [how to estimate hospital oxygen demand](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/how-to-estimate-hospital-oxygen-demand/) and [what happens during a site survey](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/what-happens-during-a-medical-gas-site-survey/). - Carry out an environmental and social impact assessment covering waste management, noise, energy consumption and the impact on nearby communities. ## 2. Documentation and specifications - Technical specifications for all plant components, from compressors, filters and dryers to manifolds and pipeline connections, plus infrastructure, civil works and electrical requirements, addressing flow rate, purity, pressure, energy efficiency and compatibility with existing systems. See what a PSA tender specification should include. - Bills of quantities for all materials, equipment, services, piping, civil works, infrastructure upgrades and electrical requirements. See what goes into a bill of quantities. - Terms of reference defining supply, installation, testing, commissioning, warranties, maintenance, training, quality assurance, safety and minimum qualifications for vendors and personnel. ## 3. Procurement The solicitation package combines the specifications, bills of quantities and terms of reference, and the offers go through a technical and regulatory evaluation. See [how to compare PSA plant bids](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/how-to-compare-psa-oxygen-plant-bids/) and what certificates a supplier should provide. ## 4. Installation and commissioning - Complete civil works and electrical upgrades with the vendor, then check that electrical capacity, ventilation and structure meet the specifications. - Inspect all components on delivery; the supplier installs, under the buyer's technical oversight. - The supplier tests oxygen purity, flow rate, pressure, functionality, alarms and emergency systems; UNDP encourages independent verification by certified third parties where available. See [how a PSA plant is commissioned](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/how-is-a-psa-oxygen-plant-commissioned/). - Train operators, maintenance personnel and technical support teams, collect the documentation, register the equipment in the inventory system and commission the plant once its functionality is verified. ## 5. Operation and monitoring UNDP says the end user should set up a continuous monitoring plan for purity, flow rate and pressure, in real time if the capability is available, a preventive maintenance schedule following the manufacturer's recommendations with a log of all maintenance, reporting protocols and a response plan for malfunctions, and should generate regular production, maintenance and repair performance reports. See [which indicators to track](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/which-kpis-should-a-hospital-track-for-its-oxygen-plant/). ## 6. Sustainability UNDP asks for a long-term sustainability roadmap, ongoing training for end users, a reliable supply chain for spare parts and consumables, attention to energy use and waste, and a budget for operation, maintenance and repair, prepared with planning tools such as the UNICEF Oxygen System Planning Tool. See [what an oxygen sustainability plan covers](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/what-is-an-oxygen-ecosystem-sustainability-plan/). ## ULTRAOX plants According to the ULTRAOX SC datasheet (p. 3), the equipment is parameterised and tested in the factory and ready to start on site, and on large plants installation, initial start-up and staff training are supervised by Ultra Controlo factory technicians. ### Who installs a PSA plant in a UNDP project? Under REQ-OXY-001 (2025), the supplier is responsible for the installation work, and the UNDP project team should provide technical oversight and inspect all components on delivery. ### Does UNDP give a fixed timeline for these steps? No. REQ-OXY-001 says the timeline in its process table is illustrative and should be adapted to the context, such as the number of plants and sites and the procurement method. ## Sources - [UNDP, REQ-OXY-001 v01, Technical and regulatory requirements for oxygen plants (effective 1 January 2025), sections 7 and 8, Annexes II and III](https://healthimplementation.undp.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/REQ-OXY-001-v01-UNDP-TECHNICAL-REGULATORY-REQUIREMENTS-FOR-OXYGEN-PLANTS.pdf) - [WHO, Foundations of medical oxygen systems (17 February 2023), web annexes](https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/4ad6f5fd-089e-4142-8439-b64e98d816d8/content) - [ULTRAOX SC datasheet, p. 3](https://www.ultracontrolo.com/products/ultraox) Reviewed: 2026-10-23. Ultra Controlo engineering. https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/what-are-the-key-steps-to-establish-a-psa-plant/