# What is Project BOXER for oxygen plants?

**What is the Global Fund's Project BOXER for medical oxygen?**

According to a Global Fund overview of 26 July 2024, Project BOXER is a Global Fund centrally managed limited investment that uses COVID-19 Response Mechanism funding to strengthen medical oxygen programmes, under which Build Health International is contracted to provide end-to-end technical assistance for PSA oxygen plant procurement and implementation.

## What the assistance covers

The 2024 overview lists the technical assistance available at each phase of Project BOXER:

| Phase | Examples of assistance |
|---|---|
| Plant specifications and ordering | Recommending a plant production capacity from estimated oxygen needs and delivery methods; site visits with need and gap, infrastructure, power and access assessments; supporting the supplier and the principal recipient to finalise the plant layout; guidance during procurement and delivery |
| Site preparation and installation | Site readiness guidance and budgeting tools; site readiness visits; review of site work drawings and bills of quantities; review of tender documents and an independent technical evaluation of contractor bids; review of staffing proposals and CVs; a pre-installation assessment of the completed construction |
| Training | Maintenance training (5 days), to supplement the manufacturer training, and management training (2 days); advanced training; site, repair and post-commissioning assessment trainings (2 days each); help writing a day-to-day maintenance plan |
| Post-commissioning support | A post-commissioning assessment that the plant is correctly installed and performing to specification; repair assessments; remote operational support; review of service agreements and warranties and a plan for spare parts management |

The overview says the post-commissioning assessment does not replace supplier commissioning inspections or inspections required by local authorities, and that the service provider remains responsible for all primary preventive maintenance and service of the plant for the duration of the service contract. Services and resources are available in English and French.

## Scope and funding

A Project BOXER information session of 6 February 2023 gave its objective as technical assistance for the implementation, monitoring and oversight of PSA plants and related Global Fund oxygen investments, to ensure sustainability and maximised impact, and said the project was then providing assistance to 46 of the 57 countries procuring PSA plants through the COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM). According to a PATH brief of June 2026, between 2021 and 2025 the Global Fund's C19RM invested around 564 million US dollars to expand access to oxygen; see [who funds PSA oxygen plants](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/who-funds-psa-oxygen-plants/).

## Published guidance

Documents developed by Build Health International for Project BOXER and published by the Global Fund include:

- Sustainability guidance for PSA oxygen plants (22 August 2024); see [how to keep a plant running for years](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/what-is-an-oxygen-ecosystem-sustainability-plan/).
- Warranty contract and service contract guidelines (both 20 May 2024); see [how long a service contract should last](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/how-long-should-a-psa-service-contract-last/).
- PSA oxygen plant commissioning guidelines (28 August 2024); see [how a PSA plant is commissioned](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/how-is-a-psa-oxygen-plant-commissioned/).
- A PSA plant site readiness process (11 April 2025) and a daily maintenance checklist; see [what happens during a site survey](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/what-happens-during-a-medical-gas-site-survey/).
- Briefing notes on centralised and decentralised oxygen access (23 August 2023), PSA plant oxygen purity (3 April 2024) and PSA, VPSA and VSA (4 March 2025).

### Who provides the technical assistance in Project BOXER?

Build Health International, which the Global Fund contracted to provide end-to-end technical assistance for PSA plant procurement and implementation.

### Does BOXER assistance replace the supplier's commissioning?

No. The 2024 overview says the post-commissioning assessment does not replace supplier commissioning inspections or inspections required by local authorities.

## Sources

- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Overview: Build Health International Technical Assistance Services (Project BOXER, 26 July 2024)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/rwjpznyu/cr_c19rm-project-boxer-technical-assistance-services_overview_en.pdf)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Project BOXER Info Session: PSA Plant Site Readiness (6 February 2023)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/0ubjpog0/cr_2023-02-06-c19rm-project-boxer-information-session_presentation_en.pdf)
- [PATH, Global Health Financing for Oxygen Systems: The Global Fund (June 2026)](https://media.path.org/documents/O2Financing_Infographics_GF_L3.pdf)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Overview: Sustainability Guidance for PSA Oxygen Plants (22 August 2024)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/bwrp43cm/cr_c19rm-psa-oxygen-plant-sustainability_overview_en.pdf)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Overview: Oxygen Plant Warranty Contract Guidelines (20 May 2024)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/cidcja1l/cr_c19rm-oxygen-plant-warranty-contract_overview_en.pdf)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Overview: Oxygen Plant Service Contract Guidelines (20 May 2024)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/aeddhtsy/cr_c19rm-oxygen-plant-service-contract_overview_en.pdf)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Overview: PSA Oxygen Plant Commissioning Guidelines (28 August 2024)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/qp3h1vxo/cr_c19rm-psa-oxygen-plant-commissioning_overview_en.pdf)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Overview: PSA Plant Site Readiness Process and Responsibilities (11 April 2025)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/tkyd3gwi/cr_c19rm-psa-plant-site-readiness-process-responsibilities_steps_en.pdf)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, PSA plant Daily Maintenance Checklist (Project BOXER)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/xbanfgrc/cr_c19rm-psa-plant-daily-maintenance_checklist_en.pdf)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Briefing Note: Centralized vs Decentralized Approach to Oxygen Access (23 August 2023)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/t45htnle/cr_c19rm-centralized-decentralized-oxygen-access_technical-briefing-note_en.pdf)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Briefing Note: PSA Plant Oxygen Purity (3 April 2024)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/lenpqaoa/cr_c19rm-psa-oxygen-purity_technical-briefing-note_en.pdf)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Briefing Note: PSA, VPSA and VSA (4 March 2025)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/dp3clsrr/cr_c19rm-psa-vpsa-vsa_technical-briefing-note_en.pdf)

Reviewed: 2026-10-22. Ultra Controlo engineering. https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/what-is-project-boxer/