Project assistance completion report : family planning oral contraceptive loan, project 497-0271

The project succeeded in bridging the gap between free provision of contraceptives by A.I.D. in the 1970"s and BKKBN procurement of all needed supplies locally. USAID/I provided $55,565,636.00 for some 331 million monthly cycles of orals, procured from the United States through 1983 (with delivery through 1984), while the GOI provided $31,570,000.00 for the procurement of some 192 million cycles, primarily from local sources. Except for a small Dutch grant, BKKBN now purchases all of its own contraceptives. As of 7/87, about 7 million A.I.D.-procured cycles remained in BKKBN warehouses. The project, which ran in tandem with Project 4970270 (Family Planning Development and Services I), was evaluated in 1985 and found to be a positive factor in BKKBN"s logistical development. Also, more orals were purchased at a lower price than originally planned because of competitive bidding for the central procurement contract. The principal problem encountered involved slow reporting, via AID/W, on procurements through the General Services Administration. As a result, $1.318 million in funds which were committed could not be used, and must now be deobligated. The project demonstrated that a host country commitment to family planning is necessary in order to get the recurring cost of commodities paid out of the national budget. Perhaps the interim loan funding available under this project provided the impetus for the GOI to move in that direction.