Planning · Programme design · Pakistan
From PC-1 to delivery: what makes a health project proposal implementable
A PC-1 gets a project approved; operational planning gets it delivered. Practical checks that close the gap between a good document and a working programme.
Avicenna Consulting International · · 2 min read
In Pakistan, development projects are formally proposed through a PC-1 (Planning Commission Proforma-1), reviewed by the relevant development working party, and then funded through the annual development programme. A well-written PC-1 is necessary for approval. But approval is not the finish line, and many projects stall in their first year because the document never answered the questions that implementation raises.
Here are the checks we apply when developing or reviewing a health PC-1.
Start from the service delivery model
Costs should follow design, not the other way round. What package of services will be delivered, at which level of care, by whom, and with what staff, medicines, equipment and supervision? If a PC-1 lists budget heads without a clear service model behind them, expect rework once the project starts.
Make costs realistic and phased
Unit costs should reflect current prices. Phasing should reflect real lead times for recruitment, procurement and civil works rather than an optimistic first-year spend. And the recurrent cost after the project ends needs an answer: who pays, and from which budget line?
Plan the operational basics
A project needs more than a budget. Decide early on:
- the first 100 days and who does what in them
- how the project management unit will be staffed and from where
- a procurement plan with realistic timelines
- how funds flow and how releases are requested
- a reporting calendar that matches what funders and government actually require
Build in monitoring and a results framework
Indicators need baselines, data sources and a named owner. A mid-term review point lets the project correct course while there is still time and money to do so.
Plan for sustainability and ownership
The strongest proposals show how services will transition into the regular recurrent budget, and how the project links to the provincial sector strategy and medium-term budget framework. Ownership by the department that will run the services after the project closes is the best predictor of survival.
A short checklist
Before submission, ask: Can a manager who has never seen this project start work on Monday from this document? If the answer is no, the PC-1 is not finished yet.
