PLOS One: Calculating indirect costs from international PEPFAR implementing partners
In this newly published study, Brian Honermann, deputy director of amfAR, and colleagues examine spending by organizations implementing PEPFAR. They write, “To our knowledge, total funding for indirect costs has never been quantified for any major HIV program, constituting a gap in the HIV global financing discussion. Our analysis develops a method to estimate the range of indirect costs that have accrued to PEPFAR between 2007 and 2016 by international partners in an effort to better quantify the levels of funding used for indirect costs.” The authors estimate that from 2007-2016, between $1.85 billion and $4.34 billion was spent on indirect costs. They note, “Despite increased efficiencies in HIV service delivery, evaluating programs for greater efficiencies remains necessary. … [I]ndirect costs … may constitute an additional avenue to identify program efficiencies. … [T]he findings motivate a re-examination of the current policies and the return on investment in indirect cost recovery across the PEPFAR program” (10/29).