A Perception Study on SSO Communication

1. PURPOSE OF THE CONTRACT.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MoLSW) and the Social Security Organisation (SSO), with support from Oxfam, seek a consultant to conduct a Perception Study on Social Security Communication Among Informal Workers in the Agri-Food Sector in Lao PDR.

This study aims to generate evidence on how informal workers perceive and engage with social security systems, identify key behavioural and informational barriers to registration and sustained contributions, provide actionable recommendations to improve communications strategies and services delivery.

The research will cover a diverse group of informal workers across Vientiane Capital, Xiengkhouang, and Champasak provinces, focusing on workers in the agri-food sector including smallholder farmers, male and female producers, producer groups, and cooperatives.
2.     BACKGROUND
The National Social Security Organization (NSSO), under the supervision of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, aims to expand access to social protection under the Social Security Law. Although on going awareness activities and support from development partners including Oxfam and ILO, there is remaining limitation among informal workers on the awareness and understanding of social security.

This study will document the perceptions and lived experiences of LSSO members in the agri-food system who have been registered for approximately one to two years, and no-members, including selected newly enrolled members who use the LSSO mobile application. At the time of drafting, the app primarily supports checking information about the scheme and personal data and making contribution payments. The study will therefore pay special attention to members’ digital payment experience and its influence on perceptions and continued participation.

The study will be structured around a five‑stage perception framework:

• Stimulation (exposure to messages/content through billboards, LED screens, radio, village speakers, Facebook, TikTok, newspapers, word-of-mouth, mobile office, etc.),
• Organization (how information is sorted/validated individually and within families and communities),
• Interpretation (meaning assigned interest, indifference, intent to act),
• Memory (what is retained over time), and
• Recall (what prompts re‑thinking, discussing, or acting on the information again).

This study addresses that gap by examining how members perceive and respond to LSSO information, processes, and digital touchpoints what they remember and recall later and how communications and services can be optimized to support equitable, gender‑responsive, and resilient participation.
3.     OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

1. Diagnose perceptions along the five stages (stimulation, organization, interpretation, memory, recall) among LSSO members and workers in the agri‑food sector, disaggregated by gender, age, and location.
2. Identify messaging, channels, and service touchpoints that most effectively move members from awareness to sustained contribution behavior.
3. Surface gendered and intersectional barriers (including for women and ethnic minority members) that shape perception and action.
4. Generate actionable recommendations to refine LSSO communications and service design across the five stages, with practical steps to improve retention and regular contributions.

4.     SCOPE OF WORK AND METHODOLOGY
Study locations: Vientiane Capital, Xiengkhouang, and Champasak Provinces.
Target population: LSSO scheme members and workers in the agri‑food sector (primary).
Comparison group (optional): up to n≤20 non‑members for triangulation.

• Sample design (depth over breadth)

• Primary sample: n≈150 LSSO members/non-members for in‑depth perception study.
• Sub‑sample for app observation: n=10 members who will attempt contribution payment on the LSSO app while being observed.
• Stratification: gender, age, province, remoteness, and subsectors within agri‑food.

4.2 Key responsibilities

• Perception mapping: Gather and analyse members’ perceptions and experiences along the five stages, including triggers, bottlenecks, and enablers for initial and continued participation.
• Gender and inclusion lens: Examine distinct vulnerabilities/barriers for women and ethnic, including socio‑cultural and geographic factors.
• Actionable recommendations: Co‑develop with LSSO and partners practical improvements in messaging and service delivery at each stage of the perception framework.
• Stakeholder validation: Organize and conduct validation meetings with LSSO, trade unions, platform operators, and partners.
• Provide on-the-job training on surveying, observing and studying behaviours and perceptions to the LSSO and CSO staff participating in the survey.

4.3 Methodological approach

1. Perception framework & instruments (developed in inception):

• A clear operationalization of the five stages into indicators and questions, including immediate recall checks and delayed recall follow‑ups (e.g., after 7–14 days).
• A coding scheme for verbal and non‑verbal responses (facial/vocal cues, gestures), and field note templates.

1. Mixed‑methods data collection (prioritizing perception depth):

1. Structured Perception Survey (n≈150 in person):
   • Modules aligned to the five stages; short validated scales; immediate recall questions; agreement/intent measures; demographic and program variables.
2. Behavioural Observation of App Payment (n=25 sub‑sample):
   • Think‑aloud + observation of a real contribution payment attempt; capture micro‑expressions (non‑recorded unless consented), navigation errors, comprehension issues, and emotional responses; time‑on‑task and task completion.
   • Ethical safeguards: explicit consent; no video/audio recording unless separately consented; privacy protection.
3. Visual Risk Elicitation Sessions (4–6 groups × 8–10 members):
   • Show carefully vetted visual stimuli (e.g., accident, disability, illness) via projector/printouts; observe and code spontaneous reactions (concern/indifference/engagement), followed by brief facilitated discussion and simple salience ranking.
   • Purpose: detect which risks resonate most to inform message framing and channel selection (not to cause distress). Provide opt‑out and support information.
4. Light‑touch KIIs (focused and limited):
   • 10 – 20 essential KIIs (e.g., LSSO frontline, provincial staff, cooperative and producer group leaders) to contextualize findings.
   • FGDs optional and used only when value‑adding; one‑on‑one depth remains the default.
5. Desk Review (streamlined):
   • A short, targeted scan of policies and prior studies to avoid duplicating well‑known findings; emphasize new perception insights.

1. Sampling and analysis

• Sampling: Stratified purposive for perception depth; ensure representation across gender, age, province, and remoteness.
• Analysis:
  • Quantitative: Descriptive stats, cross‑tabs by gender/age/province; perception indices per stage; simple difference‑of‑means or non‑parametrics as appropriate.
  • Qualitative: Thematic analysis mapped to the five stages; matrix coding for non‑verbal cues; triangulation across survey, observation, and visual elicitation.
  • Outputs: A stage‑by‑stage playbook for LSSO that outlines “What to Change,” including recommended messages, communication channels, and timing

1. Ethics and safeguarding

• Informed consent, population is roughly 50% of women and 50% of men, voluntary participation, confidentiality, and secure data handling.
• Risk‑sensitive facilitation for visual stimuli; immediate opt‑out without penalty.
• Gender‑sensitive enumerator training, privacy during observation, and referral information for distress.

Note on interviews & fieldwork logistics: The surveyor team will include some LSSO Public Relations officers, select CSOs in addition to the consultants. It is expected that through joint work during the research and data collection, some transfer of knowledge and capacities on field-level survey techniques and reading people’s behaviours from the experts to the LSSO will take place (on-the-job training).
KIIs and primary data collection will be face‑to‑face in the three provinces. All related travel/logistics must be included in the consultant’s financial proposal.
5.     DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTPUTS
The study is anticipated to be conducted from June 2026 to September 2026 (30-40 working days). A tentative schedule plan, and deliverables are listed below:

Deliverables
Outputs
Timeline

Inception Report
Study design, methodology approach aligned with the five- stage perception framework, sampling strategy, validated by SSO/Oxfam
Early June 2026

Desk Review & Policy Analysis
·       Review of relevant national legal and policy frameworks, including: Law on social security and implementation regulations, Labour and social protection policies relevant to informal workers, Existing NSSO strategies and communication approaches.

·       Review of existing literature studies and programme documentation related to SSF access and coverage in Lao PDR, informal workers in the agri-food sector

·       Identification of key evidence gaps, with particular emphasis on perception, behavioural drivers and communication effectiveness.
June 2026

Design Data Collection Tools
·       Approved survey questionnaires,

·       Behavioural observation protocol for LSSO mobile application usage

·       Visual elicitation session guide and facilitation protocol

·       KII guides,

·       Enumerator training plan
June 2026

Field Data Collection & Analysis
Quantitative/qualitative datasets, KII transcripts, submitted to SSO/Oxfam
July-August 2026

Draft Report
Preliminary findings and recommendations for stakeholder review
Early September 2026

Validation Workshop
Multi-stakeholder workshop (central/provincial), workshop report
September 2026

Final Report
Final report incorporating feedback, in English (Lao translation optional)
Late September 2026

6.     PROFILE REQUIREMENTS
Essential Criteria:

• Expertise in labor, social protection, Lao social security system, or informal economy research, preferably in Laos or similar contexts.
• Proven ability to conduct mixed-methods studies and publish high-quality reports.
• Skills in participatory research, survey design, behavioural and perception-based reseatch approaches, gender-sensitive and inclusive analysis.
• Demonstrated understanding and application of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) principles in research design and implementation. Demonstrated experience conducting face-to-face single interviews with diverse stakeholders.
• Cultural competence and ability to work effectively with multi-ethnic and diverse communities.
• Background knowledge ion psychology, behaviour science, or related fields relevant to perception and decision-making study
• Fluency in English; Lao proficiency is highly desirable.
• Ability to travel to Vientiane Capital, Xiengkhouang, and Champasak Provinces for face-to-face interviews and fieldwork.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience conducting research on voluntary or contributory social protection schemes for informal workers
• Familiarity with LSSO/NSSO-related institutional frameworks
• Experience with digital survey tools (e.g., Kobo Toolbox, SurveyMonkey or similar platforms).
• Prior engagement with the Lao government, international organizations, and private sectors (e.g., Ministries, private companies, ILO, Oxfam).

7. COORDINATION FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT

Oxfam Focal Point: Chindamany Homphasathane, chindamani.homphasathane@oxfam.org

And Soudany Phommavilay, Soudany.phommavilay@oxfam.org

8. HOW TO APPLY

Responses must be submitted and prepared in English and received by the deadline.

To be shortlisted for evaluation against award criteria, the following documents must be included in the application:

Item
Importance

1
Technical proposal / approach paper to conduct the assignment and achieve objectives including methodology, proposed work plan and timelines (max 10 pag)
Mandatory

2
Financial offer (price quotation) including budget and pricing

•       All prices must appear in USD or Lao Kip, with to pay 5% income tax, this tax Oxfam will pay directly to the tax authority)

•       The total budget, which must include a detailed breakdown of costs by deliverables.

•       The total budget proposed by the Consultant must include all costs that will be invoiced to Oxfam in the financial offer[1]:

a)     all technical services and activities e.g. research, enumerator training, report writing, analysis and interpretation

b)    travel related costs (including flights, taxi, car, accommodation, and food. etc).

·       Other associated cost related validation meeting (venue and meeting package), and the costs related to the local government partners who will accompany during data correction in four provinces will cover by Oxfam
Mandatory

3
Curriculum Vitae(s) (CV) of the proposed consultant(s), proving relevant experience and/or qualifications. If multiple people are involved, an outline of roles/ responsibilities also needs to be included. CV should not more than 3 pages
Mandatory

4
Evidence of two relevant of previous work (for the works that are not confidential only)
Mandatory

5
Proof of registration: The bidders also must include a copy of their registration; this is applicable for enterprise.
Mandatory

Please send your complete application to Chindamani.homphasathane@oxfam.org or dalivanh.phutphong@oxfam.org by 01 June 2026 at, 17:00 (GMT +7)

Please note: 

The selected consultant is required to familiarize themselves thoroughly with the project Description of the Action as it is the foundational project document against which progress will be measured.

9. OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFEGUARDING

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behavior at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

Note: All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and may be subject to appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam International Secretariat also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, if a job applicant has been employed by another member of the scheme, we will request information from that organization about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during

[1] The following costs will be covered and managed separately by the project such as local translations costs, logistical arrangements for training, and local travel costs for Oxfam and MoLSW/SSO staffs who will accompany during data collection, training, and validation meeting.