TERM OF REFERENCES

Service Provider to Develop Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) Package

for Migrant Workers Bound to Japan

 

1. Background

Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration. In Viet Nam, IOM collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders and partners, including governmental and non-governmental agencies, mass organizations, civil society, research institutes as well as the private sector, to promote safe and orderly migration.

Vietnamese migrant workers constitute a significant segment of the overseas Vietnamese population, with over 650,000 individuals employed across more than 40 countries under contract-based arrangements.[1] Following the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, international labour migration rebounded markedly, reaching 159,986 departures in 2023. Traditional destinations such as Japan, Taiwan Province of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and the Republic of Korea (ROK) continue to attract the majority of Vietnamese migrant workers, while emerging markets, including Australia, Germany, and Hungary, are gaining prominence.[2]

In 2020, the Government of Viet Nam adopted the Viet Nam Law on Contract-Based Vietnamese Overseas Workers, known as Law No. 69/2020/QH14 (referred to as Law 69). Effective since January 2022, the law seeks to better align with international labour standards, address emerging forms of labour migration cooperation with partners in key destinations tackle gaps in recruitment practices and financial burdens for migrant workers.

A key obligation under Law 69 is the requirement for licensed recruitment agencies and authorized public service agencies to deliver enhanced Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) to migrant workers. PDO must equip workers with essential knowledge about their rights, responsibilities, and the living and working conditions in their destination countries. Recruitment agencies are legally responsible for ensuring PDO is delivered comprehensively, consistently, and in a manner that is easily understood by workers. Content must cover critical topics mandated by Law 69, including workers’ rights, contract terms, grievance and remediation mechanisms, and protections against forced labour, human trafficking, and discrimination.

However, a recent review conducted by IOM, which gathered key stakeholders’ knowledge and perspectives on the implementation of Law 69 and PDO[3], showed significant shortcomings in the quality of PDO delivery despite the Law’s requirements. In many cases, PDO materials used by private recruitment agencies for migrant workers bound to Japan fail to present necessary information in a way that is accessible and easily understood by migrant workers. They also omit critical topics mandated by Law 69, such as workers’ rights, discrimination, and abuses. In addition, facilitators often lack the qualifications or experience needed to communicate complex issues effectively, diminishing the overall impact of the sessions. Furthermore, PDO sessions are frequently shortened or combined with other training elements, such as language lessons, limiting the coverage of essential topics like contract terms, legal protections, and grievance and remediation mechanisms.

Japan remains one of the largest destination countries for Vietnamese migrant workers, primarily through the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) and the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) scheme. Each year, thousands of Vietnamese migrate to Japan to work, facing a unique set of legal, cultural, and working environment challenges. Ensuring that migrant workers are properly informed before departure is crucial not only to their protection but also to fulfilling Viet Nam’s legal obligations under Law 69 and maintaining strong labour cooperation between Viet Nam and Japan.

2. Objective

IOM seeks a qualified service provider to develop a Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) package focused on the Viet Nam–Japan migration corridor with a comprehensive set of materials and resources designed for both recruitment agencies (trainers) and migrant workers (trainees). The objective is to enhance recruitment agencies’ capacity to deliver legally compliant, high-quality PDO and to provide migrant workers with practical, user-friendly reference materials to support their employment abroad and reintegration upon return.

3. Scope of Work

The selected service provider will be responsible for:

• Researching and reviewing existing relevant materials for Vietnamese migrant workers bound for Japan and preparing an inception report detailing the approach and workplan for the development of the PDO package
• Developing a standardized, user-friendly, culturally and linguistically appropriate pre-departure orientation (PDO) package for use by recruitment agencies. The package must align with Law 69 requirements, while being tailored to the specific context of migration to Japan and in compliance with relevant laws in Japan.
• Producing practical awareness raising reference materials for migrant workers, covering critical topics including rights and obligations, living and working conditions, workplace norms, handling workplace conflicts and abuses, and planning for return and reintegration.
• Ensuring all materials are accessible, gender and culturally sensitive, tested for readability and comprehension, including among different groups of prospective migrant workers including ethnic minority communities, professionally designed and print ready.
• Conducting stakeholder consultations during the development process, including but not limited to organizing one (01) consultation workshop to review the approach and one (01) validation workshop to finalize the developed materials based on stakeholder feedback.

 

4. Expected Deliverables

The selected service provider is expected to deliver the following:

 

• Inception report: The report, not exceeding 10 pages in length excluding annexes, should include:
  • A review of existing guidance, PDO materials, handbooks for Vietnamese migrant workers bound for Japan, and relevant legal frameworks,
  • An outline of all materials to be included in the proposed PDO package (including format and length) as well as the content that will be featured in each material (facilitator guides, training materials for PDO sessions, participant handouts, visual aids, and migrant worker reference materials)
  • A detailed approach, including workshop agendas and strategies for ensuring materials are gender and culturally sensitive, and tested for readability and comprehension, including among different groups of prospective migrant workers and ethnic minority communities
  • Detailed workplan for PDO package development.
• Draft PDO Package, which includes a comprehensive set of materials and resources designed for both recruitment agencies (trainers) and migrant workers (trainees). Specifically, it includes:
  • A PDO curriculum including detailed content organized by session or module, required materials and resources for participants (including handouts, PowerPoint slides, videos, or online tools needed for the sessions), and participant activities.
  • A detailed trainer’s manual providing
    • background information to strengthen trainers’ knowledge of key topics,
    • overview of training methods,
    • detailed guidance for trainers on how to conduct each session including timings, activities, key discussion points, and facilitation alongside supplementary materials to support effective session delivery.
  • Practical awareness raising reference materials for migrant workers, covering critical topics including rights and obligations, living and working conditions, workplace norms, handling workplace conflicts and abuses, and planning for return and reintegration.
  • Assessment and evaluation methods including tools to measure participant learning (e.g., quizzes, practical demonstrations, reflection exercises) and evaluation of the training itself.

• Revised PDO Package: Updated based on feedback from IOM and stakeholders and tested for accessibility and comprehension.

• Stakeholder Consultations: A report not exceeding three (03) pages documenting consultations with key stakeholders through key informant interviews and organization of one (01) validation workshop with 25 representatives of key relevant stakeholders including but not limited to IOM, DOLAB, COLAB, VAMAS, JICA, ILO, recruitment agencies, and migrant workers.
• Final PDO Package: Editable, professionally designed, and print-ready versions of all finalized materials.

 

5. Timeline

No.	Activity	Details of Activity	Expected Timeline
0	Contracting	Signing contract with IOM	10 June 2025
1	Reviewing of existing resources and inception report	Review current guidance, PDO materials, and handbooks; submit an inception report in English detailing suggested materials and content, the proposed approach and work plan.	30 June 2025
2	Stakeholder consultations	Conduct consultations with IOM, DOLAB, COLAB, VAMAS, ILO, recruitment agencies, migrant workers, and relevant Japanese stakeholders such as JICA through key informant interviews.	31 July 2025
3	Develop PDO package for use by recruitment agencies	Develop PDO package (in Vietnamese) covering key topics in line with Law 69/2020/QH14 requirements and with details as described in Section 4 – Expected Deliverables.   Gather feedback from five (05) agencies, and ten (10) prospective migrant workers, and five (05) existing migrant workers in Japan.	31 August 2025
4	Producing practical reference materials for migrant workers	Produce practical reference materials in Vietnamese covering critical topics (rights, obligations, living and working conditions, workplace norms, conflict handling, reintegration planning).   Gather feedback from at least ten (10) existing migrant workers in Japan.	31 August 2025
5	Revise the PDO package and materials	Revise the PDO package and materials in Vietnamese based on IOM’s first round of feedback[4]	30 September 2025
6	Conduct a validation workshop and finalize the package and materials	Organise a validation workshop in Vietnamese with up to 25 representatives of key stakeholders in Hanoi on the developed materials; finalize PDO package based on feedback	15 November 2025
7	Submission of final deliverables	Incorporate any last comments from IOM based on the revised PDO package following the workshop and submit final, editable, professionally designed and print-ready versions of all PDO materials in Vietnamese.	30 November 2025

 

6. Qualifications of the Service Provider

The service provider should have:

• Demonstrated experience in developing training materials, preferably in migration or labour mobility contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality, linguistically and culturally appropriate training materials in Vietnamese.
• Strong knowledge of labour migration issues, particularly related to Japan’s Technical Intern Training Program, Japan’s Specified Skills Worker program and labour migration processes from Viet Nam to Japan, as well as Law 69 requirements
• Experience working with recruitment agencies, government stakeholders, and international organizations to develop and implement capacity-building initiatives related to labour migration.
• Proven understanding of and hands-on experience working with the Japanese labour and cultural context
• Ability to secure connections with Japanese stakeholders to gather feedback is an advantage.
• Ability to independently manage the necessary procedures and obtain permits to implement the activities, with minimal administrative support from IOM, is an advantage.

7. Application Procedure

Interested service providers should submit the following:

• A technical proposal outlining the proposed approach, methodology, and timeline, including specific expectations for IOM support throughout the assignment.
• A financial proposal with a detailed budget, including event-organization and/or transportation costs (if any). The UN-EU local cost norms (version 2022) should be referenced. The currency used should be either USD or VND.
• Samples of similar work conducted in the past and references from other clients on similar work.
• CVs of key team members.
• Copy of valid Government Permit/License/Certificate applicable for the line of business in which the service provider operates.
• Completed Supporting Documents Checklist enclosed with this Request for Quotation, along with relevant attachments if applicable.

8. Submission Deadline

Proposals should be submitted electronically to [email protected] no later than 28 May 2025. For any inquiries, please contact Supply Chain Unit (SCU).

9. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Technical approach and methodology (30%).
• Relevant experience and qualifications (40%).
• Budget and cost-effectiveness (20%).
• Quality of previous work samples (10%).

The contract will be awarded to the lowest price substantially compliant offer.

[1] MOLISA

[2] Viet Nam Migration Profile 2023

[3] The review is for IOM’s internal use and not published

[4] 10 working days after the service provider’s submission of the draft