Smart ODSC: Building the Digital Foundations of Public Service in Laos

The Government of Lao PDR is taking a decisive step forward in digital transformation with the launch of the Smart One Door Service Centre (ODSC) initiative, sponsored by UNDP.

What is Smart ODSC?

ODSCs are designed as local hubs where citizens can access multiple government services in one place — physically, through web portals, and eventually through super-apps like Gov-X.

Unlike projects that focus only on creating a front-end application, Smart ODSCs go deeper. They are being built at the core of government workflows, connecting directly to critical national systems such as:

• TaxRIS and FinLink at the Ministry of Finance for payments and revenue services

• National ID systems at the Ministry of Public Security for secure authentication

• Other cross-ministry platforms for service standardization and data sharing

By embedding interoperability and data-sharing principles from the start, ODSCs have the potential to become a cornerstone of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in Laos.

Why is ODSC Strategic for Laos?

The UNDP Digital Maturity Assessment (DMA) 2022 found that Lao PDR remains at a digitally nascent stage, with a country-level score of just 1.7/5, among the lowest in ASEAN for internet access and digital service maturity. Ministries are only at an “emerging” stage, while provinces remain nascent.

The assessment identified several challenges:

• Fragmentation: ministries working in silos with weak collaboration

• Low adoption: citizens often revert to paper due to lack of user-centric design

• Infrastructure gaps: limited use of the national data centre and lack of enterprise architecture

• Digital literacy: fewer than half of adults have basic digital/ICT skills

ODSC directly addresses these issues by:

• Standardizing processes across ministries

• Integrating payments and data flows into national systems

• Expanding inclusivity by connecting citizens in both cities and remote provinces

• Improving trust and adoption by making digital channels faster, simpler, and more reliable than traditional workflows

This is why ODSC is so strategic: it responds directly to the gaps identified by the DMA and supports the National Digital Economy Strategy (2021–2030), which aims to move half of government services online within five years.

GDMS: Hosting the Digital Backbone

At Global Digital Management Solutions (GDMS), we are proud to play a key role in this transformation. In September 2025, GDMS was awarded the contract by UNDP to provide the cloud hosting infrastructure for the Smart ODSC platform.

Our role is to ensure that Smart ODSC services are:

• Hosted securely in sovereign, in-country cloud environments

• Connected directly to Ministry of Finance platforms like TaxRIS and FinLink through secure APIs

• Protected with robust cybersecurity and compliance frameworks

• Interconnected domestically, ensuring government data stays in Laos and services remain fast and reliable

This builds on our existing support for other national platforms, including eCRVS (electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics), EBRS (electronic Business Registration System), and others already running on GDMS sovereign cloud.

Looking Ahead

Laos is laying the digital foundations of a citizen-centric state. By aligning with the principles of Digital Public Infrastructure — identity, payments, and interoperability — Smart ODSCs will help ensure government services are not only online, but also truly effective, inclusive, and scalable.

GDMS is proud to provide the infrastructure layer that makes this vision possible. As more government platforms come online, we will continue to focus on building secure, sovereign, and resilient systems that empower Laos’ digital transformation.