DDS plans Life Outcomes Improvement System (LOIS) replacement; timeline targets vendor solicitation in early 2026

The Department of Developmental Services outlined plans to replace its decades‑old case management and financial systems with a unified Life Outcomes Improvement System (LOIS), and described a two‑year planning effort already completed to collect business requirements, an "as‑is" analysis, and a "to‑be" design.

DDS said the current state system of record (referred to as Sandis in testimony) predates modern functionality; different regional centers use local case management systems and the statewide dataset requires manual transfers and reconciliations. The department described LOIS goals including consolidated case records, a provider directory integration, family-facing access (for documents and messaging), and improved data to support outcomes measurement.

DDS said it will revalidate functional requirements with regional centers, continue stakeholder outreach in the coming months, and then prepare solicitation documents for vendors. The department estimated that a solicitation might be released between January and March 2026, with vendor responses and a multi‑step procurement and implementation process to follow. DDS emphasized lessons learned from past projects and said it will pursue lower‑code options and frequent staged reviews to avoid earlier failures and vendor lock‑in.

The LAO recommended legislative oversight during planning and asked the department to provide updated project documents reflecting the latest stakeholder input. Committee staff said they will work with LAO on a staff‑requested letter (SRL) to facilitate oversight during planning and procurement.