How to Use the DDS Provider Directory to Get Vendored with IRC

The DDS Provider Directory is the California Department of Developmental Services' online system for regional center vendors. Since March 1, 2026, every new vendorization with Inland Regional Center—and every other regional center—happens inside it. That includes your profile, your requirements, your documents and the decision.

DDS splits the process into four stages: Profile, Requirements, Submission and Decision. All documents go back and forth inside the Directory, and it sends email notifications when something needs your attention.

Start with the free official help. DDS has a walkthrough video ("Standardized Vendorization for Vendors and Applicants," about 40 minutes) and a Provider Guide (PDF). Inland Regional Center's RDTU also offers technical support on request. If you're still stuck after that, that's where we come in.

Create your profile (you own the login; we never use it)

Your Provider Directory account belongs to your business, so you create it. We never ask for your password and we never log in for you.

This isn't just a policy. DDS's FAQ notes that an in-progress application is visible only to the user who created it. If someone else sets it up, you could be locked out of your own application.

Have these handy before you start:

• Your legal business name, exactly as it appears on your tax paperwork
• Your taxpayer ID, the same one you'll put on your W-9
• The address where your business actually operates
• An email address you check often, since notifications go there
• The languages your program serves, because DDS asks applicants to report them

Requirements → application → checklist: what each screen asks for

• Requirements. You choose your service code (for most studios, 525, 094 or 850) and request the requirements. The regional center has 15 days to respond.
• Application. You fill in your business and service details. Take your time and keep names, addresses and tax ID consistent with your documents.
• Checklist. You upload each document on your list. For social recreation and camps, that's usually DDS's standardized packet: DS 1890, DS 1891, W-9, the HCBS Provider Agreement and the HIPAA/BAA form, plus anything else IRC asks for. After you submit, the regional center has 30 days to review it for completeness and 45 days to decide.

Screens and labels may change as DDS updates the Directory. When in doubt, the current DDS Provider Guide is the reference.

Common hold-ups: catchment address, insurance proof, 30-day fix windows

• Catchment address. A regional center's catchment area is the region it covers. Inland Regional Center's is Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and your business license must show an address in one of them. If you operate outside those counties, a different regional center is the one to apply to.
• Insurance proof. If Inland Regional Center asks for proof of insurance, have your certificate ready and check that the business name on it matches your profile. A mismatch is easy to fix but it slows things down.
• 30-day fix windows. When the regional center asks for more documents, a deadline applies to you too. Inland Regional Center gives you 30 days to resubmit a program design. Watch your email so a notification doesn't sit unread.