Whether you're an OT, a support coordinator, or a participant trying to understand what's possible; these are the questions we hear most.
Start by calling us or sending a message. A stalled project almost always has more than one issue underneath it; documentation, builder conduct, funding gaps, or coordination breakdown. We'll listen to what's happened, ask the right questions, and give you an honest picture of what's causing the problem and what can be done. There's no obligation in that first conversation.
Absolutely. We help prepare detailed, compliant scopes of work that align perfectly with OT recommendations to streamline the approval process.
Yes. While we do extensive NDIS work, we also provide ageing-in-place modifications for private homeowners across Australia.
Yes. Many of the projects we assist with are already underway and facing challenges such as delays, disputes, or compliance concerns. We can step in at any stage to review the situation and help guide the project forward.
We do not operate as builders or contractors. However, we can engage with builders as part of the project process to provide clarification, oversight, and support in resolving issues where required.
Yes, you can contact us directly, no referral needed. NDBS works with participants and families independently. Whether your project hasn't started and you want to understand the process, or something has already gone wrong and you need someone in your corner, we're here to help. Participants reach us through their OT, their support coordinator or LAC, online, or through word of mouth from other families. All are welcome.
Most practitioners in this sector come from documentation, administration, or trade backgrounds giving them a narrow view of what a complex project actually involves. NDBS is led by a Chartered Project Manager and Chartered Civil Engineer with a background as a licensed builder; a combination that is rare in the NDIS home modification sector. That multidisciplinary foundation means NDBS understands what a builder's quote should contain, where specifications carry risk across every trade, and where costs can blow out. When a project hits trouble, that breadth of expertise is the difference that matters.
Yes. Our principal has provided expert reporting and witness testimony in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in matters involving NDIS home modification disputes. That experience knowing exactly how decisions are scrutinised, what documentation is examined, and how to build a technically sound case directly shapes how NDBS manages every project from day one.
Your role is clinical; assessing functional need, writing the recommendation, and confirming the outcome meets your client's requirements. It is not to supervise construction, manage builders, or coordinate trades. Yet without an independent project manager on site, many OTs find themselves doing exactly that; chasing builders for updates, troubleshooting delays, and carrying responsibility for outcomes they have no authority or technical qualifications to control. NDBS exists to take that burden off you entirely. Once a project is underway, your client is in qualified hands and you can focus on your clinical role.
Yes, and this is often the best time to engage NDBS. Early involvement means we can review the scope of works before your client commits to a builder, identify risks or gaps in the documentation, and ensure the project is set up correctly from the start. Engaging NDBS after problems have already emerged is always possible, but prevention is significantly less costly in time, funding, and stress than resolution.
No. NDBS operates in a completely different domain. Your role is clinical; understanding your client's functional needs and prescribing the right modification. NDBS's role is technical and governance-focused; ensuring what gets built actually matches what was prescribed, is compliant, and is delivered properly. The two roles are complementary, not competitive. Many OTs find that having NDBS involved strengthens their client relationships because it removes the construction management burden that should never have fallen on them in the first place.
This is more common than it should be. Builders sometimes challenge clinical recommendations questioning specifications, substituting materials, or proceeding with variations without approval. NDBS provides the independent technical authority to assess those disputes, determine whether the builder's position has merit, and enforce the original scope where it does not. Having a Chartered Project Manager and Chartered Civil Engineer on record as the independent oversight authority significantly reduces the likelihood of builders attempting to deviate from agreed scope in the first place.
It is never too late. NDBS can step in at any stage; before construction begins, during construction, or after completion if defects or disputes have emerged. If your project is already underway and you have concerns about the quality of work, the pace of progress, or the conduct of your builder, contact NDBS now. The sooner independent oversight is in place, the better the outcome is likely to be.
As an NDIS participant, you have the right to quality work delivered within agreed timeframes. A builder who has stopped work without explanation or authorisation may be in breach of their contract, and the situation may also have implications for your NDIS funding. NDBS can step in to assess the situation, document what has and has not been completed, engage with the builder on your behalf, and advise on the appropriate next steps — including escalation if required.
You do not have to accept work that does not meet the standard agreed in your scope of works. NDBS can conduct an independent defect assessment, produce a formal defect report, and work with the builder to rectify issues. If the builder refuses to engage, the report provides the technical foundation for a formal dispute or funding review. Your home and your NDIS funding are too important to accept substandard outcomes.
Not if your situation is handled correctly, and understanding how the funding works is the first step
If you have not yet signed a contract with a builder or commenced works, you have the right to choose your own Building Works Project Manager regardless of who was nominated in the original funding application. Simply advise your OT of your decision to appoint NDBS, request that they transfer all relevant documentation to us, and enter into a service agreement with NDBS. The BWPM fee is already funded within your Capital Works budget; no plan review/amendment is required, and nothing comes out of your pocket.
If your project is already underway, the process is less straightforward but there are still pathways available. All home modification funding sits within the Capital Works budget category. Engaging NDBS mid-project requires a request to your Plan Manager, who has the authority to approve BWPM invoices from that budget; and in some cases, to allocate funding from other relevant budget areas where Capital Works funding is insufficient. Whether this is approved will depend on the remaining budget available, the Plan Manager's assessment of the situation, and their willingness to act. In our experience, Plan Managers vary considerably in how they respond to these requests; some are solution-focused, others less so. If you are mid-project and unsure how to approach your Plan Manager, NDBS can help you navigate that conversation. Contact us and we will assess your situation and advise you on the most effective pathway forward.
Living through a home modification is genuinely disruptive; noise, dust, restricted access to rooms, and daily routines interrupted. You have the right to a builder who works to an agreed schedule, communicates clearly, and minimises disruption wherever possible. NDBS ensures builders are held to those standards. Where disruption is unavoidable, we make sure it is planned, communicated, and as short as possible. No participant should be left uninformed in their own home.
The NDIS requirement is clear; all home modification projects valued at $30,000 or more require independent project management. Beyond that threshold, NDBS should also be considered when a project involves structural works, multiple trades, SDA requirements, a participant with high support needs living on site during construction, a builder with no prior NDIS experience, or any situation where the scope of works is complex or contested. If you are uncertain, contact NDBS for an initial assessment; we will give you a straight answer.
Call NDBS. A stalled project with an unresponsive builder is one of the most common and most damaging situations in the NDIS home modification sector. NDBS can step in immediately, assessing what has and has not been completed, establishing communication with the builder, documenting the situation formally, and advising on the pathway forward. The earlier NDBS is engaged in a stalled project, the more options are available to resolve it.
NDBS project management fees are funded directly through the participant's NDIS plan. In most cases involving modifications over $30,000, project management should already be included. If it is not, NDBS can assist with the process of having it added. Contact us with the details of the participant's plan and current situation and we will advise you on the most efficient path forward.
NDBS is led by a Chartered Project Manager and Chartered Civil Engineer with a background as a licensed builder; a combination that is rare in the NDIS home modification sector. Most practitioners in this space come from documentation, administration, or single-trade backgrounds, giving them a narrow view of what a complex project involves. NDBS brings multidisciplinary technical authority across the full scope of a complex modification; from funding documentation and scope of works through to construction oversight, compliance, and defect assessment. Our principal also serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Home Modifications Australia (MOD.A), the national peak body for the sector.
NDBS produces four categories of expert report. Independent expert reports prepared in support of complex funding applications, providing technical justification for scope, specification, and cost. Expert reports for Administrative Appeals Tribunal disputes and legal matters, prepared to the standard required for formal proceedings. Defect reports and builder performance assessments, documenting workmanship failures, incomplete works, and non-compliance. Scope of works and compliance reports, confirming that proposed or completed works meet NDIS guidelines, the National Construction Code, and AS 1428 accessibility standards. All reports are prepared by or under the direct supervision of a Chartered Project Manager and Chartered Civil Engineer.
Independent project management on complex home modifications consistently prevents outcomes that are far more costly than the management fee itself — funding disputes, defective work requiring rectification, stalled projects requiring legal intervention, and participant complaints that require NDIA involvement. NDBS provides structured oversight at every stage, formal documentation of all decisions and variations, and the technical authority to hold builders accountable. The cost of not having independent project management on a complex modification almost always exceeds the cost of having it.
Have a question that isn't answered here? Call us on (08) 8233 5895 or send a message; we'll give you a straight answer.
Complex home modifications must comply with National Construction Code (NCC), AS 1428 Accessibility Standards, NDIS Home Modification Guidelines, and South Australian building regulations.
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