How to Choose an NDIS Approved Quality Auditor

Before you become a registered NDIS provider, you are assessed against the relevant NDIS Practice Standards through an independent quality audit, conducted by an approved quality auditor. Choosing that auditor is one of the few decisions in the registration process that is entirely yours. It affects how long the audit takes, how smoothly it runs and what it costs, so it is worth doing deliberately rather than picking the first name you find.

This guide covers what the auditor does, how quotes work, what to compare and the questions to ask before you sign. For the wider picture of getting ready, see our audit preparation guide.

What the auditor actually does

When you submit your application for registration, you get an email with an Initial scope of audit. It explains the type of audit you need, verification or certification, depending on the risk level of your proposed supports and services, and lists your registration groups (also known as classes of support). You are then responsible for engaging an independent approved quality auditor to complete the quality audit.

In the NDIS Commission's new portal, once you have submitted Part 2 of your application you select your approved quality auditor from a list in the portal. The portal emails the auditor a request, which they review and accept. Get your quotes before you make that selection.

The auditor's job is to assess your organisation against the standards that apply to you. They do not decide whether you are registered. The auditor submits a recommendation to the NDIS Commission, and the Commission considers that recommendation and assesses your suitability as a provider before it decides.

Which audit you have depends on your supports and services:

• Verification applies to providers who only deliver lower risk or lower complexity supports and services. The auditor completes a desktop review of the required documentary evidence.
• Certification applies to providers who deliver one or more higher risk or more complex supports and services. It has two stages, a desktop audit and an onsite audit, and the onsite stage can include visiting your sites and interviewing staff and participants.

If you are not sure which applies, our guide to verification and certification explains how it is decided.

Start with your initial scope of audit

The NDIS Commission asks you to use your Initial scope of audit to request a quote, so have it in front of you before you ask anyone for a price. A quote that is not based on your scope is a guess, and guesses tend to grow once the auditor sees what you actually applied for.

The details worth checking on your scope, and including in every request, are:

• the registration groups on your scope, and whether any of the NDIS Practice Standards' supplementary modules apply to the supports and services you deliver
• whether the audit is verification or certification
• the number of sites you operate from and how many workers and participants you have
• whether the auditor needs to travel to you, or can run parts of the audit remotely

Send the same information to every auditor you approach. That is the only way to compare quotes fairly.

What to compare between auditors

The NDIS Commission doesn't set prices for audit services, so quotes can differ. Price matters, but it is rarely the only thing that separates two auditors. Compare these as well.

Experience with your supports

An auditor who regularly audits providers like you will understand your evidence faster and ask better questions. Ask how often they audit your registration groups, particularly if you deliver specialist supports.

Availability

If you are working to a date, ask when they could start each stage of the audit, and how quickly they would submit their report afterwards.

How the audit is run

Ask how they run each stage, which parts can be done remotely, and how they schedule interviews with your staff and participants. In a certification audit, participants are automatically enrolled unless they opt out, so you will need to let them know beforehand. If a participant opts out, respect their choice, document it and tell the auditor. A clear plan from the auditor makes all of this much easier to prepare.

What the quote includes

Check whether the quote covers every stage of the audit, travel, the report, and the review of any corrective actions. Ask what would make the price change. A lower quote that excludes stages you need is not a lower price.

Questions to ask before you sign

These questions surface most of the differences between auditors:

1. How many audits have you completed for providers with my registration groups?
2. When could you start, and when would you submit your report?
3. Which parts of the audit can you do remotely?
4. What exactly does your quote include, and what would cost extra?
5. How do you handle non-conformities, and do you charge to review corrective actions?
6. Who will actually conduct my audit?

Write the answers down. Providers who first completed a certification audit have a mid-term audit, and re-registration includes another audit. You don't have to choose the same approved quality auditor next time, so you will want to know how the first one went.

What auditors do not do

It helps to be clear about the auditor's role, because confusing it causes delays.

• They do not decide your registration. The auditor submits a recommendation, and the NDIS Commission considers it and makes the decision.
• Their cost is separate. There is no cost to register with the NDIS Commission, but you will need to pay an approved quality auditor to complete the audit. If you work with a consultant, the audit is paid for separately. Our guide to what registration costs sets out who charges what.

Getting a quote without the legwork

If you would rather not contact several auditors yourself, you can upload your scope of audit and we will refer you to our partner approved auditor for a quote. The referral is free, the auditor is independent, and you are free to choose any approved auditor on the Commission's list.

Whoever you choose, the audit goes better when your documents describe how you really work and your team can explain them. That part is in your hands, and it starts well before the auditor arrives.