When the Ground Moves: Business Development in a Contracting NDIS
Why the Old Playbook No Longer Works — and What Growth Really Means Now
“The ground is shifting beneath providers, and most business development strategies haven’t moved with it.”
For a decade, business development in the NDIS meant something simple: build relationships, show up at events, connect with support coordinators, and keep the referral pipeline warm. It was a world where growth was possible — sometimes even easy — because the scheme itself was expanding.
That world is gone.
The reforms now in motion — SCHADS changes, social and community participation cuts, the shift to commissioning, functional capacity assessments, and tighter ‘reasonable and necessary’ criteria — are not policy tweaks. They are structural resets. And they are reshaping the conditions under which providers grow, survive, or disappear.
The old BD playbook cannot survive a contracting market. The new one looks nothing like what providers are used to.
The Old Playbook: A Market That No Longer Exists
For years, business development meant:
• attending expos and networking events • building relationships with support coordinators • relying on word-of-mouth • offering “more services” to attract “more participants” • assuming demand would always exceed supply
This worked because the NDIS was expanding. Plans were generous. Access was broad. Participants had discretionary funding. Providers could differentiate on personality, presence, and availability.
But the reforms now underway have changed the operating environment entirely.
The market is no longer expanding. It is tightening — fast.
The New Reality: Growth in a Contracting System
The reforms have created a new commercial landscape:
• Social and community participation budgets cut by 50% • Capacity building daily activities cut by 10% • Commissioned models replacing open markets • Functional capacity assessments tightening access • SCHADS wage increases raising cost bases • 90-day claim windows tightening cashflow • Foundational Supports not yet ready to absorb demand
This is not a dip. It is a structural shift.
And in a structural shift, business development becomes something very different.
The New Business Development: Operational, Not Social
The providers who will grow in this environment are not the ones with the biggest networks. They are the ones with the strongest operational intelligence.
The new BD is:
• mapping participant plan renewal dates • modelling revenue exposure quarter by quarter • understanding the reform timeline better than competitors • tightening documentation and evidence • building quality signals for commissioning • diversifying service mix into protected categories • strengthening governance and compliance • preparing for a world where referrals alone won’t save you
“Business development is no longer about being visible. It’s about being viable.”
Why Referrals Won’t Save You
Support coordinators are overwhelmed. Participants are anxious. Budgets are shrinking. Access is tightening. Commissioning will reduce the number of providers in key markets.
The referral economy is collapsing because the conditions that sustained it no longer exist.
Growth will not come from:
• more networking • more flyers • more Facebook ads • more “meet the team” posts
Growth will come from:
• being the provider who survives the transition • being the provider who can demonstrate outcomes • being the provider who can operate under tighter rules • being the provider who understands the reforms better than anyone else
This is the new competitive advantage.
What Providers Need to Do Now
1. Model your exposure
Know exactly when your revenue will contract — by participant, by program, by quarter.
2. Strengthen your evidence
Commissioning panels will not accept “we do good work.” They will require proof.
3. Pivot your service mix
Daily living, personal care, in-home supports, community nursing — these categories are protected.
4. Build internal capability, not just external relationships
Your BD team is now:
• your operations manager • your quality lead • your rostering system • your documentation • your governance
5. Prepare for commissioning
This is the biggest shift since the scheme began. Providers who are not preparing now will not be competitive in 2027–2028.
The Ground Is Shifting — But There Is Opportunity
A contracting market does not eliminate opportunity. It concentrates it.
The providers who will grow in the next three years are those who:
• understand the reforms • adapt early • build evidence • tighten operations • focus on quality • position themselves for commissioning • communicate clearly with participants • make decisions based on data, not fear
The NDIS is entering its second decade. The rules are changing. The market is changing. The expectations are changing.
Business development must change with it.
About the Author
April Hobbs is a strategist working at the intersection of NDIS reform, workforce and EVP, growth strategy and brand. She helps disability and allied health providers who are operationally ready — but commercially stuck — navigate the structural shifts reshaping the sector.
With more than 25 years across communications, publishing, partnerships and commercial growth, April specialises in clarity-led strategy: positioning, messaging, referral pathways, and the commercial realities of delivering quality supports in a tightening NDIS environment.
Disclaimer: This article reflects general insights and sector commentary. It is not legal, financial or industrial relations advice. Organisations should seek independent guidance before making decisions related to workforce, pricing or compliance.