Fractional Consulting Retainers

Illustration of a laptop surrounded by data analytics icons, including graphs, charts, server stacks, a magnifying glass, and a file folder, representing analytics and data management.

Ongoing consulting for Allied Health, NDIS and Aged Care providers who want a consultant embedded in their business, carrying context between conversations and available when it counts.

The result is fewer blind spots, faster decisions and less time spent figuring things out alone. You get someone who knows your business well enough to flag what matters before it becomes a problem.

A person working on a laptop at a desk with abstract graphics of gears and a monitor in the background, in a modern, stylized illustration.

What I work On

Every provider's situation is different, but my work typically falls across five areas. Your retainer focuses on whichever of these matter most to your business right now.

Pricing and financial sustainability Pricing decisions, margin analysis, cost-to-serve modelling, service mix and financial sustainability. Making sure your numbers work and your services are priced to last.

Operations and systems Workflows, caseload design, reporting, benchmarking, automation and practice management. Building the systems that let you scale without proportionally increasing your workload.

Governance and compliance Policies, documentation, audit readiness, clinical governance frameworks and chain of responsibility. Keeping you compliant and confident under NDIS, aged care and allied health standards.

Workforce and team structure Hiring, salary bands, role design, onboarding, performance management and retention. Structuring your team so the right people are doing the right work at the right cost.

Growth and market positioning CRM, referral pipelines, service expansion, new market entry and competitive positioning. Getting clients, keeping clients and growing strategically.

Two men shake hands in a professional setting, one with a briefcase, a certificate or document floating between them, and plants in the background.

Why a Retainer?

Some providers need a fractional consultant because they don't have dedicated strategic support internally. Pricing decisions, hiring calls and compliance judgements are being made without a second opinion, and the cost of getting those wrong adds up quickly.

Others have internal leadership but want an independent voice with specialist sector depth. Someone who sees across 75+ providers, sits outside organisational politics and brings perspective their team can't generate internally.

Mentoring is reactive. You bring the questions, I help you think. A retainer is an ongoing relationship. I carry context about your business and bring strategic input to you.

Either way, a fractional consulting retainer gives you consistent, high-trust strategic input at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire.

Retainer Tiers

  • Person walking on a path with grass, wearing athletic shoes and leggings.

    Core Retainer


    From $1,500/month + GST

    For solo providers or early-stage teams who want a consultant carrying context about their business between conversations. You get someone who knows your numbers, your priorities and your risks, and who brings strategic input to you rather than waiting for you to ask.

    You execute. I advise.

    Includes:

    • Monthly strategy session
    • Quarterly priorities review (a structured diagnostic of where your business stands and what to focus next)
    • Light document review and input between sessions (e.g. a pricing model check, policy feedback, a quick read of something before you commit)
    • Async access via email, Teams or Slack
    • Ongoing context. I'm thinking about your business between sessions and flagging what I see.

    Best for providers who are capable of executing independently but want a consultant who knows their business deeply enough to spot risks, challenge assumptions and keep them focused on what matters most. This tier suits providers who don't need as much hands-on delivery but want more than a reactive mentoring relationship.

  • Illustration of rising coins with dollar signs, with a black background and white rays, depicting wealth or financial growth.

    Partner Retainer


    From $3,000/month + GST

    For growing teams managing multiple concurrent priorities across pricing, hiring, service design and operations. You get a fractional consultant who is actively involved in your key projects, working alongside your team on the decisions and delivery that matter most.

    I work alongside you. Strategy and hands-on delivery.

    Includes:

    • Fortnightly strategy sessions
    • Active involvement in planning, execution and project delivery between sessions
    • Document drafting, modelling and collaboration with your team (e.g. pricing models, service design, position descriptions, operational frameworks)
    • Input into hiring decisions, provider engagement and internal processes
    • Async access via email, Teams or Slack
    • Ongoing context. I'm across your priorities, your pipeline and your challenges in real time.

    Best for providers who are scaling, restructuring, launching new service lines or entering new markets and need a partner involved in both the thinking and the doing. This tier suits teams who have outgrown occasional advice and need someone consistently in the detail with them.

  • Young man in graduation gown and stoles, holding diploma folder, standing outdoors near columns.

    Embedded Retainer


    From $5,500/month + GST

    For providers who want a fractional consultant operating as part of their leadership team every week. You get the strategic depth and operational involvement of a senior hire at a fraction of the cost, fully integrated into how your business runs.

    I operate as part of your leadership team.

    Includes:

    • Weekly strategy or working sessions
    • Deep involvement across projects, pricing, service design, systems and leadership
    • Collaborative drafting, modelling, implementation and review cycles
    • Direct involvement with your team including meetings, mentoring and performance discussions where needed
    • Async access via email, Teams or Slack
    • Ongoing context. I carry full operational awareness of your business and proactively flag risks, opportunities and priorities.

    Best for providers in high-growth or complex reform environments who need consistent senior input across strategy, operations and delivery. This tier suits organisations where the volume and complexity of decisions justifies having a dedicated external partner embedded in the weekly rhythm.

Case Studies

  • National NFP Restructuring Allied Health Division


    A large not-for-profit delivering NDIS therapy services across urban and remote regions had outgrown its operational structure. Leadership roles were misaligned, clinicians were significantly underutilised despite high wage costs and clinical governance was disconnected from the broader organisation. The division was operating at a loss with no documented operating model or performance framework.

    We conducted a full operational review including onsite workshops, executive interviews and a systems audit. From there we redesigned the leadership structure with a graded clinical framework, built a weighted KPI model accounting for urban and remote delivery, restructured the practice management system, developed a new participant journey and delivered a three-year strategic roadmap with quarterly implementation planning. The review also included standalone service modelling for a remote community.

    Result: The organisation moved from reactive, fragmented operations to a clear structure with defined leadership, measurable targets, streamlined systems and a practical roadmap to stabilise and scale its Allied Health division.

  • Multidisciplinary Allied Health Practice: Support at Home Strategy and Implementation Toolkit


    A family-run Allied Health practice delivering Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Speech Pathology wanted to position itself as an Associated Provider under the new Support at Home program. The team had strong clinical capability and existing NDIS registration but no aged care-specific pricing, outreach systems or compliance documentation.

    We developed a complete Support at Home toolkit covering direct and indirect pricing aligned to Department of Health guidance, reablement and restorative care program templates, an AT-HM service guide, compliance documentation mapped to the Aged Care Act 2024 and Strengthened Quality Standards, outreach templates with CRM pipeline structure and a strategic analysis of registration versus the Associated Provider model.

    Result: The practice went to market with a fully integrated aged care service line covering pricing, compliance, outreach and clinical delivery, with a structured and repeatable system for approaching registered aged care providers as a credible, audit-aligned partner.

  • Paediatric NFP: NDIS Registration Strategic Review


    A not-for-profit delivering early childhood intervention and paediatric allied health services was considering de-registration from the NDIS. The decision was driven by rising compliance costs, upcoming audit milestones and uncertainty around ongoing NDIS and early childhood reform. The organisation supported over 200 participants across a mix of agency-managed, plan-managed, self-managed and non-NDIS funded streams.

    We assessed current registration exposure and participant funding mix, confirmed the regulatory implications of de-registration under current rules, mapped medium-term risks across pricing reform, provider definition changes and commissioning trends, and developed four strategic pathways ranging from selective expansion to full exit. The analysis was structured for executive and board-level decision-making with explicit assumptions and referenced sources.

    Result: The board received an evidence-based decision framework with defined pathways, calibrated risk profiles and sequenced next steps, enabling a confident strategic decision grounded in regulatory analysis rather than short-term cost pressure.

  • Allied Health Group Building a Multi-Stream Wellness Service Line


    An allied health organisation delivering group-based wellness and rehabilitation programs needed to professionalise its operations across clinical governance, funding strategy and market positioning. The business operated across aged care, DVA, private health insurance and Medicare streams but lacked structured policies, a clear pricing framework and documented compliance systems.

    We conducted a policy gap analysis against the NSQPCH Standards with NDIS and Aged Care regulatory overlays, then built a complete SharePoint-based knowledge base and policy register with NSQPCH-compliant policies across governance, clinical and workforce domains. Alongside the compliance work, we delivered national market research mapping comparable programs across pricing, structure and funding models, and a differentiation strategy identifying underserved program areas.

    Result: The organisation moved from informal governance to a structured, audit-ready compliance framework with a single source of truth for all policies, and an evidence base to refine pricing, validate program design and approach new referral partners with confidence.

  • Growing NDIS Practice Professionalising for Scale


    A sole director running a four to five clinician NDIS practice had grown quickly but internal systems had not kept pace. Clinical operations were largely managed by the founder, creating a bottleneck that limited further growth without proportionally increasing the director's own workload.

    We designed a complete recruitment and onboarding framework including position descriptions, salary bands and billable hour targets, along with a structured review cycle tied to incentive payments. The system was built to be repeatable across disciplines as the practice continued to scale.

    Result: The practice now has a documented, repeatable system for hiring, onboarding and managing clinicians, allowing the founder to step back from day-to-day operational management and focus on growth.

  • Early-Stage NDIS Practice


    A solo OT practitioner was growing from one clinician to three with no documented policies, onboarding processes or compliance frameworks. The business needed to move from informal operations to a structure that could support multiple clinicians across disciplines.

    Over six months, we built a full knowledge base with governance documentation, created recruitment strategies across three disciplines and designed salary bands, a clinician orientation program and Support at Home pricing schedules. The work gave the founder a structured foundation to manage compliance, hiring and service delivery as the team grew.

    Result: The practice moved from ad hoc operations to an audit-ready business with repeatable systems for hiring, onboarding and managing clinicians across multiple disciplines.

Not Sure Which Tier?

Every engagement starts with a strategy call and a structured diagnostic across five dimensions of your organisation. From there, I recommend the tier and level of involvement that fits.