SDA Design Standard review: what NSW providers should do before Edition 2.0
Design and certify against the published SDA Design Standard in force today. Confirm Edition 1.1 status on the NDIS site at the time of briefing. The NDIA review toward Edition 2.0 is real. Unpublished recommendations are not a substitute Standard.
The two-stage certification process sits on SDA design versus as-built certification. Provider commissioning quality sits on SDA design quality for NSW providers.
What the review is (and is not)
The NDIA engaged KPMG Australia to review the SDA Design Standard. Consultation ran in late 2025. A Technical Working Group is advising on the next edition. Name individual TWG members only from the live NDIS Design Standards page. Do not treat sector blogs as the instrument.
Primary pages to re-open on the day you freeze a brief: the NDIS news item on the review of the SDA Design Standard, and the NDIS SDA Design Standards / tools page.
What still applies to certification today
Four categories remain the live language: Improved Liveability, Robust, Fully Accessible and High Physical Support. Provisional design certification, then as-built. Independence from the provider, developer and owner. Certification is not enrolment. Do not reprint the Standard on a website page. Read it on the NDIS site.
Practical risk table while the review is open
| Project state | Action while Edition 2.0 is unpublished |
|---|---|
| Early feasibility | Document to the current Standard. Leave spatial contingency where the brief allows. Date assumptions. |
| Pre-provisional drawings | Engage an independent accredited assessor now. Do not wait for rumours. |
| Mid-build after provisional | Freeze uncontrolled changes. Re-assess if the design drifts. |
| Awaiting as-built | Confirm which Standard edition the NDIA expects for that dwelling. Assessor plus published transition rules only. |
Do not invent grandfathering
Only NDIA-published transition or grandfathering rules count. If none are published on the day you brief, say so in the certification assumptions. Do not pause a live NSW job solely because Edition 2.0 is expected. Pause creates programme risk while the drawings still have to show the current Standard.
Commissioning checklist during the review
- Independent assessor early.
- Category visible on the drawings.
- Enrolment pack stays with the registered provider.
- Choose either SAC certification or SAC design documentation support. Never both on the same dwelling.
Gary Finn is accredited SDA assessor SDA00039 for the independent path. He is not a registered architect.
Boundaries
Premises Standards / NCC lodgement reports (DA, CC and CDC access reports) are not SDA Design Standard certification. Livable housing and AS 4299 adaptable housing are different products. Pathway chooser: SDA vs livable vs adaptable. Category questions: SDA Design Standards FAQ.
Answer-ready questions
Is the SDA Design Standard being updated, and can we design to Edition 2.0 now?
The review is underway. Until NDIA publishes Edition 2.0 and any transition rules, new-build certification follows the current published Standard. Do not design to unpublished recommendations.
Should we pause our SDA project until the review finishes?
Usually no. Engage an independent accredited assessor, date your assumptions, and re-check NDIS transition advice when Edition 2.0 is published.
What if the Standard changes between provisional and as-built?
Follow NDIA published transition rules for that dwelling and ask the accredited assessor before you assume the provisional certificate covers a later edition.
Links checked against live site files before pack.
Call Sydney Access Consultants on (02) 9586 3111 to brief the set.