Clearharbour FAQ
Plain answers about scope, evidence and what stays with you.
These answers consolidate the four offer specifications. They describe the work and its boundaries; they do not promise registration, certification, an audit result, notice closure or any other regulatory outcome.
O1 · free diagnostic
Registration Readiness Scorecard
A desktop six-dimension starting view from the information and samples supplied.
What does the scorecard actually tell me?
It gives a concise, evidence-based starting view across six readiness dimensions, shows where the supplied material is strong or incomplete, and identifies one priority action per dimension. It is a triage tool, not a complete compliance review.
Is this a formal audit or a Commission pre-approval?
No. It is a desktop diagnostic based on the information you provide. Only the relevant regulator and its appointed or approved audit processes can make regulatory or audit determinations.
Will a green rating mean I will register or pass an audit?
No. A green rating means no material gap was identified in the supplied sample for that dimension. It is not an outcome guarantee and does not replace a formal application, audit or evidence of practice.
How is the scorecard reviewed?
The scorecard follows a documented six-dimension review, records assumptions and limitations, and is checked for scope, source, privacy and client-facing clarity before release. The review does not turn the result into a regulator determination or audit opinion.
How much information do I need to send?
Enough to support the six dimensions, as listed in the input checklist. A policy index and redacted samples are preferred to an unrestricted export of participant or worker data. Missing information is recorded as a limitation rather than silently assumed.
What happens if I have a deadline inside 48 hours?
Submit the intake and deadline evidence immediately. Clearharbour will confirm whether the intake is complete and whether the service clock can be met. The scorecard does not replace any notice, application, reporting or remediation deadline imposed by a regulator or auditor.
What happens after the debrief?
The default is a written debrief with the ratings, evidence limits and priority actions, followed by email Q&A. You can self-remediate, consider a fixed-scope registration preparation project, use an ongoing compliance cycle or ask about written triage for a finding. Any live discussion is optional and separately arranged.
O2 · fixed project
Registration Sprint
Configured preparation for one provider entity and one agreed registration, renewal or audit-preparation scope.
Which pathway should I buy?
The pathway is selected after reviewing your actual supports, registration status, operating model and current requirements. Verification is for the confirmed lower-risk self-assessment route; Certification is for the confirmed core practice-standards audit; Certification + SIL/high-intensity adds the specified high-intensity daily personal activities module and SIL-specific evidence where required. The price cannot be chosen to change the regulator's pathway.
Does the sprint guarantee registration or a passed audit?
No. It produces a structured, client-specific preparation and evidence pack, but the client's implementation and the regulator or auditor's decision remain outside Clearharbour's control.
What does “full policy suite” mean?
It means the relevant policy and procedure set for the agreed pathway is instantiated with your organisation's name, roles, workflows, records, owners, version control and review dates. It does not mean an irrelevant policy library, nor does it prove that a policy is operating in practice until your team implements it.
Who hires and pays the auditor?
You do. The client contracts and pays the auditor directly. Clearharbour prepares the evidence and client-approved responses, supports written administrative liaison and does not make or influence the audit decision.
What are the two remediation rounds?
Each round is one consolidated set of written auditor findings or requests, your factual responses and available evidence, and one revised Clearharbour response or evidence set. Additional rounds, expanded scope or operational implementation are quoted separately, while the artifact-correction boundary still applies.
Can you run my service while I prepare?
No. Clearharbour prepares documents, maps evidence and supports readiness. Your organisation must implement the controls, deliver supports, manage workers and participants, and keep records that accurately reflect practice.
How is the preparation pack reviewed?
The pack is checked against the agreed scope matrix, source notes, evidence references, assumptions, privacy limits and client-facing boundaries. The provider reviews and approves its facts. The independent auditor or regulator retains its own decision.
What if the auditor or Commission changes the scope?
Send the written request immediately. Clearharbour will assess whether it fits the scope matrix and the two included remediation rounds. New modules, sites, entities or material work outside the matrix require a written change order; third-party fees remain the client's responsibility.
O3 · recurring support
Compliance Partner Retainer
A monthly cycle for agreed evidence and control artifacts within a defined scope.
How do I choose Micro, Standard or Complex?
Micro is for ten or fewer workers without SIL or multi-site complexity; Standard is for 11–40 workers where no Complex trigger applies; Complex applies to SIL, multi-site or 40+ workers. Any one Complex trigger controls the tier. A material change is reviewed for the next billing cycle.
What happens in a normal monthly cycle?
You provide changes, new records and decisions; Clearharbour issues a regulatory-radar impact memo, updates affected policy artifacts, reviews and maintains incident, complaint and risk registers, files supplied evidence, records open actions and responds to requests through the written priority channel.
What does “within 5 Australian business days of a verified relevant change confirmed applicable to the agreed scope” mean?
It applies to Clearharbour's update of affected policy artifacts within 5 Australian business days of a verified relevant change confirmed applicable to the agreed scope. If your operational decision or factual input is needed, Clearharbour issues an interim tracked action within that window; your approval and implementation are separate client responsibilities.
Are you updating my registers or creating records for me?
Clearharbour reviews incident, complaint and risk controls, prompts missing information, maintains authorised structures or indexes and files client-supplied updates. You remain responsible for recording what happened, investigating it, notifying where required and approving factual entries. We never invent or backdate records.
Is the quarterly mock audit a formal audit?
No. It is a Clearharbour internal diagnostic using a risk-based sample. It does not replace an approved auditor, the Commission, a formal audit or your obligation to implement and evidence practice.
What is included on audit day?
One scheduled audit-day support period per rolling 12-month period, normally remote, with evidence-request coordination, location support, client-approved response drafting and a post-day action log. The client contracts the auditor directly; extra days or major remediation are outside the base retainer.
Can I cancel after one month?
No. The minimum term is three months. After that, the service continues month-to-month and either party may give written notice before the next billing date for the following billing month.
How is the retainer work reviewed?
Each cycle is checked against the agreed scope, source and change note, supplied evidence, open actions, privacy limits and the current service record. The review states what was updated, what remains client-owned and what still needs a factual decision.
O4 · finding response
Audit Rescue
Written triage first, then a fixed scope for cause analysis, corrective action and evidence response.
When should I use Audit Rescue?
Use it when you have written non-conformities, conditions, an adverse audit report or a Commission compliance notice and need a structured cause analysis, corrective-action plan, implementation artifacts and supported evidence response. If you only need general readiness before a deadline, the scorecard or Registration Sprint may be a better fit.
What do I receive from the free 48-hour triage?
You receive a short triage memo identifying the findings or deadline, likely scope, immediate actions, unknowns, O4 fit and a recommended fixed-fee range. It is not the paid root-cause analysis and does not create a response deadline or outcome commitment.
How is the $9,500–$28,000 price selected?
The exact fixed fee is selected after triage based on the number and complexity of findings, affected standards or modules, sites or entities, evidence volume, interviews, artifact changes, submission rounds and urgency. The written scope lists what is included before payment.
Can the plan make the Commission close my finding?
No. The paid rescue scope can organise the root-cause analysis, corrective-action plan, implementation artifacts and client-approved evidence response. The Commission, auditor and your organisation decide whether the finding is accepted, implemented and closed.
Can you create the evidence I am missing?
We can create implementation-ready artifacts such as policy changes, forms, checklists, register controls, evidence indexes and ownership tools. We cannot create historical evidence, backdate records, invent practice or claim a control operated before your organisation implemented it. Evidence of future implementation must be generated by your real operations.
Will Clearharbour submit the response for me?
We prepare a client-approved response and evidence pack and support written follow-up questions. You remain the applicant or registered provider, review the facts, approve the submission and send it to the auditor or Commission; we do not sign or submit an attestation in your name.
How is the rescue work reviewed?
The rescue work is checked against the written finding, scope lock, source material, evidence state, client approvals, privacy limits and the agreed response format. The review tests whether the artifact says only what the supplied facts support; it does not decide whether the regulator or auditor will accept it.
What if my deadline is sooner than ten business days?
Send the notice immediately. The written triage will identify the deadline and whether Clearharbour can accept the proposed scope and timing. A paid-rescue delivery window starts only at scope-lock—engagement signed, first payment received and complete paid-rescue inputs received—and does not promise that a regulator's earlier deadline can be met or extended.
Still unsure which offer fits?
Start with the free scorecard. The written result can point to self-remediation, fixed preparation, recurring maintenance or written finding triage without requiring a purchase.