Network Capacity Assessment Tool (NCAT)

The Network Capacity Assessment Tool (NCAT) is a digital, GIS-based triage tool that helps councils to quickly assess water and wastewater network capacity for proposed developments. It enables development engineers to easily understand the impact of proposed developments on existing water supply and wastewater network capacity – without needing to re-run hydraulic models or rely on specialist software.

Best used at the early stages of concept design or when managing multiple enquiries, NCAT helps to:

• • Improve the development application process through a fast, consistent and transparent ‘first look’ evaluation
  • Provide a single, central database to store and track all development enquiries in one place, improving visibility of committed and remaining capacity
  • Provide simplified, rapid checks to inform development enquiries and identify where detailed modelling is needed
  • Make reviews of water and wastewater network capacity faster, clearer and more consistent
  • Reduce the risk of capacity over allocation
  • Support compliance with the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025, which requires the publication of network maps and capacity information

Email: NCAT@tonkintaylor.com

NCAT is designed to deliver substantial value for money and scale to meet each council’s needs — from smaller district networks to larger, fast-growing cities.

Pricing typically includes:

• A one-off consulting fee for setup, configuration, and integration with existing data
• An annual Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) licence for system hosting, updates, and user support (if required)
• Baseline data update functionality to keep model data current and ensure ongoing accuracy 

The pricing model reflects the size, complexity, and data maturity of each council. For those without existing hydraulic models, NCAT can still provide immediate value as a development enquiry tracking and spatial mapping platform, with the option to expand functionality later as model data becomes available.

Ready to streamline your water network assessments? 

Email NCAT@tonkintaylor.com to discuss your needs