Across Australia, many smaller and rural councils face the same challenge — how to deliver professional, compliant, and data-driven asset management without the resources or in-house expertise of larger municipalities.

Tonkin’s Asset Management Practice provides a complete solution: a centralised professional asset management team that delivers expertise, strategy, and systems on behalf of local government clients.

To enable this service model, Tonkin has partnered with Conquest Software, Australia’s leading provider of asset and works management technology, to evolve the Conquest Platform to support a true “Tonkin Creates – Council Consumes” approach to asset management.

A Smarter Shared Service Model

Tonkin’s model allows councils to access a full asset management professional capability “as a service.” Tonkin’s specialists establish and maintain data structures, reporting frameworks, and operational processes within the Conquest Platform — covering everything from annual compliance reporting and strategic asset planning to funding submissions and lifecycle modelling.

Councils then work directly within the same environment, using Conquest’s desktop and mobile applications to complete inspections, report defects, and deliver works programs on business processes that have been designed, tailored and implemented for each Council. This seamless collaboration means Tonkin ensures data accuracy and governance, while councils maintain local ownership of operations activities and in-field outcomes.

Technology That Enables Collaboration

The Conquest Platform has been purpose-built to enable this shared model of asset management delivery. It represents the culmination of years of innovation focused on flexibility, mobility, and transparency — empowering councils, consultants, contractors, and engineers to work from a single source of truth.

At its core, the Conquest 4 Platform brings together all the key capabilities of a modern asset management system, including:

• Comprehensive Asset Register and Hierarchy Management – structured data models for every asset class, supporting condition, valuation, and lifecycle tracking.
• End-to-End Works and Maintenance Management – seamlessly plan, prioritise, and complete inspections, requests, and actions, all linked directly to asset records.
• Full Mobility with Online and Offline Operation – ensuring that operational teams can work anywhere, with or without connectivity.
• Native Map Viewer and Intuitive Spatial Interface – visualise assets, works, and inspections directly within the platform without necessarily requiring external GIS systems.
• Powerful Analytics and Reporting Capabilities – through native Microsoft Excel and Power BI connectors that deliver real-time data and professional-quality insights.
• Cloud Architecture and Security – leveraging Microsoft Azure for performance, reliability, and scalability, ensuring compliance with Australian data standards.
• Role-Aware Access and Permissions – providing secure collaboration across consultants, council staff, and field crews within a single governed environment.

These platform features underpin Tonkin’s “create and consume” model, allowing their asset management experts to build and maintain sophisticated frameworks, while councils operate confidently and independently within the same trusted environment.

Delivering Measurable Benefits

Together, these capabilities strengthen the Tonkin-Conquest partnership model, delivering:

Improved automated collaboration between Tonkin and their customer councils

• Real-time access to accurate, well managed data
• Reduced administrative overheads for both parties
• Greater independence for councils using familiar Microsoft tools
• Consistent, high-quality asset reporting and planning outcomes

For regional and rural councils, this means access to a fully managed, modern asset management platform that supports both strategic planning and day-to-day delivery — backed by the expertise of Tonkin’s dedicated team and the proven technology provided by the Conquest Platform.

Tonkin and Conquest have a 25-year business relationship and together we are striving to deliver excellence in service and value to the Australian local government asset management market.

About Tonkin

Tonkin is a leading Australian consulting engineering and asset management firm, providing infrastructure planning, design, and advisory services to local and state government clients across Australia. Tonkin’s Asset Management Practice delivers professional, data-driven asset management services that empower councils to make informed, sustainable infrastructure decisions. (www.tonkin.com.au)

About Conquest Software

Conquest Software is Australia’s trusted provider of asset management and works management solutions, empowering over 80 organisations to manage their infrastructure assets effectively. Built on Microsoft technologies, the Conquest Platform delivers powerful, flexible tools for asset lifecycle management, reporting, and mobile field operations.