Privacy Information Notice: Research

Thank you for agreeing to take part in this market research from NBS, your feedback is important to us.

Background

NBS is a global technology platform that combines content and connectivity for anyone involved in the design, supply and construction of the built environment. Thousands of users interact daily with our tools to create specifications, find products, and develop their digital models. Our roots lie in the UK’s National Building Specification, which for nearly 50 years has been helping the construction industry build better, and with lower risk.

In 2020, NBS joined the Byggfakta Group, a leading data and software provider to the European construction industry. We retain strong links with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), who are an industry advocate for us. Through our relationship with the RIBA, we have unique knowledge of and access to the architecture and design communities. We also play an active role on many cross-industry bodies and groups, representing other construction disciplines including engineering.

NBS conducts a range of surveys and interviews with construction professionals; this can include research with specifiers and designers from various disciplines, manufacturers, and contractors, among others. We carry out research and process data in accordance with the Market Research Society (MRS) Code of Conduct, UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). When carrying out research overseas, we also observe the relevant local legislation such as the Canadian Privacy Statutes and anti-spam legislation, the Australian Privacy Act and the International Code on Market and Social Research (the “ESOMAR Code”).

Who do you contact about research?

The exact people we contact to invite to participate in research varies between projects. Generally, the people we contact fall into one or more of the following groups:

• Subscribers to NBS (including Digicon Information Inc.) products and services;
• Previous subscribers to NBS products and services;
• Those who have previously discussed a subscription to NBS with us;
• People who have created an NBS ID to use one or more of our services (such as NBS Source);
• Those working within the construction industry in the relevant country.

People may also access some of our research through public links. For instance, via the NBS newsletter or website, press releases, social media, and articles within construction industry publications.

Your participation in research

Within all of our research we want to learn from your experience in the industry, to help NBS and the industry as a whole improve and respond to the challenges faced by the sector.

Your participation in NBS research is voluntary. By agreeing to take part in the research you consent to NBS processing your data for research purposes. You can withdraw your consent at any time by either emailing market.research@theNBS.com or informing the facilitator. Any personal data that you have provided will then be deleted.

At times we may ask for your consent to use your information for other purposes; for example, to administer a prize draw (if applicable), to ask for your consent to contact you to follow up on comments made in the research, for further research, or to ask if you would consent to any of your responses being used in marketing material. We will only use your personal information for these additional purposes where you have given your consent for us to do so.

What personal information do you collect in research?

During our research we will typically ask you to provide some of the following types of information:

• Behavioural information such as how you carry out design work or provide information;
• Attitudinal information to help us understand your perceptions such as perceptions of NBS;
• Extended open-ended responses that allow you to explain your views in your own words;
• Demographic or firmographic information such as the size of your company;
• Optional contact information that enables NBS to:
• Administer a prize draw (if applicable)
• Inform you when a summary of findings or report is available (if applicable); and
• For further research or case study purposes where you have agreed to this contact.

How do we look after your information?

• NBS administer this research.
• NBS will treat all information in strict confidence.
• NBS always carries out research in accordance with relevant legislation and guidance such as the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and that which is published by the Market Research Society (MRS).
• During the research, you may be asked to give some personal information, like your name or email address. You don’t have to provide us with this personal information, and it will only be made available to a small number of people within NBS who are working on the project, unless you explicitly tell us we can share it more widely.
• When we share the data with the wider business, or publish the findings (if applicable), we will only provide aggregated data or anonymous comments; this ensures that you remain anonymous. Your individual responses will not be shared with the wider business unless you have given your permission for us to do this.
• We will not keep your personal data for longer than it is required for the research purposes. This means that, unless we have indicated otherwise in the research, we will keep your personal data for no more than 2 years from the date the project is completed (for instance, the date the survey closed or the last interview or discussion group took place).
• We will only contact you about the answers you have given us in our research if you have told us that we can.

Automated decision making

Within our online surveys we will use a limited amount of automated decision making. Typically this would consist of:

• Automatically directing you to those questions that are relevant to you based on your previous answers; for example, if you have told us you are not aware of a topic such as BIM, we will skip further questions about the topic and direct you to the next question that is relevant to you.
• Occasionally, we will also use random selection to direct you to a set of questions so that equal proportions of respondents answer different parts of the survey.

Opt out

Your involvement within NBS research is voluntary. If you do not wish to take part in any NBS research, please email unsubscribe to market.research@theNBS.com.

You may withdraw your consent to participating in research at any time. You can do this by informing the researcher or sending an email to market.research@theNBS.com.

You can also inform us by telephoning +44 (0)345 456 9594.

Where you withdraw your consent to our processing after you have submitted survey data to us, we will delete all personal data.

Security

Information submitted to us will be stored on our servers or those of approved and verified third party service providers. We store the data you provide us within the UK and EU.

Controlling your personal information

You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 2018. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to the address below.

Upon request we will also:

• Provide you with personal data we hold about you, so you can use it for your own purposes;
• Delete any personal data we hold about you;
• Rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you;
• Restrict our processing of your data, in line with current guidance.

If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the address below. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

Changes to this research privacy notice

We keep our research privacy notice under regular review. We last updated this research privacy notice in October 2021.

How to contact us

Requests for information about our research privacy policy can be emailed to us at market.research@theNBS.com or in writing to:

NBS Research, NBS, The Old Post Office, St Nicholas Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1RH

Alternatively, if you have any questions or concerns about how we may use your personal data, or wish to make a complaint about our handling of your personal data, please contact us either by post at NBS Enterprises Limited, The Old Post Office, St Nicholas Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1RH, or by email to privacy@thenbs.com. We will investigate any complaints you notify to us and we will aim to ensure that any complaint and any queries you submit to us are resolved in a timely and appropriate manner. You can also request a copy of your personal data that we hold on our systems by contacting us using the above details and if any personal data that we hold about you is incorrect, you may request its correction. We may make a small administrative charge for this, and will need proof of your identity.

Further information is available within the NBS Privacy Policy.

Complaints

Under Article 77 of the UK GDPR you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. In the UK this is the ICO. Details of how to do this are available here.