ACQP uses personal information to administer membership, deliver training and professional services, operate secure online systems, answer enquiries and meet our legal obligations. We do not sell your personal information.
Who we are
The Association of Construction Quality Professionals (“ACQP”, “we”, “our” or “us”) is the controller responsible for the personal information described in this notice.
This notice applies when you use the ACQP website, contact us, apply for or hold membership, use the Members’ Portal, book or attend ACQP training, claim member benefits, take part in an event, or otherwise use our services.
Separate or supplementary privacy information may be provided for a particular form, service, qualification, event or activity where more specific detail is required.
Personal information we collect
The information we collect depends on your relationship with ACQP and the service you use. It may include:
Name, title, date of birth where required, postal address, email address, telephone number and profile photograph.
Membership number and grade, employment, qualifications, experience, CV, references, supporting evidence, CPD records and professional assessments.
Course bookings, attendance, learning activity, assessment records, results, feedback, certificates and reasonable adjustment requirements.
Portal username, password hash, authentication records, account activity, support requests and security logs.
Membership or course payments, billing address, invoices, refunds and payment status. Full payment-card details are normally handled by our secure payment provider rather than stored by ACQP.
Emails, telephone notes, online enquiries, support tickets, survey responses, complaints, event participation and marketing choices.
IP address, browser and device type, visited pages, referral source, cookie choices, approximate location and technical or security events.
Photographs, video, testimonials, articles or other material supplied for publication, where you have agreed or another lawful basis applies.
If you provide information about another person, such as a referee, colleague or delegate, you should make sure you are entitled to provide it and that they understand how ACQP may use it.
Where information comes from
Most personal information is provided directly by you. We may also receive information from:
- your employer, sponsor, referee, training coordinator or another person acting with your authority;
- payment providers, banks and accounting services confirming transactions;
- training partners, tutors, assessors, awarding or accreditation organisations;
- ACQP systems, including the Members’ Portal, learner platforms and website security records;
- public professional registers, company websites and other legitimate public sources when verification is necessary; and
- existing ACQP records where services or member information have moved to a replacement system.
When personal information is obtained from another source, we provide privacy information within the period required by law unless an exemption applies.
How and why we use your information
UK data protection law requires us to identify a lawful basis for each use of personal information. The bases most relevant to ACQP are performance of a contract, steps requested before entering a contract, compliance with a legal obligation, legitimate interests and consent.
| Purpose | Typical lawful basis | What this covers |
|---|---|---|
| Membership and portal administration | Contract; legitimate interests | Applications, grade reviews, renewals, credentials, benefits, member support, CPD and secure account access. |
| Training and professional development | Contract; steps before contract; legitimate interests | Enrolment, delivery, attendance, learning, assessment, certification, quality assurance and learner support. |
| Payments and financial records | Contract; legal obligation | Collecting fees, issuing invoices, processing refunds, accounting, tax records and preventing financial misuse. |
| Enquiries and service communications | Contract; steps before contract; legitimate interests | Answering questions, providing requested information and sending essential membership, training or account notices. |
| Professional standards and governance | Contract; legal obligation; legitimate interests | Maintaining standards, investigating complaints, protecting designations and keeping appropriate award or membership records. |
| Safety, security and service improvement | Legitimate interests; legal obligation | Cybersecurity, fraud prevention, system administration, audit trails, service analysis and protection of ACQP and its users. |
| News and relevant opportunities | Consent; or legitimate interests where legally permitted | Membership news, training, CPD, events, benefits and related professional opportunities, always with an appropriate opt-out. |
| Optional website analytics | Consent | Understanding website use through non-essential cookies or similar technology where such tools are enabled. |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, these include operating and improving ACQP, supporting members and learners, maintaining professional standards, protecting our systems, preventing misuse and communicating appropriately with people who have an existing professional relationship with us. We consider necessity, reasonable expectations and the effect on individual rights before relying on this basis.
We do not currently use personal information to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes, we will provide the information and safeguards required by law.
Sensitive and special-category information
Some information receives additional protection under data protection law. ACQP may need limited health, disability, accessibility, dietary or other sensitive information when arranging reasonable adjustments, supporting safe course participation or providing a requested service.
We only use this information where both a lawful basis and an additional legal condition apply. Depending on the circumstances, this may include your explicit consent, employment or social-protection obligations, substantial public interest conditions, or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
Please do not send sensitive information unless we request it or it is genuinely necessary. Where consent applies, you may withdraw it at any time, although this does not affect processing already carried out lawfully.
Who we share information with
We share only what is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose. Recipients may include:
- website, hosting, cloud, cybersecurity, member-management, learning-platform, email and document service providers;
- payment processors, banks, insurers, professional advisers, auditors and accountants;
- tutors, assessors, course venues, training partners, awarding bodies and accreditation organisations;
- member-benefit providers where you request a benefit or the sharing is otherwise made clear;
- your employer, sponsor or another authorised party where they arranged or paid for a service, subject to appropriate limits;
- regulators, courts, public authorities, law-enforcement bodies or professional advisers where disclosure is required or legally justified; and
- another organisation involved in a restructuring or transfer of services, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data protection safeguards.
Service providers acting on our instructions are required to protect personal information and use it only for the agreed service. We do not sell personal information to third parties.
International transfers
Some technology or service providers may store information, provide support or allow authorised access from outside the United Kingdom. Where this results in a restricted international transfer, we use a lawful transfer mechanism and any additional protections required for the circumstances.
These measures may include UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to approved standard contractual clauses, or another safeguard permitted by law. You may contact us for further information about safeguards relevant to your personal information.
How long we keep information
We keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the purpose collected, including membership and training administration, professional verification, legal claims, accounting, safeguarding and regulatory obligations.
| Record type | Typical retention approach |
|---|---|
| Membership and contractual records | For the active relationship and normally up to six years afterwards. A limited record of awarded grade, membership status or professional designation may be kept longer where necessary for verification and professional integrity. |
| Unsuccessful or incomplete applications | Normally up to 12 months after the application closes, unless a longer period is justified or you ask us to retain it for a future application. |
| Training and qualification records | For course delivery and normally up to six years afterwards. Certificate, award or verification records may be retained longer where required by an awarding body or to confirm an achievement. |
| Financial and tax records | Normally six years or another period required by applicable accounting, tax or legal obligations. |
| General enquiries and support | Normally up to two years after the matter is resolved, unless the correspondence forms part of a membership, training, complaint or legal record. |
| Marketing preferences | Until consent is withdrawn or you object. A minimal suppression record may be kept so that we continue to respect an opt-out. |
| Technical and security logs | Normally up to 12 months, unless needed for an active security investigation, dispute or legal obligation. |
| Health or adjustment information | Only for as long as necessary to arrange support and manage associated legal or safety responsibilities. |
These are general periods and may be shortened or extended where the circumstances, a dispute, an investigation, a legal hold, an awarding-body requirement or another legal obligation justifies it. Information may be securely deleted or anonymised when no longer required.
How we protect information
We use proportionate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. Measures may include access controls, authentication, encryption in transit, secure hosting, backups, logging, staff procedures, supplier checks and incident management.
No internet service can be guaranteed completely secure. You are responsible for keeping your account credentials confidential and should tell us promptly if you believe an ACQP account or communication has been compromised.
Cookies and website data
Cookies and similar technologies can help a website operate, maintain security, remember choices and understand how services are used. Essential technologies may operate where necessary to provide a service you request or protect the website.
Where ACQP uses non-essential analytics, advertising or similar technologies, we will request consent where required and provide a way to accept, reject or adjust those choices. Simply continuing to browse is not treated as consent to non-essential cookies.
You can also control cookies through your browser. Blocking essential cookies may affect secure areas such as account or portal functions.
Marketing and service communications
Essential messages about an application, membership, renewal, booking, course, payment, security matter or service are not marketing and may be sent where needed to provide the service or protect your account.
For promotional emails or text messages, we rely on consent or another route permitted by data protection law and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. Where an existing-customer exception applies, an opt-out is offered when details are collected and in every subsequent message.
You can ask us to stop direct marketing at any time by using the unsubscribe option in a message or contacting us. We will stop using your information for that purpose and may retain only enough information to respect your request.
Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances and lawful basis, you may have the following rights:
Receive clear information about how your personal information is collected and used.
Ask whether we process your information and request a copy of personal information we hold about you.
Ask us to correct inaccurate information or complete information that is incomplete.
Ask us to delete information in circumstances where the right applies. This right is not absolute.
Ask us to limit the way we use information in certain circumstances.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests and object at any time to direct marketing.
Receive certain information in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format where the right applies.
Withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing, without affecting earlier lawful use.
You will not normally have to pay a fee. We may ask for information needed to confirm your identity and protect your data. We normally respond without undue delay and within one calendar month, although the law allows an extension in certain complex cases.
Not every right applies in every situation, and exemptions may apply. If we cannot fulfil a request, we will explain the reason and your available complaint rights.
Children and third-party websites
ACQP’s main website and professional membership services are not directed at children. Where a learner under 18 participates in an appropriate service, we apply additional care and obtain parental or guardian involvement where required.
Our website may link to other organisations and benefit providers. Those organisations are responsible for their own privacy practices, and you should read their privacy information before providing personal data.
Contact us or make a complaint
Please contact ACQP first if you have a question, wish to exercise a data protection right or are concerned about how your information has been used. We will try to resolve the matter promptly.
Contact ACQP
Association of Construction Quality Professionals 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ info@acqp.co.uk 020 3026 1023Information Commissioner’s Office
You also have the right to complain to the UK’s independent data protection regulator.
Make a complaint to the ICOICO helpline: 0303 123 1113
Changes to this notice
We may update this privacy notice to reflect changes to our services, systems, suppliers or legal obligations. The latest version will be published on this page with an updated review date. Where a change significantly affects how we use existing personal information, we will take reasonable steps to bring it to the attention of affected individuals before the new use begins.