Privacy Policy

1. Who is responsible for your data

BuildNation Smart Building Materials Trading L.L.C ("BuildNation", "we"), a company licensed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates under trade licence number Trade licence 1265951 · TRN 10488168780003 · DED, Dubai, registered at Garhoud Office 101, Al Garhoud, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. We determine why and how that data is processed.

Data protection contact: support@buildnationuae.com. Postal enquiries: Garhoud Office 101, Al Garhoud, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

2. Scope

This policy applies to personal data we process when you visit www.buildnationuae.com, submit a project requirement or supplier application, upload documents, subscribe to a brief, create an account, or otherwise interact with us.

It does not apply to websites, platforms or services operated by third parties, including Suppliers and Project Owners you are introduced to through the Service. Those parties process your data under their own privacy notices, and we are not responsible for their practices.

3. What we collect

We do not intend to collect special categories of personal data (such as health, biometric, religious, ethnic or criminal-record data), and we ask you not to include such data in free-text fields or uploaded documents. If it is included, we will treat it with the same safeguards but may delete it where it is not necessary for the enquiry.

4. How we collect data

1. Directly from you — when you complete a form, upload a file, send an email or message, subscribe, register, or communicate with us.
2. Automatically — server and security logs generated when you use the Service, together with strictly necessary cookies described in the cookies section.
3. From third parties — where you or a colleague provide information on behalf of a company; where a Counterparty refers your enquiry to us; or where we verify company, licence or certification information through public registers, official issuer databases or publicly available business sources.

5. Why we process your data, and on what legal basis

Under Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data ("PDPL"), including Article 4, processing requires consent or an applicable statutory exception. The table below describes our processing purposes and relevant grounds.

We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects, and we do not sell personal data.

6. Project documents and confidentiality

Drawings, bills of quantities, specifications and other project documents are treated as commercially confidential. Access is restricted to personnel and engaged suppliers who need the material to respond to the enquiry, and files are stored in access-controlled storage that is not publicly reachable.

Before disclosing project material to a Supplier, we minimise it to what is necessary to obtain a meaningful response. Where a document is commercially sensitive — for example, a full bill of quantities with rates, or a client-identifying drawing set — we recommend removing rates and client identifiers, or requesting a non-disclosure agreement, before upload. Please tell us at support@buildnationuae.com if you require an NDA and we will arrange one with the relevant Supplier.

7. Who we share data with

We do not sell, rent or trade personal data. We share it only as follows:

1. Matched Counterparties. Where you submit a requirement to be matched, we disclose the information necessary to respond — typically project location, category, quantity or scope, required standard, indicative timeline and technical annexes — to a limited number of shortlisted Suppliers. We do not disclose your contact details until you ask us to, or until you instruct us to proceed with a specific Supplier.
2. Service providers (processors). Hosting and infrastructure providers, email delivery providers, cloud storage, IT support and professional advisers, each bound by written terms that require confidentiality and appropriate security, and that restrict them to processing on our instructions.
3. Professional advisers. Lawyers, auditors and insurers, where necessary and under duties of confidentiality.
4. Authorities. Courts, regulators, law enforcement or other competent authorities, where we are required by law, or where disclosure is necessary to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim, to protect our rights or safety, or to investigate suspected unlawful activity.
5. Corporate transactions. A prospective or actual buyer, investor or successor in connection with a merger, acquisition, restructuring or transfer of assets, under confidentiality obligations.

8. International transfers

We are established in the United Arab Emirates. Some of our service providers and group systems may store or process data outside the UAE, including in the regions used by our hosting, email and infrastructure providers.

Articles 22 and 23 of the PDPL govern transfers outside the UAE, including transfers to destinations with adequate protection and permitted exceptions where adequate protection is not available. Where we transfer data internationally, we:

1. select providers that apply recognised security and data protection standards;
2. put written contractual protections in place, including confidentiality, security, breach notification and restrictions on onward transfer;
3. transfer only the data necessary for the relevant purpose;
4. assess the legal and practical risk of the transfer before it takes place.

You may ask us for information about the safeguards applied to a specific transfer by writing to support@buildnationuae.com.

9. How long we keep data

We retain enquiry, supplier, account and project information for as long as it is needed to handle your request, maintain an active business relationship, meet applicable record-keeping requirements or resolve disputes. Retention depends on the record and its purpose rather than one fixed period for all information.

Unsubscribing stops subscription deliveries; a minimal suppression record may remain to prevent unwanted mail. It does not by itself delete an account or project record. You may request deletion or information about a particular record by contacting support@buildnationuae.com. We assess requests against applicable legal and contractual obligations and explain any information that must be retained. Backup copies may remain until replaced through the backup cycle.

10. How we protect data

We apply technical and organisational measures appropriate to the risk, including:

• encryption of data in transit using TLS;
• role-based access control on a least-privilege basis, with access reviewed periodically;
• authenticated administrative access and role-based permissions;
• application logging and controls to limit abusive requests;
• segregation of project documents from public content, with no public links to uploaded files;
• restricted access to submitted information for service handling.

If a personal data breach occurs, we will assess it and make notifications required by applicable law within the applicable time limits. No system is entirely secure; you should avoid uploading material that is not necessary for your enquiry.

11. Your rights

Subject to the PDPL, you have the right to:

1. Be informed about how your data is processed (this policy);
2. Access your personal data and obtain a copy;
3. Request portability of your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format;
4. Correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
5. Request erasure where the data is no longer necessary, where you withdraw consent and no other basis applies, or where processing is unlawful;
6. Restrict processing while accuracy or lawfulness is being verified;
7. Object to processing, including an unconditional right to object to processing for direct marketing;
8. Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal;
9. Object to automated decision-making and request human review, where a decision is based solely on automated processing and produces legal or similarly significant effects. We do not currently carry out such processing.

To exercise a right, write to support@buildnationuae.com from the email address associated with your enquiry or account, or use the contact form. We may ask for information to verify identity before acting, particularly where the request concerns sensitive documents. We respond within the period required by applicable law and, in the absence of a prescribed period, within 30 days. If we cannot comply with a request — for example, where a legal retention obligation applies — we will explain why.

You may also lodge a complaint with the competent UAE data protection authority. If you are unsatisfied with our response, please contact us first so we have the opportunity to resolve the matter.

12. Marketing and subscriptions

We send the brief and market updates only where you have subscribed, or where you have otherwise requested them. Every marketing email contains an unsubscribe link, and you can also unsubscribe by writing to support@buildnationuae.com. We honour unsubscribe requests promptly and keep a minimal suppression record so that we do not contact you again in error.

We do not share your email address with third parties for their own marketing.

13. Cookies and similar technologies

We currently use only strictly necessary cookies and local storage, which are required for the Service to function and to keep it secure. These include session and authentication cookies, security and fraud-prevention cookies, and a preference cookie that remembers your language selection. These cannot be switched off without breaking core functionality.

We do not currently use advertising cookies, cross-site tracking pixels or third-party analytics that profile you across websites. If we introduce analytics or advertising tools, we will update this policy, publish the change on this page, and — where consent is required — request it before any non-essential cookie is set.

You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may prevent forms, login and language preferences from working.

14. Automated processing and AI

We use automated and AI-assisted tools to summarise, classify and translate publicly available market information for the Intelligence section of the Service. This processing concerns published market material — not your personal data — and does not produce legal or similarly significant effects for any individual.

Automated tools may assist with enquiry routing, document classification and routine notifications. You may ask for human review of any decision that materially affects you by writing to support@buildnationuae.com.

15. Children

The Service is intended for business and professional users and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has provided personal data to us, contact support@buildnationuae.com so we can investigate and remove it as appropriate.

16. Third-party links

The Service contains links to third-party websites, including Supplier sites, official registers and news sources. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content or privacy practices. We encourage you to read the privacy notice of any site you visit.

17. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes in our practices, the Service or the law. The revised version will be published on this page with a new "last updated" date. Where a change materially affects how we use your personal data, we will give notice on the Service or by email before it takes effect, and where the law requires consent, we will request it.

18. Contact and complaints

For any question about this policy, to exercise a right, or to make a complaint about how we handle personal data:

• Data protection contact: support@buildnationuae.com
• General enquiries: support@buildnationuae.com
• Postal address: Garhoud Office 101, Al Garhoud, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

We take complaints seriously and will acknowledge them promptly, investigate, and respond within the period required by applicable law. If you remain dissatisfied, you may complain to the competent UAE data protection authority.