Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Bidsmithery™ is the trading name of MDH Consultancy Solutions Limited. We provide bid, tender and grant-related consultancy, writing, review and support services.

For personal information used to operate our business, respond to enquiries and manage client relationships, MDH Consultancy Solutions trading as Bidsmithery is the data controller.

Our contact details are:

• Email: bidshq@bidsmithery.com
• Website: bidsmithery.com

2. Scope and our role

This policy applies when you visit this website, contact us, subscribe to receive updates, arrange a call, enquire about a service or work with us as a client, supplier or professional contact.

For contact, contract, billing and business administration information, we will usually act as the data controller.

A client may also supply personal information contained within bid, tender or grant material for us to review or work on. Depending on the circumstances, we may process that information on the client’s behalf and in accordance with the agreed service terms and the client’s documented instructions.

3. Information we collect

The information we collect may include:

Contact and identity information

• Your name, job title and organisation.
• Your business address, email address and telephone number.
• Your communication and marketing preferences.

Enquiry and booking information

• Information included in an enquiry or contact form.
• Call-booking details and information you choose to provide before a call.
• Correspondence, call notes and records of our discussions.

Client and project information

• Information needed to scope, quote for and deliver our services.
• Contracts, proposals, project instructions and delivery records.
• Bid, tender and grant documents supplied for review or development.
• Information about your organisation, team, experience and intended submission.
• Feedback, testimonials and permission to use them.

Financial and administrative information

• Billing details, invoices and payment records.
• Transaction and accounting information.
• Information needed to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.

Website and technical information

• IP address, browser, device and operating-system information.
• Pages viewed, links used and approximate visit information.
• Cookie choices and similar technical identifiers.
• Security logs and information used to protect the website.

4. Where your information comes from

We may receive personal information:

• Directly from you.
• From your employer, organisation or another member of your project team.
• From a client who supplies material for a bid, tender or grant project.
• From a referral or professional introduction.
• From public professional sources, such as an organisation’s website or LinkedIn.
• Automatically when you use this website, subject to your cookie choices.

5. How and why we use your information

UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for using personal information. The basis depends on the information and why we need it.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether our use is necessary and balanced against your rights and reasonable expectations.

6. Client and tender material

Our services may require clients to provide confidential bid, tender, grant or organisational documents. These documents may sometimes contain personal information about employees, subcontractors, beneficiaries, partners or other individuals.

We use this material only to scope or deliver the agreed service, manage the project and meet related legal or administrative requirements. Access is limited to people and service providers who need it for those purposes.

Clients remain responsible for ensuring that they are entitled to share the information with us and that unnecessary personal information has been removed wherever practical.

Any project-specific arrangements concerning confidentiality, security, retention, return or deletion of material will be governed by the service agreement agreed for that engagement.

7. Cookies and analytics

This website may use cookies and similar technologies to make the website function, protect it and understand how it is used.

Essential cookies may be used where they are needed for website operation, security or to remember your privacy choices. Non-essential analytics or marketing cookies should only be used after you have made the relevant choice through the cookie banner.

We use Google tools, including Google Site Kit and Google Analytics, to help us understand website performance and visitor activity. Depending on your cookie choice, these tools may collect technical and usage information such as your device, browser, approximate location, pages visited and interactions with the website.

You can reject non-essential cookies or change your choices through the website’s cookie controls. You can also control cookies through your browser, although blocking some cookies may affect how parts of the website work.

You can read more about Google’s use of information on Google’s privacy policy .

8. Newsletters and marketing

If you subscribe to updates, we use your name, email address and preferences to send relevant news, resources and information about Bidsmithery’s services.

You can unsubscribe at any time by using the link in a marketing email or by contacting bidshq@bidsmithery.com .

Unsubscribing from marketing will not prevent us from sending service messages that are necessary for an enquiry, booking, contract or active project.

9. Who we share information with

We do not sell personal information. We may share limited information with trusted providers where this is necessary to operate the business or deliver a service.

These may include providers of:

• Website hosting, maintenance, security and analytics.
• Email, cloud storage and document collaboration.
• Email newsletters and marketing administration.
• Appointment scheduling, including Calendly.
• Client and project management, including the Moxie client portal.
• Invoicing, accounting and payment administration.
• Professional, legal, insurance and IT support.

We may also disclose information where required by law, to a regulator or public authority, to protect our legal rights, or in connection with a sale or restructuring of the business.

Providers acting on our behalf are expected to use the information only for the agreed purpose and to protect it appropriately.

10. International transfers

Some service providers may store or process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where UK data protection law requires it, we use providers and arrangements intended to provide an appropriate level of protection. These may include UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to approved contractual clauses or another legally recognised safeguard.

You may contact us if you would like further information about the safeguards relevant to your personal information.

11. How long we keep information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, contractual, accounting and reporting requirements.

When deciding how long to retain information, we consider:

• The nature, volume and sensitivity of the information.
• The purpose for which it is being used.
• Whether it remains necessary for an active relationship or project.
• Legal limitation periods and tax or accounting requirements.
• The risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure.

Client project and tender material is retained, returned or deleted in accordance with the applicable service agreement and our operational and legal requirements.

Contract, invoicing and core business records may normally be kept for up to six years after the relevant relationship or transaction, where this is necessary for tax, accounting or legal purposes.

Marketing information is kept until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent or we determine that it is no longer appropriate to retain it. Limited suppression information may be kept so that we can respect an unsubscribe request.

12. How we protect information

We use reasonable organisational and technical measures designed to protect personal and confidential information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

Measures may include access controls, password protection, secure service providers, device and account security, controlled document sharing and limiting access to those who need the information.

No online system or method of transmission can be guaranteed as completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs, we will assess it and make any notifications required by law.

13. Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

• Ask for access to the personal information we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Ask us to erase information in certain circumstances.
• Ask us to restrict how information is used in certain circumstances.
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Object at any time to the use of your information for direct marketing.
• Receive certain information in a portable format.
• Withdraw consent where our use is based on consent.

Withdrawing consent will not affect processing that was lawful before consent was withdrawn.

We do not use personal information to make solely automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

To exercise a right, email bidshq@bidsmithery.com . We may need to verify your identity before completing a request. Data protection requests are normally answered within one month, although the law permits additional time for particularly complex requests.

14. Questions and complaints

Please contact us first if you have a concern about how your information has been used. We will take the concern seriously and try to resolve it.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection.

• Website: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
• Telephone: 0303 123 1113

15. External websites and embedded services

This website may link to or display content from external services, including LinkedIn, YouTube, Calendly, the Moxie client portal and other third-party websites.

Those services operate under their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for how an external website processes information after you leave Bidsmithery or interact directly with that service.

16. Children’s information

Bidsmithery’s website and services are intended for organisations, professionals and business users. They are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect children’s personal information through the website.

17. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our services, systems or legal obligations change. The latest version will be published on this page with its updated date.