Privacy Policy

About ContractScout

ContractScout is a UK-based business operated by Max Cooper as a sole trader trading as ContractScout. We provide business-to-business prospect research and outreach services, helping our clients identify and connect with potential commercial customers. This Privacy Policy explains how ContractScout collects, uses, stores and protects personal information when you use our website, contact us, become a client, or are identified or contacted as part of our business prospecting activities. For the purposes of UK data protection law, the person responsible for the processing described in this policy is Max Cooper, trading as ContractScout. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is handled, you can contact us at privacy@contract-scout.co.uk.

Information we collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal information:

Information you provide to us: your name, business name, business email address, website, the services your business provides, your target market and geographic area, information about your typical customer or contract value, and any other information you choose to provide through our forms or communications.

Client information: contact details, billing and account information, correspondence, service requirements and information necessary for us to provide and manage our services.

Business contact and prospect information: names, job titles, business contact details, employer or organisation, professional role and other relevant publicly available business information about individuals we identify when carrying out prospect research and business-to-business outreach.

Website and technical information: information about how visitors interact with our website, which may include IP address, device and browser information and website usage data where this is collected through our website or analytics tools.

How we collect information

We collect personal information in several ways, including:

Directly from you: when you complete a form on our website, contact us by email or other means, enquire about our services, become a client, or otherwise provide information to us.

From publicly available sources: when carrying out business prospect research, we may obtain professional or business contact information from publicly accessible sources such as company websites, professional networking platforms, business directories, public registers and other online sources.

From our clients: clients may provide information about their target customers, markets or existing business relationships where necessary for us to provide our services.

Automatically: certain technical information may be collected when you visit our website, depending on the cookies, analytics and other technologies in use.

How we use your information

We may use personal information to:

Provide our services: to understand our clients’ requirements, research potential commercial customers, carry out agreed business-to-business outreach and provide interested opportunities to our clients.

Respond to enquiries: to respond to people who contact ContractScout, process territory enquiries and provide information about our services.

Manage client relationships: to administer accounts, communicate with clients, provide support, manage payments and maintain appropriate business records.

Carry out business prospecting: to identify potentially relevant businesses and professional contacts and communicate with them about services that may reasonably be relevant to their organisation.

Operate and improve our website and services: to understand how our website and services are used, maintain security, troubleshoot problems and improve our business.

Meet our legal obligations: where processing is necessary to comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal claims or requests from competent authorities.

Our lawful bases for processing

Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal information. The lawful basis we rely on will depend on the circumstances.

Legitimate interests: we may process personal information where necessary for our legitimate business interests or those of our clients, including providing our services, identifying relevant business prospects, carrying out appropriate business-to-business outreach, managing client relationships and developing our business. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the interests, rights and freedoms of the individuals concerned.

Contract: we may process personal information where necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.

Legal obligation: we may process information where necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.

Consent: where consent is required by law for a particular activity, we will seek it before carrying out that processing. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Business prospecting and outreach

As part of our services, ContractScout researches businesses that may be relevant potential customers for our clients and may contact appropriate business representatives on our clients’ behalf. We may use publicly available professional information, such as an individual’s name, job title, employer and business contact details, to determine whether their organisation may have a genuine business interest in a client’s services. Our prospecting and outreach activities are intended for business-to-business purposes. We aim to ensure that outreach is relevant, proportionate and directed towards appropriate business contacts. Where applicable, we conduct electronic marketing in accordance with UK data protection and direct marketing requirements, including the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). Individuals may object to the use of their personal information for direct marketing at any time. If you ask us not to contact you for marketing purposes, we will stop such marketing and may retain limited information on a suppression list to ensure that your preference is respected in the future. To object to marketing or ask us about information we hold about you, contact privacy@contract-scout.co.uk.

Who we share information with

We may share personal information with third parties where necessary to operate our business and provide our services.

Our clients: where we identify a relevant business opportunity, we may provide appropriate business contact and prospect information to the client for whom the prospecting activity is being carried out.

Service providers: we may use trusted third parties that provide services such as website hosting, email, customer relationship management, analytics, payment processing, data storage and other business tools.

Professional advisers: we may share information with accountants, legal advisers, insurers or other professional advisers where reasonably necessary.

Authorities and legal requirements: we may disclose information where required by law, regulation, court order or a competent authority, or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.

We do not sell personal information. Where third parties process personal information on our behalf, we take appropriate steps to ensure that the information is handled in accordance with applicable data protection law.

International data transfers

Some of the service providers and technology platforms we use may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom. Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer complies with applicable UK data protection law. This may include transferring information to countries recognised by the UK as providing an adequate level of data protection or using appropriate safeguards, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or another legally recognised transfer mechanism. Where required, we will also consider whether additional safeguards are necessary to protect personal information when it is transferred internationally.

How long we keep information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including providing our services, maintaining business records, complying with legal obligations and establishing, exercising or defending legal claims. The appropriate retention period will depend on the type of information, why we hold it and any applicable legal or regulatory requirements. Client and transaction records may be retained for longer periods where necessary to meet accounting, tax or other legal obligations. Prospect and business contact information will be reviewed periodically and will not be retained for longer than reasonably necessary for our prospecting activities. Where an individual objects to direct marketing, we may retain limited information on a suppression list so that we can continue to respect that request. When personal information is no longer required, we will delete, anonymise or otherwise securely dispose of it as appropriate.

Cookies and analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to operate correctly, remember preferences, understand how visitors use the website and improve our services. Some cookies are strictly necessary for the website to function and do not require consent. Where we use non-essential cookies or similar technologies, such as certain analytics or advertising tools, we will obtain consent where required by UK law before placing or accessing them on your device. You can manage your cookie preferences through any cookie controls provided on our website and through your browser settings. We may update the cookies and analytics technologies we use from time to time. Where required, information about these technologies and their purposes will be made available through our website or cookie controls.

Your data protection rights

Under UK data protection law, you may have rights in relation to your personal information, depending on the circumstances. These may include:

The right to be informed: to receive clear information about how we use your personal information.

The right of access: to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

The right to rectification: to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.

The right to erasure: to ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances.

The right to restrict processing: to ask us to restrict how we use your personal information in certain circumstances.

The right to data portability: to receive certain personal information in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format where this right applies.

The right to object: to object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests.

The right to object to direct marketing: you have an absolute right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing at any time.

Where processing is based on consent, you also have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, contact privacy@contract-scout.co.uk. We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

Marketing communications

We may contact businesses and appropriate business representatives about services that we reasonably believe may be relevant to their organisation, where permitted by applicable law. Where consent is required for a particular type of marketing communication, we will obtain that consent before sending the communication.

You can ask us to stop sending you marketing communications at any time by using any unsubscribe or opt-out method provided in the communication, replying to the message, or contacting privacy@contract-scout.co.uk.

If you opt out of marketing, we may retain limited information about you on a suppression list. This allows us to record your preference and helps prevent you from being contacted again for marketing purposes.

Opting out of marketing communications will not prevent us from contacting you where necessary for non-marketing purposes, such as responding to an enquiry or communicating with an existing client about their service.

Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure. These measures may include appropriate access controls, secure systems and services, account authentication and limiting access to personal information to those who reasonably need it for legitimate business purposes. While we take appropriate steps to protect personal information, no method of transmitting or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If we become aware of a personal data breach, we will assess the incident and take appropriate action in accordance with applicable UK data protection law, including notifying affected individuals or the Information Commissioner's Office where required.

Changes to this privacy policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, business practices, technology or legal and regulatory requirements. When we make changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we handle personal information.

How to contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how we handle your personal information, or would like to exercise your data protection rights, you can contact us using the details below:

ContractScout
Operated by Max Cooper, trading as ContractScout
Email: privacy@contract-scout.co.uk

We will respond to data protection enquiries and requests in accordance with applicable UK data protection law.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us first at privacy@contract-scout.co.uk so that we have an opportunity to address your concerns.

You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent regulator for data protection.

You can find information about making a complaint through the ICO's website or contact the ICO directly.

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
United Kingdom

Telephone: 0303 123 1113