Privacy Policy.

01Who We Are.

SAR Consulting Ltd ("SAR Consulting", "we", "us", "our") is the data controller responsible for the personal data we collect about you. We're a UK-based construction NVQ consultancy founded by Sonia Alexis Rawlings.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the rights you have over it. If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, you can reach us using the contact details at the bottom of this page.

02What Data We Collect.

We only collect personal data you provide to us directly, when you:

• Fill in the contact form on our website
• Email us at sonia@sar-consultant.com
• Call us on 07598 042 387 and provide details for follow-up
• Engage SAR Consulting to deliver an NVQ qualification

Data we typically collect

• Contact details: name, email address, phone number
• Professional information: your trade or role, employer, work history, qualifications held, and other context relevant to mapping the right NVQ for you
• Evidence for NVQ assessment: photos, witness statements, work logs, project documentation, and other evidence required by the NVQ standards
• Correspondence: records of conversations, emails, and written exchanges relevant to your NVQ enrolment

Data we don't collect

We don't collect special category data (such as health, ethnicity, or political views) unless absolutely necessary for an NVQ unit (rare, and always with explicit consent). We don't profile you, track your behaviour across the web, or build advertising profiles.

03How We Use Your Data.

We use your personal data only for the following purposes, each backed by a specific lawful basis under UK GDPR:

• Responding to your enquiry — to reply to messages, calls or emails. Lawful basis: legitimate interest, or pre-contractual steps if you're considering engaging us.
• Delivering our NVQ consultancy service — to assess your qualifications, plan and gather evidence, and submit your NVQ for certification. Lawful basis: contract.
• Keeping records of services provided — to maintain accurate records of the qualifications we've supported, for accountability, dispute resolution, and regulatory compliance. Lawful basis: legitimate interest and legal obligation.
• Sending service-related correspondence — for example, updates on your NVQ progress, requests for additional evidence, or invoices. Lawful basis: contract.

We do not use your data for marketing, profiling, automated decision-making, or any purpose unrelated to delivering the NVQ service you've engaged us for.

04Who We Share Data With.

We share your personal data only where necessary to deliver our service, and only with the following types of recipients:

• Awarding bodies and assessment centres — to submit your NVQ evidence for verification and certification. We share only what's required by the awarding body for that purpose.
• External assessors or quality assurance reviewers — where required as part of NVQ verification processes.
• Professional service providers — accountants, IT and email service providers, all bound by confidentiality.
• Your employer — only where they're funding your NVQ, and only with your consent or where contractually agreed.

We never sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We don't share data with marketing partners, advertising platforms, or data brokers.

International transfers

Our services and data storage are based in the UK. Where we use third-party providers (for example, email services), some processing may take place in the EU/EEA or in countries with adequate UK GDPR protection. We don't transfer data outside the UK without appropriate safeguards in place.

05How Long We Keep Data.

We keep personal data only as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, or as required by law:

• Enquiry data (where you contact us but don't proceed): kept for up to 12 months, then deleted.
• NVQ candidate records: kept for the duration of your NVQ engagement plus a further 7 years, in line with awarding body requirements and for accountability and tax purposes.
• Evidence portfolios: kept for the period required by the awarding body, typically up to 3 years post-certification, then archived or deleted in line with their retention requirements.
• Financial records (invoices, payments): kept for 7 years in line with HMRC requirements.

You can ask us to delete your data sooner where we don't have a legal or contractual reason to retain it. See "Your Rights" below.

06Your Rights.

Under UK GDPR you have the following rights over your personal data:

• Right of access — to ask us what personal data we hold about you, and to receive a copy of it.
• Right to rectification — to ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data we hold.
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") — to ask us to delete your data, where we don't have a legal or contractual reason to keep it.
• Right to restrict processing — to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format, or have it transferred to another controller.
• Right to object — to object to our processing where we rely on legitimate interest as our lawful basis.
• Right to withdraw consent — where we rely on consent (rarely), you can withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at sonia@sar-consultant.com. We'll respond within one calendar month.

07Cookies & Tracking.

Our website uses a small number of cookies, kept to the minimum needed to make the site work and improve it.

Essential cookies

These are necessary for the site to function (for example, remembering your cookie preferences). We don't ask consent for these because the site can't run without them.

Analytics cookies

We may use anonymous analytics cookies (for example, Google Analytics or a privacy-friendly equivalent like Plausible) to understand how visitors use the site. These cookies don't identify you personally and are only set if you give consent via our cookie banner.

No advertising or tracking cookies

We don't use advertising cookies, third-party tracking pixels, or behavioural targeting cookies. The site is built for direct enquiries, not advertising.

You can change your cookie preferences at any time using the cookie settings link in the footer of any page, or by adjusting your browser settings to reject cookies.

08Changes to This Policy.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in our services or in data protection law. Where changes are significant, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you directly.

We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed of how we protect your information.

09Contact Us.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, or want to exercise any of your rights, you can reach us: