Privacy notice

Who we are and what this notice covers

This notice explains how Optimal Civils (Pty) Ltd (registration number 2026/770955/07) processes personal information. Optimal Civils is a specialist contractor providing civil earthworks, demolition, site clearing, bulk earthworks, excavation, roadworks, stormwater, drainage, trenching and concrete infrastructure services, and is the responsible party for that information under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

It covers personal information obtained through this website, electronic communications, tender submissions, requests for quotation and our contact form. The disclaimers that accompany this notice are on our Terms and conditions page, and the cookies this site uses are explained in our Cookie policy.

What we collect

Depending on how you deal with us, we may collect:

• contact and identification details, such as full names, titles, business names, company registration numbers, identity numbers and VAT registration numbers;
• communication details, such as email addresses, physical site addresses, postal addresses and phone numbers;
• project, tender and commercial details, such as project specifications, site plans, geographic coordinates, bill of quantities queries, engineering briefs and procurement documentation;
• employment and subcontractor vetting information, such as CVs, qualifications, professional registrations (ECSA, SACPCMP or CIDB credentials) and trade references;
• technical website information, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs and the date and time of visits.

We collect this directly from you when you send an enquiry or request a quotation, ask for a site inspection or assessment, download tender or technical documentation, subscribe to communications, apply for work, or register as a subcontractor or supplier. Where information comes from a third party, such as a principal contractor, consulting engineer, project manager or credit reference agency, we only process it if it was lawfully obtained in accordance with section 11 and section 18 of POPIA.

Why we use it

We process personal information strictly for defined, lawful operational purposes: preparing estimates, site assessment reports, proposals and tenders; executing and administering construction contracts and service level agreements; planning site visits, soil stability appraisals, demolition safety analyses and equipment deployment; complying with legislation such as the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 and the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, 1977; processing payments, invoices, credit checks and debt collection; keeping the website secure and working; and sending service updates and project milestones to active clients.

Section 11(1) of POPIA allows this processing where it is necessary to conclude or perform a contract with you, to comply with a legal obligation, or to pursue our legitimate commercial interests, and in other cases where you have given express, voluntary consent, for example for specific communications or marketing.

Supplying your information through this website is voluntary, unless a statute or a contract requires it. Without essential contact details, site locations or technical specifications we cannot evaluate project scope, issue accurate quotations, conduct site assessments or contract with you.

Who we share it with

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information. We share it strictly on a need-to-know basis, subject to confidentiality and data protection agreements, with the professional consultants appointed on relevant projects (civil and structural engineers, land surveyors and health and safety agents); the vetted subcontractors, plant hire operators, laboratories and material suppliers engaged in project execution; the IT service providers, website hosts and communications vendors that act as operators under section 20 and section 21 of POPIA; and statutory bodies, regulators, municipalities and law enforcement where disclosure is required by law.

Transfers outside South Africa

If personal information is stored on cloud servers outside the Republic of South Africa or shared with foreign technology service providers, we make the transfer under section 72 of POPIA. That means it happens only where the recipient is bound by law, binding corporate rules or an agreement providing protection substantially similar to POPIA, where you have expressly consented, or where the transfer is necessary for a contract concluded in your interest.

How long we keep it

We do not keep personal information longer than necessary for the purposes it was collected for, as section 14(1) of POPIA requires. Retention periods follow the statutory retention obligations of South African construction, tax and corporate law, the contractual warranty and latent defect liability periods that apply to civil works, concrete structures and road infrastructure, and the reasonable timeframes needed to resolve commercial disputes or defend claims. When the applicable period expires, records are destroyed, deleted or de-identified permanently, as section 14(4) and (5) of POPIA require.

How we protect it

We implement appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational measures to secure the integrity and confidentiality of personal information, as section 19 of POPIA requires, including firewalls, network encryption, access-controlled directories, secure server architecture, periodic vulnerability assessments and strict internal access limits. If we confirm or suspect a security compromise involving your personal information, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected data subjects in writing, as section 22 of POPIA requires.

Your rights

Under POPIA you may ask us to confirm whether we hold personal information about you and request a copy of it (section 23, subject to the grounds of refusal in the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000); ask us to correct or delete information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date, incomplete, misleading or unlawfully obtained (section 24); object, on reasonable grounds relating to your situation, to processing based on our legitimate interests (section 11(3)); and object at any time to the use of your information for direct marketing (section 11(3)(b) and section 69). Requests must be made in writing to our Information Officer using the details below.

If you believe we have processed your personal information in contravention of POPIA, please raise it with our Information Officer first. You also have the right, under section 74 of POPIA, to lodge a complaint directly with the Information Regulator (South Africa) at inforegulator.org.za, by email to POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za or complaints.IR@justice.gov.za, or by post to P.O. Box 31533, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2017.

Information Officer

Our Information Officer is Marché van Zyl. You can reach him at info@optimalcivils.co.za, on 067 125 3357, or by post at Plot 433, R336, Loerie, Eastern Cape, 6370, South Africa.

Changes to this notice

We may amend this notice to reflect legislative updates, technological changes or changes in how we work. The revised notice is published on this page with an updated date at the top, and continued use of the website after publication constitutes acknowledgment of the revised terms.