NBS and Digicon - the story so far

Who is NBS?

NBS is leading the built environment with powerfully connected knowledge, products and services around the world.

Its distinctive specification and information solutions connect data and provide industry standard content across the entire project timeline. Designed for the whole industry, its tools and services are used by architects, engineers, landscape designers, surveyors and facilities management professionals, from small practices to global leaders.

NBS also provide building product manufacturers with a unique opportunity to present their standardised product information to the right people, in the right format, at the right time.

Based in Newcastle, in the North East of England, NBS has produced the recognised UK national standard specification system for more than 40 years.

Who is Digicon?

Digicon is a premier source of construction-related information in Canada - primarily in the form of master specifications, software for specifications and BIM, and related services to Canada. Digicon is a Canadian corporation based in Alberta for more than 20 years.

Digicon’s flagship products are its master specifications, designed for the large and small commercial sectors (CMS and MiniSPEC), and the residential sectors with HomeSPEC, and project management documents such as OutlineSPEC and MasterPP.

Digicon was a North American pioneer, developing time saving plug-in for Word called SpecMacros in the mid-1990s. During the 2000s, Digicon developed and continues to market BIMdrive – a specification management software tool designed to be compatible with BIM models.

Since 2003, Digicon has marketed and deployed its products through a web-based site known as Spex.ca; a marketing alliance between Digicon and Construction Specifications Canada (CSC).

Shared interests and values

Both NBS and Digicon place the customer at the forefront of all that they do and believe firmly in the adoption of technology to improve the collaboration of high quality standardised data between all facets of the construction process.

The relationship between NBS and Digicon is not a new one.

In the early 1990s, forward thinking organisations in Europe banded together to see what was happening in other countries; NBS was there, and the USA and Canada were invited. Canada was then represented by Wayne Watson, one of Digicon’s founders, representing Construction Specifications Canada (CSC). They later formed the International Construction Information Society (ICIS) which Digicon joined in 2002. Thereafter, Wayne, and later David Watson, participated in ICIS conferences representing both CSC and Digicon on behalf of Canada.

The Digicon directors and NBS representatives have a long history of watching each other evolve over the past 25 years. Both organisations watched and respected the activity occurring in each other’s marketplace, and both recognised the importance of what standardised data and technology played in the transition to a digital future.

In addition, Digicon invested time and effort monitoring the evolving ISO and buildingSMART International standards for BIM, and used that knowledge to help develop what is now BIMdrive technology. Concurrently, NBS invested time and energy into the development of tools including the NBS BIM Object Standard, NBS National BIM Library and the industry recognised specification tool NBS Create.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this acquisition mean for Digicon customers?

Digicon will continue to operate as normal, hosting the Spex.ca storefront where its specifications and software are marketed and deployed. It will continue to publish the National Master Specification (NMS) in file formats compatible with Digicon’s software.

This acquisition means that Digicon will be able to improve the quantity, quality, and support of its specification and software products, with full access to the resources and experience of NBS.

Will there be any new products added to the Digicon range?

NBS has several products which are already used by organisations in Canada, such as the NBS National BIM Library.

NBS welcomes any customers to get in touch should you have any requirements which are not currently being met or have new international requirements that cannot be met with the current Digicon range.

Who do I contact for support?

Who you contact for sales, support and customer service has not changed by this acquisition.

NBS - To contact the NBS support team, email info@theNBS.com or phone 0345 456 9594.

Digicon - To contact the Digicon support team email support@spex.ca or phone 1-800-610-7732

What does this acquisition mean to NBS customers?

There will be no change to existing NBS customers in the UK following this acquisition. NBS always welcomes any customers to get in touch though should they have any international requirements or queries.

23 July 2026

NBS and BDP join forces to improve generic carbon data in construction

Today, NBS (part of Hubexo), the platform for connected construction information, announces a long-term strategic partnership with BDP, a major global multidisciplinary practice of architects, designers, engineers and urbanists. The partnership recognises BDP's integral role in the development of NBS LCA, a new life-cycle carbon assessment platform providing professionals with high-quality, reliable and easy-to-use carbon data to ensure accurate tracking as construction projects evolve. BDP's primary contribution to NBS LCA has been the development of more than 1,300 pre-calculated generic assemblies, covering the most commonly used building fabric elements alongside key concrete and steel structural elements. These assemblies provide whole-element carbon data, giving designers consistent, UK-relevant carbon benchmarks from the earliest stages of project design. Users can easily and instantly apply carbon rates to a range of pre-configured common building elements, including walls, floors, and roofs. Developed by BDP and NBS, the assemblies remove the need for designers to manually build up material layers or calculate individual components at the concept stage. This saves significant time and effort, enabling proportionate and responsible carbon evaluation early in the design process, when decisions have the greatest impact on a project's overall carbon footprint. BDP also participated in collaborative workshops that directly informed the development of NBS LCA, helping to shape a tool that is practical, accessible and aligned with real-world UK construction workflows. Dr Lee Jones, Head of Sustainability at Hubexo, said: “BDP's contribution to NBS LCA has been invaluable. Their depth of project experience and technical knowledge has directly shaped the generic assemblies at the heart of the platform. These assemblies give designers a reliable, UK-relevant starting point for carbon assessment, without the burden of building everything from scratch. This is exactly the kind of collaboration that moves the industry forward, and we're proud to be working with BDP on a long-term basis.” Julia Yao, Associate, Sustainability Consultant at BDP, said: “Carbon assessment needs to be embedded in design from day one, not bolted on at the end. Working with NBS to develop its LCA product has been a genuine opportunity to put that principle into practice. The generic assemblies we developed draw on real project data and are designed to give designers meaningful, actionable carbon information at the concept stage. We're delighted to see them at the core of a platform that will be used across the industry.” With the UK Government outlining its commitment to responsible carbon reporting through its Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, professionals need reliable, easy-to-use tools to assess and report embodied carbon. NBS LCA addresses this need by integrating carbon calculations with live design work, drawing on structured data from Circular Ecology's ICE Database and more than 12,500 verified, specification-ready construction products with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) from NBS Source and ECO Portal. Over the coming months, NBS and BDP will continue to develop their partnership, with a shared commitment to improving the quality and accessibility of carbon data for construction professionals across the UK. NBS LCA is available now, with flexible subscriptions designed for all professionals. For more information, visit the website here.

Product update