What NBS does

NBS is a private construction technology company headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, operating as Hubexo North UK Ltd within the Hubexo group (affiliated with RIBA Enterprises). Founded in 1973 and active for five decades, the company provides cloud-based specification, product information, classification, and BIM coordination software for the architecture, engineering, manufacturing, and contracting industries. Its core platforms are NBS Chorus, a collaborative cloud-based construction specification authoring tool; NBS Source, a centralized product information platform aggregating 30,000+ manufacturer products; and Lattira, a next-generation specification and product decision platform launched in the United States in February 2026. Supporting modules include NBS LCA (lifecycle carbon assessment, launched 2025), NBS BIM (3D modelling tools), Uniclass (a construction-industry classification system), the Construction Information Service (standards and regulatory content), and NBS Schumann (professional specification consultancy, acquired in 2020).

The business model is predominantly subscription SaaS. NBS charges recurring subscriptions for NBS Chorus, NBS LCA, NBS Source listings (paid by manufacturers), and the Construction Information Service, supplemented by professional services revenue from NBS Schumann. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; subscription tiers are sold on an annual billing cadence with enterprise demos available. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales, particularly in the UK, Canada (Toronto), and Australia (Sydney), with a global reseller partner network (e.g., SolidCAD in Canada) and technology integration partnerships with BIM platforms including Autodesk, Graphisoft, Vectorworks, and Newforma. Marketing is content-led through the NBS Knowledge portal, the annual Digital Construction Report, NBS Academy training, and industry events.

The customer base spans two sides of a marketplace: demand-side architects, engineers, specifiers, and contractors (4,500+ companies, 275,000+ users) and supply-side construction product manufacturers (3M, Assa Abloy, Cemex, DuPont, Dyson, Formica, Hilti, Kingspan). Enterprise design firms including HOK, Arup, Aecom, BDP, Ryder Architecture, Woods Bagot, Mott MacDonald, and IBI Group rely on NBS for specification and BIM workflows. With 68,000+ specifications and 32,000+ new projects created in 2024 and 98%+ adoption among UK top architects, NBS holds a dominant position in its home UK market while executing on international expansion through Lattira in the US and continued channel-led growth in Canada and Australia.

Name

NBS

Legal name

Hubexo North UK Ltd

Website

http://www.theNBS.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

NBS provides cloud-based construction specification, product information, and BIM coordination platforms serving architects, engineers, contractors, and construction product manufacturers across the UK, Canada, Australia, and the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle Upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. NBS Chorus Subscriptions: Subscription-based access to the NBS Chorus cloud platform for construction specification writing, with tiered subscription options offering different feature sets and user capacities.
2. NBS Source Product Listings: Building product manufacturers pay to list their products on NBS Source platform, powering their marketing strategy and delivering product data to the industry.
3. NBS LCA Subscriptions: Subscription-based lifecycle carbon assessment platform with flexible subscription options for project-based carbon measurement and analysis.
4. NBS Schumann Consultancy: Professional specification writing and consultancy services leveraging NBS Chorus expertise.
5. Construction Information Service (CIS): Subscription to comprehensive online collection of construction-related standards, regulations, technical advice and articles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NBS provides cloud-based construction specification software and a connected product information platform for the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. Its core products include NBS Chorus for collaborative specification writing, NBS Source for aggregating manufacturer product data, NBS LCA for embodied carbon assessment, and NBS Schumann for specification consultancy. The platform also maintains the Uniclass classification system and Construction Information Service (CIS) for standards and regulations.

Product overview

NBS is an integrated global platform for everyone involved in the design, supply and construction of the built environment. The portfolio consists of core specification platforms (NBS Chorus, NBS Source, and Lattira) complemented by specialized modules (NBS LCA for lifecycle carbon assessment, NBS Schumann for consultancy services, NBS BIM for 3D modeling coordination, Uniclass for classification, and CIS for standards and regulatory content). The platform serves architects, engineers, specifiers, and product manufacturers with 275,000+ users, 68,000+ specifications in 2024, and operations in UK, Canada, and Australia. Parent company is Hubexo (RIBA Enterprises).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NBS Chorus: Intelligent construction specification platform in the cloud, enabling real-time collaboration on specs across organisations and locations
• NBS Source
• NBS LCA
• NBS Schumann
• Construction Information Service (CIS)
• Uniclass
• NBS BIM

Products and services

• NBS Chorus

Quantifiable outcome

• 32,000+ new projects created in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AutodeskcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology integration partnership enabling NBS specification tools to work with Autodesk BIM and design software platforms, providing seamless workflow integration for architecture and engineering customers.
• GraphisoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology integration partnership with Graphisoft (ArchiCAD) enabling specification and BIM coordination workflows within the ArchiCAD environment.
• VectorworkscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology integration partnership enabling NBS specification tools to work with Vectorworks BIM and design software.
• NewformacoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology integration partnership with Newforma for project information management and specification coordination.
• SolidCADcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChannel partner based in Canada delivering NBS products and services locally to the Canadian construction market.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MasterSpec: MasterSpec (owned by Deltek/Roper Technologies) is the leading construction specification platform in North America, directly comparable to NBS Chorus. Both serve architects with standardized specification content and BIM integration.
• BSD SpecLink: BSD SpecLink is a construction specification platform that automates spec writing for architects, directly competing with NBS Chorus in the specification authoring workflow for architecture firms.
• Bimobject: Bimobject operates a BIM product information platform with manufacturer-uploaded building product data, directly competing with NBS Source for specifier access to structured product information.
• Arcat: Arcat is a free building product information and specification catalog serving architects and engineers, comparable to NBS Source's product listing and specification-ready content business.

Broad incumbents

• Autodesk Construction Cloud: Autodesk Construction Cloud (BIM 360, PlanGrid, Assemble) is a broad AEC platform with growing specification capabilities that increasingly overlap with NBS Chorus; Autodesk is also an NBS integration partner.
• Trimble: Trimble offers a broad construction technology portfolio including Tekla BIM and Trimble Connect with specification-adjacent capabilities. As a large AEC platform player, it competes with NBS in specification and BIM coordination.
• Procore: Procore is a leading construction project management platform expanding upstream into pre-construction workflows, increasingly overlapping with NBS's specification management capabilities.
• RIB Software: RIB Software (now part of Schneider Electric) provides the iTWO construction platform with specification, BIM, and project management capabilities, comparable to NBS's integrated AEC platform strategy.
• Bluebeam (Nemetschek Group): Bluebeam, part of the Nemetschek Group, offers construction collaboration and markup software used by architects and contractors, overlapping with NBS's specification review and collaboration workflows.
• Deltek: Deltek (parent of MasterSpec) provides project-based ERP and specification solutions for AEC firms; MasterSpec under Deltek is the most direct competitor to NBS in construction specifications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thenbs
• Facebookfacebook.com/the-nbs-1008763109243818
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nbs_3

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NBS