The BHBIA Constitution
Select an item below to jump straight to a section.
1. Title
2. Mission
3. Aims
4. Membership
5. Admission of Members
6. Representation
7. Management and Control
8. The Committee
9. Election of Members of the Committee
10. Meetings
11. Voting
12. Finance and Indemnification
13. Alteration of the Rules
1. Title
The title of the Association shall be "THE BRITISH HEALTHCARE BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE ASSOCIATION".
2. Mission
To promote the excellence with integrity of Business Intelligence within the Healthcare Industry.
3. Aims
To ensure the highest levels of legal and ethical compliance are adhered to in all healthcare business intelligence practices.
To promote best practice in business intelligence, emphasising its contribution to industry progress.
Training: to provide an educational programme of practical applications and techniques in business intelligence.
Industry Issues: to provide a forum for the discussion and sharing of ideas to advance and improve business intelligence performance.
To raise awareness and understanding of issues affecting the industry.
To encourage all individuals and organisations engaged in healthcare business intelligence to participate in the Association.
To maintain communication and build relationships with other professional bodies.
4. Membership
Membership of the Association will be divided into four Divisions: Corporate, Personal, Affiliate & Certified Non-Member.
Corporate (Industry) - Any company manufacturing or marketing pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom and any company manufacturing and marketing products in the field of healthcare
Corporate (Agency/Consultancy) - Any independent organisation whose primary business purpose is to supply business intelligence services to healthcare companies. Business Intelligence services include: Primary market research, secondary data collection and analysis, syndicated data services, field force effectiveness services and fieldwork recruiting. Business Intelligence services does not include: Personnel recruitment/HR services, advertising, communications or PR services.
Personal - Any individual that supplies business intelligence or consultancy services to healthcare companies. Business Intelligence services include: Primary market research, secondary data collection and analysis, syndicated data services, field force effectiveness services and fieldwork recruiting. Business Intelligence services does not include: Personnel recruitment/HR services, advertising, communications or PR services.
Affiliate - Available to any Company or Agency who is commercially affiliated to an existing BHBIA member organisation, but whose main office is based at a separate address to the existing member (UK or International).
Personal Certified Non-Member - Available to any individual who has a legitimate interest in the UK Pharmaceutical Business Intelligence Community. This option is suitable for individuals who wish to undertake BHBIA approved on-line training programmes, but will accept limited access to other membership benefits.
Corporate Certified Non-Member - Available to any company which has a legitimate interest in the UK Pharmaceutical Business Intelligence Community. This option is suitable for companies who wish employees to undertake BHBIA approved on-line training programmes, but will accept limited access to other membership benefits.
ALL membership classes MUST agree to adhere to the BHBIA membership rules and the BHBIA Legal & Ethical Guidelines for Healthcare Market Research when carrying out business within the UK.
In addition, members must ensure that all dealings & business undertakings are aligned with the corporate mission, namely: ‘To promote the excellence with integrity of Business Intelligence within the Healthcare Industry'.
An Affiliate is classed as an organisation which, whilst being a member of the same group of companies, has a different commercial entity or postal address. The BHBIA Committee will apply discretion to this particular criterion, to take into account for example temporary circumstances.
5. Admission of Members
Application for membership for any category shall be made in writing to the Committee of the Association on the appropriate application form, showing full particulars of the qualification for membership.
For Corporate – Industry & Agency/Consultancy, Personal and Affiliate the application will be reviewed by the Membership Committee of the Association and they shall have the power to approve the application and allocate membership to a Division of the Association, or refuse the application.
Applications for Personal Certified Non-member and Corporate Certified Non-Member membership will be reviewed and approved by the secretariat in line with criteria agreed with the Committee.
The Committee may also withdraw or suspend membership. Companies, organisations or individuals approved for membership shall pay annual fees to ratify their membership. Membership fees will be set by the Committee.
At the Committee's discretion the membership fee can be increased annually by no more than the increase in inflation (as announced in June each year) should the need arise. Any proposed increase that exceeds the prevailing rate of inflation must be approved by members at an Annual General Meeting. The membership year will run from 1st October-30th September inclusive.
Employees of member companies and organisations, or individual members, will be entitled to the benefits set out below:
| Corporate Member | Personal Member | Affiliate Member | Personal Certified Non-Member | Corporate Certified Non-Member | |
| Type | Group | Individual | Group | Individual | Group |
| Attendance at BHBIA Members only events | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Attendance at non-members even | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Access to members area of BHBIA website | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Preferential rates when attending training courses | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Mailed copies of the BHBIA journal & handbook | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Access to electronic PDFs of the BHBIA journal via the website | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Mailings regarding BHBIA events | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Emails regarding BHBIA events | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Register / complete AER training plus validated certification of competency | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Access to advice from the BHBIA Guidelines Consultant | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Access to BHBIA guidelines | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Company listing in handbook and online membership directory | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Access to online membership directory | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Access to online training programmes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Discounted rates for advertising | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Voting rights | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
6. Representation
Any organisation which is a member of the Association shall be represented at meetings of the Association. However, the Committee shall, when the Committee considers appropriate, organise meetings or part of meetings that are open to members of only one or other membership Division of the Association and invited guests.
7. Management and Control
The management and control of the business and affairs of the Association shall be vested in the Committee which may exercise all the powers and authorities and discretions of the Association.
8. The Committee
The Committee shall consist of ten persons elected by the members of the Association as provided for in these rules. Five members of the Committee shall be from the companies in the Industry Division of the Association. Five members of the Committee shall be from organisations or individuals in the Agencies and Consultancies Division of the Association. The Chairman and Deputy Chairman shall be elected from members of the Industry Division of the Committee by the Committee Members. Each member of the Committee shall have one vote and all motions shall be determined at meetings of the Committee by a simple majority of those present and entitled to vote. A quorum of five Committee members is required for each Committee meeting. The five Committee members present must be a mix of both Agencies and Consultancies Division and Industry Division representatives. The Chairman presiding at any Committee or General Meeting shall have an original and also a casting vote.
9. Election of Members of The Committee
I) The Committee shall be elected as a result of a ballot of members. A request for nominations for membership of the Committee shall be sent to all members before the end of December in any year. The closing date for nominations shall be 31st January.
II) Each member of the Corporate (Industry), Corporate (Agency/Consultancy) & Personal membership categories shall be entitled to nominate only one person as a candidate for membership of the Committee. Every nomination will be required to be seconded by another member of the Association.
III) Only one member per corporation or organisation shall be permitted to serve as a member of the Committee at any one time, except for members from the Industry Division where two members from the same corporation can serve on the Committee if each works within a different Business Intelligence discipline for that corporation and no other candidates with the relevant discipline have stood for election to the Committee.
Should corporate mergers produce a situation in which two members subsequent to their election become employees of the same corporation / organisation, they shall remain in post until their term of office is complete, at which time the normal rules of nomination and election will apply.
The Chairman and Deputy Chairman shall be elected from members of the Industry division of the Committee by Committee members. The Chairman and Deputy Chairman shall be from different corporations from within the Industry division of the Committee. The Treasurer shall be elected from all members of the Committee by Committee Members and shall be from a different corporation/organisation from both the Chairman and Deputy Chairman.
IV) Should more than five persons be nominated for membership of each Division of the Committee, the papers necessary for a ballot shall be despatched to members by the Chairman as soon as possible after 31st January.
V) Each member of the Corporate (Industry), Corporate (Agency/Consultancy) & Personal membership categories shall have one entitlement to vote and may only vote for any candidate seeking election to the Committee from their own membership Division of the Association. A maximum of five votes may be cast, one vote for each candidate preferred. The five candidates from each Division obtaining the most votes shall be deemed to be elected and shall serve for two years from the date of the Annual General Meeting. Associate and Affiliate members do not have any voting rights.
VI) In order to avoid a 'tie' situation arising from the number of votes cast for candidates seeking to be the fifth member of each Division voting forms issued for election of Committee Members will seek first and second choices.
VII) The results of any election shall be announced at the Annual General Meeting.
VIII) If, during their term of office, a member of the Committee should take up new employment within the pharmaceutical industry, their membership of the Committee is not affected provided they respect the composition of the Committee set out in Section 8. If the employment move would alter the stated composition of the Committee, the member can remain on the Committee until the next Annual General Meeting, where they shall stand down but shall be eligible for re-nomination and re-election under the normal nomination and election rules.
IX) The election of the Chairman and Officers (namely Deputy Chairman and Treasurer) shall take place at the first Committee Meeting after the Annual General Meeting.
X) In the event of a vacancy occurring in the membership of the Committee from either Division of the Association, the Committee shall have the power to co-opt an additional member. The co-opted member will take up Committee duties until the next Annual General Meeting. The Committee shall not at any time, however, include more than three co-opted members and shall respect the composition of the Committee set out in Section 8.
XI) After their term of office the Chairman and members of the Committee (including co-opted members) shall stand down but shall be eligible for re-nomination and re-election (or nomination and election, in the case of co-opted members) to the Committee.
10. Meetings
I) There shall be an Annual General Meeting held in conjunction with the Annual Conference each year.
II) In addition, a Special General Meeting may at any time be called by the Chairman by direction of the Committee, or upon request in writing to the Chairman to do so, the request being signed by at least ten representatives of member companies or organisations and individual members of the Association, for the discussion of any special subject or subjects for which notice shall have been given by those who desire that the meeting shall be called. No business shall be transacted at a Special General Meeting save such as is specified in the notice of it given to members.
III) The Chairman shall give to members not less than fourteen days notice of all General Meetings and the notice shall be accompanied by an Agenda of the business to be transacted at the meeting.
11. Voting
I) Only one representative of Corporate (Industry), Corporate (Agency/Consultancy) & Personal members shall be entitled to vote at an election as specified in these Rules or at the Association's meetings. The person voting shall be the senior representative concerned with business intelligence or their nominee from the same company or organisation. Personal/Corporate Certified Non-Members and Affiliate members do not have any voting rights.
II) At any General Meeting only one representative of Corporate (Industry), Corporate (Agency/Consultancy) and Personal members of the Association shall have the right to vote. Personal/Corporate Certified Non-Members and Affiliate members do not have any voting rights.
III) Voting at General Meetings shall be by show of hands or ballot at the discretion of the Chairman and all motions shall be determined, subject to any exceptions set out in these Rules, by a simple majority of those present who are entitled to vote.
IV) The Chairman presiding at any Committee or General Meeting shall have an original and also a casting vote.
V) The Committee reserve the right to authorise a proxy vote for a BHBIA member if there are special circumstances which prevent the member from being represented at the Annual General Meeting. Proxy vote applications must provide details of the special circumstances and must be presented in writing to the Association Chairman not less than fourteen days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting. The application must be signed by the most senior market researcher from a member company/agency/ consultancy or by the named individual in the case of personal membership. The Committee reserve the right to refuse applications.
12. Finance and Indemnification
I) The BHBIA financial year runs from 1st October-30th September. The financial records of the Association shall be maintained by the Committee or an organisation appointed by the Committee and subject to annual audit by a qualified accountant. A financial report shall be presented to the members at the Annual General Meeting and audited accounts published annually.
IIa) The Association shall indemnify all members of the Committee in respect of all actions, claims and demands whatsoever made against them alone or jointly with others in respect of any act, thing or matter lawfully done or omitted to be done by them within the scope of their authority in or about the business of the Association, but no actions may be taken on behalf of the Association by a member of the Committee without the prior approval of the Committee.
IIb) The Association shall indemnify any member in respect of all actions, claims and demands whatsoever made against him alone or jointly with others in respect of any act, thing or matter lawfully done or omitted to be done by him in pursuance of any activity carried out on behalf of the Association for which the Committee had given its prior written consent*.
*Written consent to be signed by the Association Chairman or Deputy Chairman plus one other Committee Member/
III) The BHBIA shall remain a non-profit making Association. Financial liability shall rest equally with all member companies or organisations and individual members of the Association. All member companies or organisations and individual members agree and abide by this clause on taking up membership of the Association.
13. Alteration of the Rules
No modification to these Rules shall be made unless:
I) Notice calling a General Meeting specifying the proposed modification or addition shall have been given to all members; and
II) Such modification or addition shall have been approved by a simple majority of the members present and voting at that General Meeting.
