When you embark on a construction project, you hear about the prime contractor and the contracting authority. If these two terms are close, they designate two different people whose missions are quite distinct. Indeed, the project manager is in charge of the good realization of the work whereas the building owner is the customer who orders the construction. Let’s take stock to fully understand the differences between these two roles.
Project manager and contracting authority: very different missions
The master builder
The project manager is a professional executing in charge of the good realization of the commissioned works. It can therefore be a craftsman, a design office or an architect.
Its role is to carry out the construction work in accordance with the expectations of the client, who is the sponsoring client. This building expert must design the project in accordance with the wishes of the client and within the limits of his budget, but also to ensure that the deadline for the work is respected by means of a strict schedule. . For this, he monitors the entire project since he participates in the design of the construction plans and the organization of the site. He must supervise the work and organize and coordinate the work of each professional he has selected himself, in particular through site meetings. Finally, he can ensure the reception of the site as a technical assistant to the client, as he could have worked as an assistant for the administrative procedures at the start of the project.
In addition, throughout the process, he works as an intermediary between the project owner and the various professionals working on the site.
The project manager is remunerated by the contracting authority for his services. This remuneration is made by means of the payment of a percentage on the total amount of the work or of a fixed sum previously defined.
The builder
The client is the one who orders the construction. It can be an individual or a professional. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the project owner can delegate his power if he does not consider himself competent enough to express his needs. He can then appoint a craftsman, a design office or an architect who becomes the contracting authority in his place, and who can also be the project manager.
The contractor has several roles. He is the one who defines the construction needs, in particular because he is generally the end customer. He establishes the specifications of the work, alone or with the help of a professional. Finally, he sets his budget and the construction completion deadline with the project manager.
What are the differences between the project manager and the contracting authority?
Everyone has their role, but that does not prevent confusion between the sometimes blurred boundaries of these two people. Here are the differences between these two entities to allow you to see more clearly.
The final decision
This belongs totally to the project owner, since he is the sponsoring client. Thus, even if the project manager intervenes at multiple levels, the contracting authority remains the only final decision-maker, including for the choice of professionals intervening on the site.
Acceptance of works
The project manager is present and organizes the acceptance of the works, but it is the client who validates and signs the acceptance report, or even indicates the points of non-compliance to be raised.
Technical skills
The project manager is a building professional and his role is to provide his technical skills to the client. He is indeed an expert capable of managing the entirety of a construction site, from A to Z.
Conversely, the client is an individual or a professional who does not necessarily have knowledge in the field of construction.
The obligation of means and result
The project manager has an obligation of means and result towards the contracting authority. If the latter considers that the result is not in accordance with his wishes and the established plans, he can fully engage the responsibility of project manager.
The service
The prime contractor and the contracting authority are bound by a contract, the first being the service provider of the second. He is also remunerated for this.
The insurance
The project manager and the contracting authority do not have the same obligations on the construction site. Consequently, they do not have to take out the same insurance.
The project manager is a professional who must take out a ten-year insurance contract before the start of the construction site, in order to cover any damage affecting the structure and which may make it unfit for use. He can also take out a general civil liability insurance contract to cover damage caused to third parties during construction.
The contracting authority, meanwhile, must take out a building damage insurance contract before the start of construction in order to cover any damage related to the ten-year guarantee of the contracting authority within a very short period of time.