How do you choose a construction company in Morocco?
The construction company builds what the architect and the engineering consultancy (BET) have designed. Choosing it well means comparing offers on the same basis, checking that it is sound and framing the contract. Here is the method.
In short: to choose a construction company in Morocco, ask at least three companies to price the same tender file (drawings, specification and bill of quantities), check their legal existence (trade register, ICE company identifier, tax and CNSS social-security status), compare the offers line by line, and sign a written contract with payments tied to progress actually observed and a retention kept until final acceptance. The contractor and the architect carry a ten-year liability for the soundness of the building (article 769 of the Code of Obligations and Contracts, to be verified on the version in force). Supervision of the works by the architect protects your budget and quality.
Your permit, prepared by an architect
A registered architect studies your plot, draws the plans and files your application. First call with no commitment.
1. Invite tenders on a common file
Ask for prices on the same tender file (dossier de consultation): construction drawings, specification of works and bill of quantities (bordereau des quantités) prepared by the architect and the BET. Without a common basis, quotes cannot be compared and the differences reappear during the works as extras.
A serious quote reads like a technical document: one line per item with unit, quantity, unit price and amount, grouped by trade package, then a summary excluding VAT, VAT and including VAT. A one-page quote saying "turnkey house: 4,000 DH/m²" allows you neither to compare, nor to check, nor to settle a dispute. See our example of a house construction quote.
2. Check the company
- Legal existence: trade register (registre de commerce), common company identifier (ICE), tax and social-security (CNSS) status up to date.
- References: comparable sites, and a visit to a site in progress if possible.
- Resources: site management (site manager), workforce, equipment.
- For public contracts, the administration requires a qualification and classification certificate; for a private project, it is a useful sign of seriousness without being mandatory.
Your permit, prepared by an architect
A registered architect studies your plot, draws the plans and files your application. First call with no commitment.
3. Compare the offers
Compare line by line, not just the total. A markedly lower offer often hides underestimated quantities, lower-quality materials or omitted items. The architect analyses the offers and flags the differences.
- Have the same quantities priced. Otherwise you are comparing different projects.
- Bring everything back to amounts excluding VAT, then apply VAT yourself.
- Compare package by package, then line by line. A quote 15% cheaper overall often hides a forgotten package (waterproofing, external drainage, low-voltage systems) or reduced quantities.
- Spot differences of more than 20% on a unit price compared with the reference of the CITURBAREA cost estimator or the average of the quotes: this is the threshold the estimator uses to flag a price that needs justifying.
- Check how the work is done. A tâcheron (labour-only contractor) who prices only labour cannot be compared with a company that supplies everything. On a 150 m² mid-range house, the estimator gives 599,297 DH including VAT with a tâcheron against 839,190 DH with a company, but with a tâcheron the purchasing and coordination are yours.
4. Secure the contract and the payments
- A written contract: price (lump sum, or based on the schedule of prices), deadlines, late-completion penalties.
- Payments spread according to progress actually observed (validated progress claims), never far ahead of the site. LesMRE recommends never paying more than 30% in advance.
- A retention (retenue de garantie) kept until final acceptance; LesMRE cites 5 to 10%.
- The ten-year liability of the contractor and the architect for the soundness of the building (article 769 of the Code of Obligations and Contracts, Dahir des obligations et contrats; text not reviewed in our regulatory reference file: check the version in force before relying on it).
- Compliance with the architect's drawings and the BET's reinforced-concrete drawings, with inspection visits before each concrete pour.
- Any extra work through a written, priced amendment before it is carried out.
Warning signs
- An overall price per m² with no quantities at all.
- An advance of more than 30% requested, or cash payments without a receipt.
- No mention of the concrete class, the type of foundation or the slab thickness.
- Missing packages: waterproofing, external drainage, low-voltage systems, false ceilings.
- A quote 30% below the others with no written explanation.
- A company with no ICE and no verifiable address, which refuses a written contract.
5. Have the works supervised
Supervision by the architect (visits, reports, validation of progress claims, handover with lifting of snags) protects your budget and the quality. For Moroccans living abroad, CITURBAREA provides this supervision remotely with regular reports. The architect's role and fees are explained in our guide on architect fees, and the role of the engineers in our guide on the engineering consultancy (BET). To estimate the price of the works before tendering, see house construction cost per m². Tell us about your project.
Frequently asked questions
How many quotes should you get to build a house?
At least three, on the same tender file (drawings, specification and bill of quantities), so that you can compare them line by line.
Should you pay the company an advance?
A limited advance can be justified at the start; after that, payments should follow progress observed and validated, with a retention kept until handover.
Who checks the company's work?
The architect, as part of the site-supervision assignment, supported by the BET and, depending on the project, an inspection office and a laboratory.
Is a tâcheron cheaper than a building company?
On a 150 m² mid-range house, the CITURBAREA estimator gives 599,297 DH including VAT with a tâcheron against 839,190 DH with a company. In return, you carry the purchasing, coordination, waste and warranty.
What is a retention (retenue de garantie)?
A share of each payment kept by the client until the works are accepted without reservations. LesMRE cites a retention of 5 to 10%. It must appear in the contract with its release terms.