Example of a house construction quote in Morocco

How do you read, compare and negotiate a construction quote? Here is an example of a quote priced package by package, taken from the CITURBAREA cost estimator, and the points to check before signing.

What does a good house construction quote look like?

A serious quote reads like a technical document, not like a sales offer. It contains, in this order:

1. Identification: company (legal name, ICE company identifier, trade register number, address), project owner, address of the plot, references of the permit and of the drawings used.
2. Assumptions: type of foundation, concrete class, slab thickness, finish level, what is excluded.
3. Detail by package: each item with unit (m³, m², linear metre, unit), quantity, unit price excluding VAT and amount.
4. Summary: total excluding VAT per package, total excluding VAT, VAT, total including VAT.
5. Conditions: deadline, payment schedule, retention, penalties, validity of the offer.

A one-page quote saying "turnkey house: 4,000 DH/m²" allows you neither to compare, nor to check, nor to settle a dispute.

Priced example: a 150 m² two-storey house

This summary comes from the CITURBAREA cost estimator (2026 prices): a house attached on two sides, 75 m² footprint, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, good soil, mid-range finish, city of Kénitra, general contractor.

CITURBAREA cost estimator, version 2026-10. Quantities from a parametric take-off (accuracy about ±13%); with drawings, they become measured quantities.

This summary excludes the land, the fees (66,335 DH including VAT for a full architect's assignment, the engineering consultancy (BET), the soil survey, the surveyor and the laboratory), the permit taxes (8,118 DH) and the utility connections (about 12,500 DH). The full budget therefore reaches 926,143 DH. Prices per m² are detailed in our guide on house construction cost per m².

Extract from the bill: what do the lines look like?

Each unit price includes supply, installation, overheads and the company's margin. For the detail of structural-work prices and of concrete and steel quantities, see structural work cost in Morocco.

What about a 100 m² house?

Same assumptions, 100 m² of floor area on two levels: 509,015 DH excluding VAT of works and 641,358 DH including VAT in mid-range finish (6,414 DH including VAT per m²), 710,613 DH for the full budget. In very economical finish with a tâcheron (labour-only contractor), the works drop to 383,660 DH including VAT. The m² is more expensive than at 150 m² because the kitchen, bathrooms, staircase and electrical panel do not shrink with the floor area. On a 100 m² plot, see house plan on 100 m².

How do you compare three quotes?

1. Have the same quantities priced. Give each company the same bill, prepared by the architect or taken from the estimator. Otherwise you are comparing different projects.
2. Bring everything back to amounts excluding VAT, then apply VAT yourself. Check whether the company charges VAT and on what.
3. Compare package by package, then line by line. A quote 15% cheaper overall often hides a forgotten package (waterproofing, drainage, low-voltage systems) or reduced quantities.
4. Spot differences of more than 20% on a unit price compared with the estimator's reference or the average of the quotes. That is the threshold the CITURBAREA engine uses to flag a price that needs justifying.
5. Check how the work is done. A tâcheron who prices only labour cannot be compared with a company that supplies everything. On this 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.

Which clauses should you require in the contract?

• Payment according to progress: a schedule tied to verifiable stages (foundations, each slab, weathertight, finishes), never to the calendar. LesMRE recommends never paying more than 30% in advance.
• Retention (retenue de garantie): a share of each payment kept until acceptance without reservations. LesMRE cites 5 to 10%.
• Deadline and penalties: a written completion date and a penalty per day of delay, with a cap. Their amounts are negotiated in the contract.
• Quantities and extra work: payment on quantities actually carried out at the unit prices of the bill, and any extra through a written, priced amendment before it is carried out.
• Compliance with the drawings: compliance with the architect's drawings and the reinforced-concrete drawings of the BET, with inspection visits before each concrete pour.
• Acceptance: a handover record with a list of snags and a deadline for lifting them.

What are the 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.

To check a company before signing, read how to choose a construction company. For items outside the works, see architect fees and building permit fees and taxes.

How do you get your own reference quote?

Enter your project in the estimator: you get a bill of quantities package by package, with unit prices and ranges, to hand to companies as the basis for tendering. Once you have the drawings and the zoning information certificate, measured quantities replace the ratios and accuracy improves to ±3 to 5%.

Frequently asked questions