Development monitoring, Project management, contract management? As a property owner these terms mean something to you, but everyone understands something slightly different
The determining factors in choosing the right service are your project objectives, your human and financial resources, the skills of your team, the time available and your ability to manage risk.
Property development in France is carried out by a number of different actors
The developer
As an investor or future occupier you require a experienced operator to take care of your property project from A to Z from the definition of the scope of works, setting up the design and construction team, administrative approvals, production of specifications and plans, works management handover, financial management.
Once the outline of the project and financial conditions are agreed you are ready to leave the operational decisions to a developer who guarantees the result through a development contract or forward funding agreement but takes a profit as reward for the risk involved.
‘M.O.D.’
As building owner you may not have the resources to directly manage a construction project but leaving everything to a developer would leave you with little control. A solution sometimes used in France involves delegating some of your powers to a construction professional (le maitre d’ouvrage délégué) who takes over your role to organize and deliver the tiresome technical aspects of design and construction whist leaving you in overall control of key aspects like budget and timetable.
Whilst this can offer a suitable solution in some cases, it can easily lead to misunderstandings over the split of powers and responsibilities between the client and the Agent. Is he financially liable for delivering the project? (Then he’s a developer). If not then he’s a project manager with a wide ranging brief.
An alternative route is the design and build contractor – more than a general contractor but less than a developer. This type of contractor provides a turn-key service – he not only carries out the works but also deals with the design and often the statutory permissions upstream of the works phase. But the design and build contractor remains a contractor – who will build what’s in the contract but does not guarantee that this meets the client’s objectives. And if the design and build contract sets a level of responsibility corresponding to that of a development contract, then the contractor becomes a developer with the advantages and drawbacks which that implies.
Project monitoring
Forward funding contracts, design and build, development agreements, all give little or no right to intervene in the process once the contract is signed. This is why professional assistance before signature is so important, in order to review the scope of works, the technical details of the projected works and negotiate improvements where necessary. We provide development monitoring to ensure that your interests are protected.
Project management
Some clients wish to keep full control of works whether it’s new construction, renovation, or alterations but do not have the technical know-how or in-house resources to manage the process – definition of timetable and budget, choice and appointment of the professional team, driving forward the design process, procurement policy, tenders and works contracts, control of contractor payments, management of contingencies, reporting and just making sure it all happens.
This is where a project manager’s professional know-how and experience will allow you to stay on top of the project.
| Turnbull Associés offers its clients both development monitoring and project management services for every kind of project.
But we never take on the roles of developer or contractor, so as to remain entirely objective and avoid any conflicts of interest. For us, every works project and every client requires a made to measure service in order to manage the operation in the best possible way, and never mind how its called. |
What makes a good project manager?
