Building works for businesses

Price is the most visible criterion, not the most protective. Before choosing a firm, check four points.

• Insurance. Ask for the certificates, valid on the date of the project. Liability insurance covers damage caused during the works. Ten-year liability insurance (assurance décennale in France), compulsory for builders there, covers for ten years after handover damage that compromises the soundness of the works or makes them unfit for their purpose. Check that they mention the activities you are entrusting and that the company name and SIRET (the French company registration number) match the quote.
• Qualifications. In France, Qualibat for many building trades, Qualifelec for electrical work, the RGE mention for certain energy renovation grants: these are assets that attest to skills and resources, not general obligations. Require them when your project justifies it.
• References. Ask for projects comparable to yours (type, size, occupied site or not) and, if possible, the contact of a former client.
• A prior site visit. Serious pricing means seeing the premises: access, condition of the existing building, operating constraints. A firm that prices remotely without asking questions will add a safety margin or discover the difficulties during the project.

The quote. Require a dated, detailed quote: the firm’s identity and SIRET, insurer and geographical cover, description of the works, quantities, prices, VAT, deadlines, payment terms, period of validity. Signed with the words “bon pour accord” (agreed), it constitutes a contract.

The contract. For a large project, formalise a written contract: lump-sum or unit price, deadlines and late-completion penalties, payments, any retention (capped at 5% in a private contract in France), insurance, subcontracting. Additional works are carried out under a written, priced variation before execution. The French standard NF P 03‑001 is a common contractual reference, which must be cited for it to apply.

Handover. By handover, you accept the works with or without reservations, preferably jointly, through a signed report. It triggers the guarantees in France: completion guarantee (garantie de parfait achèvement, one year: repair of defects noted at handover or notified in writing within the year), two-year functioning guarantee (garantie biennale de bon fonctionnement, two years: removable equipment) and ten-year guarantee (garantie décennale, ten years). List the snags precisely, agree a deadline for clearing them and ask for the as-built file. Avoid occupying the premises or paying the balance before handover: these acts may be read as tacit acceptance. Finally, allow for end-of-works cleaning.