On a house build, several people are involved: some build, some draw, some count. And the words get mixed up. You may even be offered a « maître d'ouvrage délégué » without anyone explaining what it means.
This guide puts each role in its place, with one question every time: who does this person work for, you or the one who builds?
The project owner (maître d'ouvrage): that is you
The maître d'ouvrage is the owner of the project: you. You choose the builder, you sign the quote and you pay. Even from London, Milan or Montreal, you have the final say. Being far away changes only one thing: you need reliable information, and someone who checks before the money leaves.
The architect: they design the house
The architect designs the house: the rooms, the façades, the plans. They often prepare the documents for the building permit application. Depending on their contract, they may also visit the site to check that the build follows their plans. Read carefully what that contract covers.
The builder: a company, a tâcheron or a mason
The builder is the one who builds. It can be a construction company, with its teams, its site foreman and often its own estimator. It can be a tâcheron, a subcontractor who takes on part of the works with a small team and is paid by the task. Or a mason, sometimes recommended by the family.
In all three cases, the builder looks after their own interests, and that is normal. But it is not their job to point out a quantity rounded up or an item left out of their quote.
The métreur: they count the quantities
The métreur measures everything that goes into the house: square metres of walls, cubic metres of concrete, the number of steel bars, metres of pipes. In English, this is the measuring part of a quantity surveyor's work. It is the basis of the quote: a good unit price is useless if the quantity is wrong.
The question to ask: who does this métreur work for? The company's métreur prepares the quote for the company. A métreur on your side measures the quantities again from your plans, to check that the quote really matches your house.
The quantity surveyor (économiste de la construction): they follow the money
The quantity surveyor starts from the quantities to check the prices. On the client's side, they read the quote before you sign, check every payment request from the builder (called a valuation, situation de travaux in French), every extra, then the end of build account, called the final account. In French, this role is called économiste de la construction. The quantity surveyor in detail.
The client side project manager: your representative
The client side project manager represents your interests on site and is paid only by you. They help you choose the builder, check quotes and payment requests, chase delays and report back to you. This role is also called the owner's representative.
Do not confuse them with the site foreman, who works for the company and organises the workers. The client side project manager does not direct the workers and does not replace the builder. You remain the one who decides and who pays.
The delegated project owner (MOD): someone who acts in your name
The maître d'ouvrage délégué, often called MOD, goes further than the project manager. Through a written mandate, you give them the power to act in your place: depending on the mandate, to sign with the builder, place orders, pay the contractors with money you entrust to them, or accept the works in your name. This is no longer advice, it is a delegation of power.
If you are offered this role, read the whole mandate before you sign: exactly what it allows, how long it lasts, how to end it, how the money flows. Also check the provider's legal capacity: company registration, insurance, right to carry out this activity. If in doubt, have the mandate reviewed by a notary or a lawyer in Senegal.
You may also hear about a regulated technical body, separate from SEETLU. That is a distinct activity, and it is not one of the roles covered in this guide.
The table: who does what
| Role | What they do | Who they work for |
|---|---|---|
| Project owner (maître d'ouvrage) | Decides, signs, pays | That is you |
| Architect | Designs the house; depending on the contract, follows the site | For you, depending on the contract |
| Builder (company, tâcheron, mason) | Builds the house | For themselves, paid by you |
| Métreur | Measures the quantities | For whoever pays them: the company or you |
| Quantity surveyor (économiste) | Checks prices, payments, extras and the final account | On the client's side, for you alone |
| Client side project manager | Represents you, checks, chases, reports back | For you alone, you decide |
| Delegated project owner (MOD) | Acts in your name, within the limits of a written mandate | For you, with your powers |
What a diaspora family really needs, stage by stage
Before the works
An architect for the plans and the permit application. Then a builder who gives you a detailed quote, item by item, with quantities. This is the moment to have the quantities measured again and the prices checked, before you sign.
During the works
The builder builds. On your side, you need at the very least regular visits and a check of every payment request before you pay. One person who follows everything for you: that is the client side project manager. Read also paying for your build in instalments and extra works.
At the end of the works
Before the last payment, do the account: what was ordered, built, paid, and what still needs to be put right. That is the final account.
A delegated project owner is not needed for most private houses. It makes sense if you truly want to hand over your powers to sign and pay to someone else. If you prefer to keep every decision in your own hands, a client side project manager is enough.
Example: a two storey house in Thiès, a family in Madrid
An invented example to illustrate the roles. A family lives in Madrid and is having a two storey house built in Thiès.
An architect draws the plans. A local company sends a quote. Before signing, a métreur on the family's side measures the quantities again from the plans: some walls are counted twice and the exterior render is missing. The family discusses it with the company and signs a corrected quote.
During the build, a client side project manager visits the site and compares each payment request from the company with what is built, with photos. The family pays the company itself, directly, for what is really done.
At the end, the project manager prepares the final account. The family never signed a delegated project owner mandate: it kept every decision and every payment.
Where SEETLU fits
SEETLU works on your side, on measuring, figures and site monitoring. We offer three things.
- Quote check, before you sign: quantities measured from your plans, unit prices, missing items. 75,000 FCFA for a quote up to 20 million FCFA, 125,000 FCFA from 20 to 50 million, priced on request above that. The quote check · how to read a quote.
- Payment request check, on site, before each payment: included in the Confort (99,000 FCFA a month) and Premium (300,000 FCFA a month) site monitoring plans, 35,000 FCFA per request with Essentiel (39,000 FCFA a month). Site monitoring · a sample report.
- Client side project manager + quantity surveyor: one person on your side from the quote to the final account. From 350,000 FCFA a month, 3 months minimum. The project manager in detail.
We do not take a delegated project owner mandate, we do not draw plans and we do not issue any regulated technical opinion. We do not build and we do not hire the workers. You pay your builder directly: your money never goes through SEETLU. Your builder builds; SEETLU represents you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a métreur and a quantity surveyor?
The métreur measures quantities: areas, volumes, lengths, numbers of items. The quantity surveyor starts from those quantities to check prices, payment requests, extras and the final account.
What is a delegated project owner (maître d'ouvrage délégué) in Senegal?
It is a person or a company to whom you give, through a written mandate, the power to act in your name: to sign, order, pay or accept the works, depending on what the mandate says. Read the whole mandate and check the provider's legal capacity before you sign.
Is SEETLU a delegated project owner?
No. We do not take that mandate. You remain the project owner: you sign with your builder and you pay them directly. SEETLU checks, represents you on site and advises you; the decision remains yours.
My builder has a site foreman. Do I need a project manager?
They are not the same roles. The site foreman works for the builder and moves the works forward. The client side project manager works for you and checks before you pay. If you do not need that much, a quote check and site monitoring with payment request checks may be enough.
How much does a client side project manager cost at SEETLU?
From 350,000 FCFA a month, with a minimum of 3 months. The exact price depends on your house, the location, the stage of the build and how often visits take place. It is given to you in writing after a first conversation.
Talk to a project manager
Tell us where your project stands. We will tell you which roles you are really missing, and what a client side project manager would do for you. From 350,000 FCFA a month, 3 months minimum.
Read also: the quantity surveyor · the valuation (situation de travaux) · all guides
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