Tender documents (DCE) in Morocco: specification, CCAG-T and contract checks

The tender documents, or DCE, turn the approved design into something contractors can price on equal terms. They comprise the special specification (CPS), the bill of quantities and unit price schedule, the tender rules and a provisional programme. For public works the CCAG-T and the public procurement decree 2-22-431 apply; a private contract can adopt the CCAG-T mechanisms by reference. The CPS should name the Moroccan standards made mandatory for the products concerned and the safety rules of the Labour Code. Before signing, the contractor's documents are checked, and the insurance required by Order 3201-24 must be in place before any start.

Scope

This page covers the preparation of the tender package for building works, the comparison of bids and the signature of the works contract: quantity take-off, bill of quantities, special specification, tender rules, programme, analysis of offers, contractor's administrative documents, insurance policies and bonds.

It begins once the construction drawings are sufficiently advanced to measure the works and ends when the contract is signed and the insurance and guarantees are verified. The notice to proceed, site opening and construction follow in the site stage.

Regulatory table

Reference, edition, status, the text that makes the rule mandatory and the verified source (standards catalogue 2026-10-25; NM statuses checked against the official list of the Ministry of Industry and Trade).

ReferenceEditionStatusText making it mandatorySourceNote
Décret n° 2-14-394 du 13/05/2016
Cahier des clauses administratives générales applicables aux marchés de travaux (CCAG-T)
2016mandatoryThe text itself (published in the Official Bulletin)full textGeneral administrative conditions for works contracts (Decree 2-14-394): binding for public contracts and a common reference for orders, measurements, acceptance and penalties when a private contract adopts it.
Décret n° 2-22-431 du 15 chaabane 1444
Marchés publics
2023mandatoryThe text itself (published in the Official Bulletin)État marocain (ministère de l'Économie et des Finances)Public procurement decree: award procedures and bid evaluation for public owners; private owners may borrow its methods for fairness.
Arrêté n° 3201-24 du 20/12/2024
Assurances construction (TRC et RC décennale obligatoires)
2024mandatoryThe text itself (published in the Official Bulletin)full textConditions of the compulsory construction insurance (contractors' all risks and ten-year liability); policies must be checked before the contract takes effect.
Loi n° 65-99
Code du travail — hygiène et sécurité
consolidée (adala 2024)mandatoryThe text itself (published in the Official Bulletin)full textLabour Code (Law 65-99), health and safety: the CPS should restate the contractor's safety obligations on site.
Loi n° 28-00
Gestion des déchets et leur élimination
—mandatoryThe text itself (published in the Official Bulletin)État marocainWaste management law: the CPS states how construction waste is sorted and removed to authorised sites.
Loi n° 24-09
Sécurité des produits et des services
2011 (consolidée adala)mandatoryThe text itself (published in the Official Bulletin)full textProduct and service safety law, the legal basis for technical regulations on products used in the works.
NM 01.4.096
Produits sidérurgiques — Armatures pour béton armé — barres et couronnes HA non soudables
NM 01.4.096-2015mandatoryDécision/arrêté d'homologation n° 746-15, certification NM exigéeMCINET listMandatory standard for high-bond reinforcing bars; the CPS should require NM certification and delivery documents for each batch.
NM 05.5.337
Systèmes de canalisations en plastique pour le transport de l’eau sous pression Protocole de validation des assemblages de tubes en poly (chlorure de vinyle) oriente bi axial (PVC BO) et de raccords en fonte ou de colliers.
NM 05.5.337-2017mandatoryDécision/arrêté d'homologation n° 1648-17MCINET listMandatory standard for plastic pressure piping systems; to be cited in the plumbing section of the CPS.
Arrêté n° 2573-14
Matériel électrique destiné à être employé dans certaines limites de tension (règlement technique)
2014mandatoryThe text itself (published in the Official Bulletin)Ministère de l'Industrie et du Commerce (MCINET)Technical regulation on low-voltage electrical equipment placed on the market; the electrical section of the CPS refers to compliant equipment.
Arrêté n° 1674-18 du 31/05/2018
Cahier des prescriptions communes applicables aux marchés de travaux de ventilation mécanique contrôlée dans les constructions publiques
2018mandatoryThe text itself (published in the Official Bulletin)full textCommon prescriptions for mechanical ventilation in public buildings; a public text that can serve as a base for the ventilation section of a private CPS.

Who does what

PartyRole
Client (owner)Approves the CPS and the tender rules, chooses the contractor on the basis of the analysis and signs the works contract.
ArchitectMeasures the works, drafts the CPS with the consultants, runs the consultation through the platform and produces the comparative analysis of bids.
Structural and services engineersWrite the technical clauses of their trades and check that bidders' proposals match the specified products and standards.
ContractorPrices every item of the bill of quantities, provides administrative documents, insurance certificates and bonds, and commits to the programme.
CITURBAREA administrationChecks that the compulsory insurance and the financial guarantees are present before any start of works on a project followed on the platform.

Inspection milestones

  1. Quantity take-off and bill of quantities Good practice
    Detailed take-off, unit price schedule and confidential estimate prepared from the construction drawings; every item of the drawings is priced somewhere.
  2. Tender documents ready (specifications, CPS) Specification (CPS) requirement
    CPS, tender rules and provisional programme agreed with the client before consulting; hold point.
    Standards to check at this milestone: NM 01.4.096, NM 01.4.097, NM 06.6.071, NM 10.1.004, NM 10.1.008
  3. Bids received and analysed Good practice
    Bids compared on the same scope, deviations and omissions identified, award proposal reasoned in writing.
  4. Works contract signed Legal obligation
    Works contract signed after checking the selected contractor's administrative documents.
  5. Insurance, bonds and financing in place Legal obligation
    All-risks policy, ten-year liability certificate, architect's insurance, workers' accident cover and performance bond on file before any start.

Common non-conformities and follow-up

FindingAction
Bids are not comparable because contractors priced different scopes.Issue a clarification to all bidders on the same basis and ask for adjusted prices before ranking.
The CPS cites products by brand or only by foreign standards.Rewrite the clauses by performance and by Moroccan standard, accepting foreign standards only as declared equivalents.
The winning contractor cannot produce the ten-year liability certificate.Do not issue the notice to proceed; obtain the certificate or move to the next bidder.
The estimate and the lowest bid diverge strongly.Check quantities and unit prices line by line for errors or abnormally low items before awarding.

Frequently asked questions

Does the CCAG-T apply to private construction contracts in Morocco?

It is mandatory for public works contracts. A private contract applies it only if it refers to it; many private CPS do so to benefit from tested mechanisms.

What must the CPS say about Moroccan standards?

It should require products covered by mandatory NM standards to be certified, with delivery documents naming the standard, and set the checks made on receipt.

Which insurance is compulsory before construction starts?

Order 3201-24 frames the compulsory contractors' all-risks and ten-year liability insurance. Certificates are checked before the contract takes effect and before the notice to proceed.

Why prepare a confidential estimate?

It gives the owner an independent benchmark to spot unbalanced or abnormally low bids and to negotiate on facts.

Can I negotiate directly with the contractor outside the platform?

On CITURBAREA, consultation, questions and negotiation go through the platform so that every bidder receives the same information and the exchange remains traceable.

Sources, author and revisions

Written by , architect · under review · updated . Professional reading, separate from the text of the standard: each requirement is classed as a legal obligation, a specification (CPS) requirement or good practice.

Revision log

All standards for this trade (588)

"Tender documents" phase: 588 regulations and standards from the library apply at this stage. Moroccan texts take precedence; foreign standards are references or equivalents when no Moroccan standard exists.

Moroccan regulations (24)

Mandatory Moroccan standards (NM) (148)

Approved Moroccan standards (NM, voluntary) (212)

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Eurocodes (47)

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European and French standards (EN, NF, DTU) (82)

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Other jurisdictions (equivalents) (75)

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All phases

Sketch design · Preliminary design · Detailed design · Building permit · Construction documents · Construction site · Handover

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