Morocco public works contract conditions: the CCAG-T, article by article

In brief

• Text: Decree n° 2-14-394 of 6 Chaabane 1437 (13 May 2016), Bulletin officiel n° 6470 of 2 June 2016, in force since 1 October 2016.
• It applies to works contracts whose special conditions (cahier des prescriptions spéciales, CPS) refer to it expressly (article 1).
• Delay penalty: one per thousand of the contract amount per day, unless the CPS provides otherwise, up to a ceiling of 8% (article 65).
• Additional works (travaux supplémentaires) and increase in the volume of works (augmentation dans la masse des travaux): 10% at most in each case (articles 55 and 57).

What is the CCAG-T?

The CCAG-T (cahier des clauses administratives générales applicables aux marchés de travaux) is the set of general conditions of contract that applies to works contracts. Its article 1 gives it two functions: to lay down the conditions under which these contracts are performed, and to set out the rights and obligations of the contracting authority (maître d'ouvrage) and the contractor.

It has 84 articles in nine chapters. It does not say how a contract is awarded: that is a matter for the public procurement decree. It says how the contract is performed, from the works order (ordre de service) to start work through to final acceptance (réception définitive).

Which decree approves the CCAG-T, and is it still in force?

The CCAG-T is approved by Decree n° 2-14-394 of 6 Chaabane 1437 (13 May 2016), published in Bulletin officiel n° 6470 of 2 June 2016. It came into force on 1 October 2016 (article 4 of the decree).

It repealed the CCAG-T of 2000, approved by Decree n° 2-99-1087 of 4 May 2000. The earlier text now governs only contracts concluded, or whose notice was published, before 1 October 2016 (article 5 of the decree).

The 2016 text refers to Decree n° 2-12-349 of 20 March 2013, since repealed by Decree n° 2-22-431 of 8 March 2023. That decree keeps in force, on a transitional basis, the texts adopted to implement the earlier decree until they are repealed or replaced (article 170). To our knowledge, the CCAG-T has not been replaced: in November 2026 it still appears among the texts published by the Commission nationale de la commande publique, whose opinion n° 168/2026 of 4 August 2026 still applies its article 49.

Which contracts does the CCAG-T apply to?

It applies to works contracts whose special conditions refer to it expressly (article 1). The approving decree covers works contracts awarded under the public procurement decree, and the CCAG-T itself mentions the State, local authorities and public establishments (articles 17 and 18).

The special conditions (CPS) cannot depart from it freely. Article 2 allows a derogation only in the cases the CCAG-T itself provides for, and requires the CPS to state the articles from which it derogates. Any other derogation is deemed void.

Where does the CCAG-T rank among the contract documents (CPS, CPC)?

The CCAG-T closes the list of documents that make up the contract, and that list is also an order of precedence. In the event of a contradiction, the financial offer aside, the documents prevail in the order in which article 5 lists them:

1. the form of tender (acte d'engagement);
2. the special conditions (CPS);
3. the schedule of rates (bordereau des prix) and the detailed estimate (détail estimatif), for unit-price contracts;
4. the schedule of rates for supplies of materials (bordereau des prix des approvisionnements), if it is required;
5. the breakdown of the lump sum (décomposition du montant global) or the price build-up (sous-détail des prix), if the CPS makes them contractual;
6. the technical offer, if it is required;
7. the drawings, calculation notes and other documents that the CPS designates as contractual;
8. the common specifications (cahier des prescriptions communes, CPC) to which the CPS refers;
9. the CCAG-T.

The CPS, which is specific to each contract, therefore ranks ahead of the CPC, which ranks ahead of the CCAG-T. Once the contract is concluded, the works orders are added to the list, along with any amendments (avenants) and, where applicable, the decision to increase the volume of works (article 6).

How does a works order operate?

A works order is the document by which the contracting authority notifies the contractor of a decision or a piece of information concerning the contract (article 11). It is written, signed, dated, numbered and entered in the contract register. The contractor returns a signed and dated copy within three days.

The contractor must comply with it. If the contractor considers that an order goes beyond its obligations, the procedure is strict:

1. it returns the signed copy with the handwritten words "signed with reservation" (signé avec réserve);
2. it sets out its reservations in writing within ten days of the notification, failing which its right to do so lapses;
3. it suspends performance of the order, on its own responsibility, unless the contracting authority issues a second works order within seven days of receiving its explanations;
4. if the disagreement persists, it lodges the claim provided for in article 81.

Work on site also starts on a works order, issued within thirty days of the notification that the contract has been approved. Except in an emergency, the start date cannot fall less than ten days after that order is notified (article 40). To see who signs what, read our guide to the contracting authority, the project supervisor and the other parties on site.

Time limits, delay penalties, postponement: what does the CCAG-T provide?

The time for completion is set by the CPS, it cannot be changed, and it runs from the date given in the works order to start (article 8). Only four cases give rise to additional time: force majeure, partial postponement, an increase in the volume of works, and additional works.

Where the overall time for completion is overrun, the penalty is one per thousand of the contract amount per calendar day, unless the CPS provides otherwise (article 65). Weekly rest days and public holidays are not deducted. The total is capped at 8% of the initial amount, increased by the additional works and by any increase in the volume of works: once that ceiling is reached, the competent authority may terminate the contract.

Postponement (ajournement) is a total or partial suspension of the works, decided by the contracting authority through reasoned works orders to stop and to resume (article 48). The duration of a total postponement does not count towards the contractual time for completion. The contractor keeps custody of the site and may ask to be compensated for the cost of guarding it and for any loss it can substantiate. Beyond twelve months of cumulative postponement, it may obtain termination of the contract if it asks for it in writing within forty days. A payment delay of more than four months also gives the contractor the right, on request, to a postponement (article 67).

Additional works and increase in the volume of works: what are the limits?

Both mechanisms are capped at 10%, but they are not the same thing. Additional works do not appear in the initial contract: the contracting authority orders them by works order, their amount does not exceed 10% of the amount of the initial contract, and an amendment sets their nature, their prices and, where necessary, the time allowed (article 55).

An increase in the volume of works concerns works valued at the initial prices of the contract, excluding additional works. The contractor warns the contracting authority at least twenty days before the volume of works reaches the initial volume. Once that threshold is reached, it stops work if it has not received the works order notifying it of the decision to continue. In no case may the cumulative increases exceed 10% of the initial volume (article 57).

Statements of work done, accounts, acceptance: how is the contract paid?

Payment follows a chain of documents. The statement of work done (attachement), a record of the works carried out, is drawn up by the contractor at least at the end of each month (article 61). It is the basis for the interim account (décompte provisoire), drawn up at least once a month, on which interim payments (acomptes) are made (article 62). Each interim payment bears a retention (retenue de garantie) of one tenth, capped at 7% of the initial amount of the contract and its amendments, unless the CPS provides otherwise (article 64).

Provisional acceptance (réception provisoire) transfers ownership and risk to the contracting authority and starts the defects liability period (délai de garantie), which lasts twelve months unless the CPS provides otherwise (articles 73 and 75). In the month that follows, a works order invites the contractor to examine the final account (décompte définitif); if it signs with reservations, it has thirty days to send its statement of claim (article 68). Final acceptance marks the end of performance of the contract (article 76). These stages are set out in detail in our guide to provisional acceptance, final acceptance and retention.

How is a dispute with the contracting authority settled?

By a written claim, in two stages, before any other remedy (article 81). The contractor sends the contracting authority a claim and a supporting statement by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt. The contracting authority replies within thirty days. If there is no reply, or if the reply does not satisfy it, the contractor has thirty days to refer the matter to the competent authority, which has forty-five days to reply.

The parties may then, by mutual agreement and within thirty days, turn to mediation or arbitration (article 82). The contractor may also bring the dispute before the competent administrative court within sixty days; once that time limit has passed, it is deemed to have accepted the decision (article 83).

On our sites

AHMA BTP, a main contractor founded in Marrakech in 1998, has been building for public clients for 28 years: hospitals, courthouses, university faculties, sports facilities. Our contracting authorities are provincial directorates of the Ministère de l'Équipement (Ministry of Equipment), universities, regional academies and public agencies, and our completed projects range from the Centre Hospitalier Provincial de Tinghir (Tinghir Provincial Hospital) to the indoor Olympic pool in Tétouan. On a works contract, the discipline of the CCAG-T comes down to a few words: everything is done in writing, and every time limit counts.

This guide is a contractor's reading, not legal advice: only the text published in the Bulletin officiel and the documents of your own contract are authoritative. The full text is online on the Moroccan public procurement portal. For a construction project, contact our teams.

Frequently asked questions

Which decree approves the CCAG-T in Morocco?

The CCAG-T is approved by Decree n° 2-14-394 of 6 Chaabane 1437 (13 May 2016), published in Bulletin officiel n° 6470 of 2 June 2016. It has been in force since 1 October 2016 and repealed the CCAG-T of 2000 (Decree n° 2-99-1087 of 4 May 2000).

What is the rate of the delay penalties under the CCAG-T?

Unless the special conditions (CPS) provide otherwise, the penalty is one per thousand of the contract amount per calendar day of delay (article 65). The total of the delay penalties is capped at 8% of the initial contract amount, increased by the additional works and by any increase in the volume of works. Once that ceiling is reached, the competent authority may terminate the contract.

Can a contractor refuse to carry out a works order?

In principle, no: the contractor must comply with works orders. It may sign the order with reservation and set out its reservations in writing within ten days, which suspends performance of the order on its own responsibility, unless the contracting authority issues a second order. Article 11 requires the contractor to refuse that second order in three cases only: danger to the structure or to safety, an order unrelated to the subject of the contract, or an order that exceeds the rates of articles 55 and 57.

What is the difference between the CCAG-T, the CPC and the CPS?

The CCAG-T lays down the general administrative conditions of the works contracts that refer to it. The special conditions (CPS) lay down the clauses specific to a given contract and refer, where applicable, to a set of common specifications (CPC). In the event of a contradiction, article 5 gives the CPS precedence over the CPC, and the CPC precedence over the CCAG-T.

Can the CPS derogate from the CCAG-T?

Only in the cases the CCAG-T itself provides for. Article 2 deems any other derogation void and requires the CPS to state the articles from which it derogates. The daily penalty rate and the defects liability period are among the points a CPS may set differently.

How long is the defects liability period of a works contract?

Twelve months from the date of the provisional acceptance report, unless the special conditions (CPS) provide otherwise (article 75). During that period, the contractor is bound by the obligation to complete the works in full and make good their defects (obligation de parfait achèvement). Final acceptance then marks, where applicable, the start of the ten-year liability (garantie décennale) defined by article 769 of the Dahir des obligations et contrats, the Moroccan code of obligations and contracts (article 78).