Chapter I: Responsibilities of the project owner

The programme drawn up by the project owner includes the following elements relating to the construction and use of the project:1° The objectives to be achieved by the project;2° The needs to be met by the project;3° The constraints and requirements in terms of social, town-planning, architectural, functional, technical and economic quality, integration into the landscape and environmental protection.

The project owner draws up the programme and sets the estimated financial budget for the project before the project manager begins preliminary design studies.The project owner may specify the programme and financial budget before the project manager begins design studies.

The development of the programme and the setting of the provisional financial envelope may continue during the preliminary design studies for:1° Refurbishment projects;2° New construction projects involving complex works, provided that the project owner has specified this in the tender documents for the public works contract.

The consequences of changes to the programme and the estimated financial envelope are taken into account by a contractual amendment to the public works contract, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter IV of Title IX of Book I.