FR
XP-NOVA

Contractual mechanism

How we secure your money

A consultancy hands over a report and leaves. We put our signature behind the fact that what is paid for has been done.

The process

Four steps, in this order, without exception

Step 1

Submission

You describe your situation on the portal. Free of charge.

Step 2

Preliminary assessment

A territorial engineer assesses the opportunity, the eligibility and the feasibility. Free of charge, within 48 working hours.

Step 3

Opening the file

Detailed technical appraisal, land tenure analysis and the field mission. This step is chargeable — the amount depends on the nature of the project and is given to you before any commitment.

Step 4

Quotation and agreement

Assignment quotation, signature and opening of the escrow account.

Why step 3 is chargeable. We do not promise a “free quotation”. A serious engineering quotation requires real appraisal: checking land tenure, going into the field, sizing the works. Charging for that appraisal is what allows us to do it properly — and to tell you no when the project does not hold, which a provider paid only on the assignment never does.

The mechanism

The escrow account and the technical clearance

Capital intended for works contractors is placed in an OHADA-law escrow account. It does not leave on the contractor's request alone, nor on approval of a declared interim statement.

It is released when our engineers issue a technical clearance: a signed, dated document certifying that the contractual milestone was built to the drawings. Until the clearance is issued, the funds stay ring-fenced.

What this changes for a client: you no longer pay on a declaration, you pay on a third party's certification. What it changes for a funder: every disbursement rests on evidence that holds up during supervision missions.

The escrow mechanism: funding, milestone execution, field inspection, then clearance issued (payment released) or clearance refused (funds kept in escrow).Funding from the contracting authority or the donorOHADA-law escrow accountCapital intended for the works is ring-fenced there.The contractor completes a contractual milestoneField inspection — ODT engineersExecuted in accordancewith the drawings?YESTechnical clearance signed and datedPayment is releasedto the contractor.NOClearance refusedPayment is blocked.The funds stay ring-fenced
The mechanism as stipulated in the agreement. No amount and no lead time appear on it: both depend on the nature of the project and are given to you before any commitment.

What the clearance is not

  • It is not a financial guarantee: we do not stand in for a defaulting contractor.
  • It is not insurance: the clearance certifies conformity observed on a date, not future performance.
  • It is not a blank cheque: a refused clearance blocks payment, and that is precisely what it is for.
The situation “getting works built”← Our evidence

Let's talk about your territory

Describe your territory and your ambition: a first response within 48 working hours.

Describe your situationDiscover our method