Projects

As Project Manager at Colas Projects, Bruno’s role is to provide impetus. “On large-scale projects, you have to know how to delegate, and leave room for everyone to develop their ideas. A dedicated team is often created specifically to carry out a given project, that's a strength!" Bruno’s job is to make sure that the three pillars of the project are met: deadlines, costs and quality. In Reunion Island, he has worked on the construction of the new coastal road, a daring project to build a causeway including dikes and viaducts. “Basically, big projects are all prototypes, things the company has never done before." The challenges, the daring, that's what pleases Bruno. "The most amazing projects are those where we encounter problems that we figure out how to overcome. Delivery day is an intense moment." For him, big projects are above all an accomplishment: "When you arrive on the site, there is nothing. When we leave, several years later, there is a structure, an achievement. It’s really, truly satisfying to have a job where you build incredible things."
 

Major projects are always new projects, and that’s precisely why their preparation is crucial. As Bid Manager, Antoine leads the response to calls for bids on these large-scale projects. For several months, even several years, he prepares a tailor-made bid designed to satisfy the client's needs. After analyzing the request for proposal and the technical requirements, Antoine creates a team with the expertise that will enable him to formulate a relevant, differentiating bid. For Antoine, knowing the environment in which the project will be performed is essential: "These projects have an important societal impact; discovering and taking into consideration local cultures, customs and mentalities is fundamental to their success. Mastering the project as a whole allows us to gain the client's trust, to anticipate questions, and even to add unexpected new ideas. "Proposing innovative alternative solutions also means that we dare tell a client that what they thought was impossible actually is possible!" The Bid Manager also has an advisory role; he or she is there to support the local profit centers and to ensure that the project is viable, both for the company and for the general public as well. Responding to calls for bids is a real team effort that draws its strength from team work. For Antoine, contracts are won when bids and mind frame match.
 

Laetitia is in charge of the financial control division at Colas Projects, the structure dedicated to major projects in France and around the world. As two-thirds of their business is now outside of France, Laetitia supports both junior and more experienced controllers on some one dozen projects across the world. To define financial controlling, she emphasizes the importance of anticipating, of analyzing risks and opportunities, all of which is needed to manage major projects. "I often compare Major Projects to ocean liners; they are big machines, with many people on board, difficult to maneuver. Anticipation is crucial to their success." To do this, Laetitia regularly visits construction sites. She is in frequent contact with teams in the field, project managers and site supervisors. In return, controllers provide real tools to help manage the project, enabling them to make their margins more reliable. "Even though I’m not a technical expert, my job requires me to know everything that happens on the site; like a conductor has to know every instrument in an orchestra, I have to master every aspect of these projects," she explains. Laetitia sums up her daily routine in three key words: "Mobility, adaptability and pride!"