Sign a French third-party-payer RGE contractor contract online, in 2 minutes
Tripartite contract between the beneficiary customer, the RGE-certified contractor performing the works and the CEE obligated party (or delegate), by which the CEE bonus is paid directly to the contractor and deducted from the customer's quote. Compliant with articles L221-7 and following of the French Energy Code, the "Coup de pouce" order and the eIDAS Regulation — advanced signature recommended, admissible audit trail, 6-year CEE audit window.
- Legal framework
- Energy Code L221-7+
- Signature level
- AES eIDAS recommended
- Legal archiving
- 6 years (CEE) + 10 years Certyneo
What is a French RGE third-party-payer?
The CEE third-party payer (sometimes called "third-party financer" or "tiers-payant") is a mechanism by which the CEE bonus owed to the customer is not paid directly to the customer but to the RGE contractor performing the works, as a direct deduction from the quote. The customer only pays the "remaining balance". This practice, codified by the "Coup de pouce" order of 22 December 2017 (as amended), is now dominant for insulation and heating actions. The tripartite contract formalises this commitment: the customer authorises the payment, the contractor acknowledges the deduction on their invoice, and the CEE obligated party (or its delegate) commits to paying the bonus to the contractor once the works are accepted. It complements the classic CEE mandate.
Why sign the third-party payer electronically?
Identical legal force
Article 1366 of the French Civil Code recognises that electronic writing has the same probative force as paper writing. CEE obligated parties and delegates have accepted third-party-payer contracts signed at advanced level (AES eIDAS) since 2020. Nothing in the French Energy Code requires a handwritten signature.
Tripartite customer + contractor + obligated party
The CEE third-party payer mandatorily involves three parties. Our multi-signer flow handles them sequentially or in parallel, with individual SMS-OTP. The customer signs from their phone, the contractor from their computer, the obligated party from their back office.
6-year archiving + CEE office admissibility
The third-party-payer contract is part of the CEE filing, auditable 6 years after submission by the national CEE office (art. R221-1 French Energy Code). Certyneo archives the contract + eIDAS audit trail for 10 years (beyond the CEE audit window), accessible in one click.
eIDAS audit trail, court-admissible
Customer + contractor + obligated-party identities, qualified timestamp, SHA-256 hash, SMS-OTP, IP geolocation. Admissible in disputes over bonus deduction (customer challenges billed amount), action eligibility or contractor's RGE qualification.
Sign a third-party-payer contract in 4 steps
From the CEE quote to the deducted invoice, in under 5 minutes for tripartite signing.
1. Prepare the contract
Upload your template or start from one compliant with the Coup de pouce order: identity of customer + contractor + CEE obligated party, eligible action (FOST fiche), CEE amount in €/MWh cumac, quote deduction, payment terms after works acceptance.
2. Add signers
Beneficiary customer + contractor's executive (manager, president, sole trader) + CEE obligated party or delegate representative. For co-ownerships, add the property manager. Each receives a secure personalised link.
3. Choose the eIDAS level
Advanced signature (AES) recommended: identity verification by SMS-OTP, unique certificate, qualified timestamp. Compliant with art. 26 of the eIDAS Regulation and national CEE office requirements.
4. Sign, perform, invoice
Once signed, the contract lets the contractor invoice the customer with the CEE deduction. On works acceptance, the obligated party pays the bonus to the contractor. 10-year archiving with proof PDF.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a third-party-payer contract be signed electronically?
- Yes — all CEE obligated parties (TotalEnergies, EDF, Engie) and delegates (Hellio, Effy, Sonergia) accept third-party-payer contracts signed with advanced signature (AES eIDAS) since 2020. Article 1366 of the French Civil Code grants full probative force. The national CEE office accepts AES + audit trail on audit.
- What's the difference from the classic CEE mandate?
- The classic CEE mandate authorises the delegate to file the case and collect the bonus, which is then forwarded to the customer or contractor depending on terms. The third-party payer goes further: it directly enacts the deduction of the bonus on the customer's quote, avoiding any forwarding and simplifying invoicing. It is mandatorily tripartite (customer + contractor + obligated party).
- Is the customer paid without advancing the bonus?
- Exactly — that's the key advantage of the third-party payer. The customer only pays the "remaining balance" (total quote - CEE bonus - any MaPrimeRénov' if tri-aid). The contractor is reimbursed the CEE bonus directly by the obligated party after works acceptance. The cash-flow risk is borne by the contractor, not the customer.
- Who bears the risk if the CEE bonus is refused?
- That's the central issue. If the CEE obligated party refuses to pay the bonus (ineligible action, invalid RGE qualification, fraud), the contractor remains a creditor of the customer for the deducted amount. The third-party-payer contract usually includes a "bonus claw-back" clause whereby the customer commits to pay the difference if refused. This clause must be read carefully.
- Which actions are CEE third-party-payer eligible?
- Mainly Coup de pouce insulation actions (BAR-EN-101 to 109), Coup de pouce heating (BAR-TH-104+: heat pumps, biomass boilers), Coup de pouce performant renovation BAR-TH-174. Outside Coup de pouce, third-party payer is possible on any action if the obligated party accepts. Check the standardised operation fiche (FOST) before signing.
- Can the contractor impose third-party payer on the customer?
- No — the customer always has the choice between collecting the CEE bonus directly (classic mandate) or deducting it from the quote (third-party payer). The contractor cannot condition works acceptance on choosing third-party payer. The 24 July 2020 Act on CEE fraud also bans any canvassing forcing this option.
- Is the contract forwarded to the national CEE office?
- Indirectly: the signed third-party-payer contract is part of the CEE filing submitted by the obligated party on the Emmy registry. The CEE office can, on audit, demand production of this contract. Certyneo's 10-year archiving allows immediate response, even if the contractor ceases activity.
- Is the electronically signed third-party payer admissible in court?
- Yes — advanced signature (AES) benefits from the reliability presumption of article 1367 of the French Civil Code. In customer-contractor or contractor-obligated-party disputes before the civil court, the eIDAS audit trail (identity, timestamp, SMS-OTP, IP geolocation) constitutes admissible and recognised evidence.
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Sign your first third-party-payer contract online
Permanent free plan (5 envelopes / month), no credit card. Coup de pouce order and eIDAS compliant. Tripartite traced, 10-year archiving included.