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Restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris: Recognizing an Exemplary Project and the Key Role of setec opency
A project carried out with rigor and responsiveness
The report highlights that the works, launched after the 2019 fire, were completed on schedule and within the budget initially set. The reopening for worship took place on December 8, 2024, in line with the presidential objective. Despite unforeseen issues, such as damage discovered in the south belfry, the project owner and its partners reacted effectively, containing the impacts and ensuring operational continuity.
Behind this performance lies an exceptional logistical and operational organization, designed and orchestrated by setec opency alongside the public agency Rebâtir Notre-Dame. Since 2019, our teams have been fully mobilized at the heart of the site, under unprecedented safety and complexity conditions, to coordinate all flows—from contractors to supplies, including access management and on-site co-activity.
Professionalism, expertise and innovation serving a universal heritage
The mission entrusted to setec opency by the public agency Rebâtir Notre-Dame illustrates the full scope of our expertise:
– Scheduling, steering and coordination (OPC) on a project of rare intensity, marked by the urgency of the initial securing works and the technical complexity of the restoration phases.
– Logistical management on a constrained site in the heart of Paris, hosting workers, researchers, experts, designers, and institutions.
– Lean Construction, a real performance accelerator. A pioneer in applying this approach to OPC, setec opency implemented a collaborative and transparent organization that greatly contributed to the project’s success. By collectively building the detailed work schedule with all stakeholders during dedicated workshops—in a few hours instead of several months—we improved efficiency, anticipated contingencies, and reduced wasted time, resources, and materials.
With 90% of our engineers certified Lean Yellow Belt, we are among the few players in the sector to have fully integrated this approach, which places cooperation and optimization at the heart of project management.
This combination of expertise—OPC, logistics, and Lean—and a partnership-based approach supported by the Public Agency contributed to the smoothness and robustness of project execution, two qualities highlighted by the French Court of Auditors as decisive for the project’s success.
Lessons for the future
Beyond the praise, the report also opens new perspectives: storage of archaeological remains, development of a national standard for lead management, and structuring the conservation of heritage. It emphasizes that the model implemented for Notre-Dame should inspire other major heritage projects.
In this regard, the experience accumulated by setec opency constitutes valuable capital for the future: our ability to anticipate, organize and coordinate in sensitive environments is already fueling our work on other landmark projects in France and abroad.
A new stage: phase 3 of the restoration project
In 2025, a third phase of restoration will begin, expected to last three years and involve major structural and heritage interventions. setec opency has once again been selected to provide OPC, logistics and Lean Construction services, confirming its key role alongside the public agency and all stakeholders involved.
We are proud to continue our commitment to safeguarding and passing on this universal monument, whose rebirth continues to inspire far beyond Paris.
Feel free to consult the report published on September 3, 2025 by the French Court of Auditors entitled “The Restoration Project of Notre-Dame Cathedral: Carrying Out the Works Following the Fire, the Reopening, and Continuing the Project: Third Review.”