commanditaire

12:46 Oct 1, 2014 

The Asker says she thinks that "the commanditaire is not an individual" and that does seem likely from the context she has given.

12:35 Oct 1, 2014 

In my professional experience, as an engineer and executive in US and European industry for 25 years, buyers are people who work in the procurement or purchasing department or division. Buyers solicit bids, ensure that specifications are met and negotiate with vendors of equipment. The equipment can be anything from machinery to armaments. They are not mere order placement people. They report to the head of the procurement department. If we are seeking to express the meaning in English, this is appropriate for someone who is concerned with procedures and specific details of the purchase.

19:05 Sep 30, 2014 

There is a crucial difference between an ordinary "buyer" (or even more for a "customer") and a "commanditaire".

An ordinary customer/buyer gets an offer and either buys or not what's offered.

To be a "commanditaire" implies a totally different level of involvement - the "client" is doing ways more than just buying, he is the one defining what is going to be offered, will be participating in product testing and development, in all stages of product design and later manufacturing, where a bog standard "customer/buyer" would be politely asked to get lost.

To make it short: if you buy an existing property you are a mere buyer (acheteur); if you get an architect and tell him what exactly you want and have a say at every stage leading to the finished house, you are a "commanditaire".

What this text is saying is that the officials representing the State in the arms procurement process (usually from the Army or the Ministry of defense), who are acting as "commanditaire" on behalf of the State are exercising their influence in the wrong way (= un fonctionnement souvent trop complexe, désuet et excessivement perfectionniste)