Fit out companies are good at meetings. The showroom is beautiful, the visuals are seductive, and the person presenting has done this two hundred times. You have done it once, or never. These ten questions put the conversation back on your terms.
Which three projects in the last 18 months were within 50% of our floor area and budget, and can we speak to those clients? A firm that does 40,000 square foot headquarters will not be at its best on your 4,000. If the examples are all bigger or all smaller than you, that is the answer.
Who on site is employed by you and who is subcontracted? Both models work. But a firm with its own site manager, foreman and core trades controls programme and quality more directly. If everything is subcontracted, ask who the regular partners are and how long they have worked together.
What does the square foot rate exclude? Furniture, IT and AV, professional fees, building control, landlord fees and VAT are the usual answers. A firm that volunteers the list is being straight with you. One that says “everything is included” is either exceptional or about to surprise you.
What sits in provisional sums? A provisional sum is an allowance for something not yet designed. A quote with £15 per square foot of provisional sums is a different quote from one with £2. The difference is your risk.
Who handles the licence to alter? The right answer is “we do, and we start it at space plan stage”. If the firm has not heard of one, or expects you to manage it, the programme will slip. There is a guide to landlord consent on this site.
What is your defects period and who do we call in month nine? Twelve months is standard. The useful part of the answer is a named person, not a helpdesk.
Show us a programme for a project like ours, including the weeks before site. Anyone can promise eight weeks on site. The full timeline, from appointment to move in, is what you need and few firms offer it unprompted.
Which accreditations do you hold and when were they last audited? Constructionline, SafeContractor, CHAS and ISO 9001 are the baseline. B Corp and employee ownership tell you something about the firm’s stability. Ask to see the certificates, not the logos.
Who owns the design if we part ways? On a design and build contract, most firms assign the design to you on final payment. Some retain it. Find out before you sign, not after.
What would you do differently with our budget? The best firms will tell you where you are overspending and where you are about to regret saving. A firm that simply agrees with everything in your brief is a firm that wants the order.
Take the answers back to the directory and compare them against two other firms of the same size band. The best office refurbishment companies list is a reasonable place to start if you have no shortlist yet, but the questions matter more than the list.
