-- Your workspace shapes how your team collaborates, how clients perceive your business, and ultimately, how productive everyone feels each day. When it's time for a new fitout, whether you're relocating, expanding, or refreshing your current space, the stakes feel pretty high.
But here's the thing: between your vision of that perfect workspace and actually sitting in it lies one make-or-break decision. Finding the right people to build it.
How to choose the right office fitout company might just be the most important choice you'll make for your business this year. Pick well, and you'll get a smooth project that stays on budget and creates a space your team loves. Pick poorly? You're looking at cost blowouts, endless delays, and probably a few sleepless nights.
The good news is that with the right approach, you can spot the difference between companies that talk a good game and those that actually deliver.
Check their track record with projects like yours
Not all fitout companies are created equal, and size definitely matters here. A company that's brilliant at cosy 50 person start-ups might be completely out of their depth with a 200-person corporate floor. Similarly, the team that nails trendy creative agencies might struggle with the compliance requirements of a medical practice.
I think this is probably the most overlooked aspect when people start their search. They get dazzled by a beautiful portfolio without asking the crucial question: "But have you done this for someone like us?"
Ask these questions upfront:
- "Show me three projects you've completed for businesses our size, both in terms of staff and square footage."
- "Have you worked in our industry before, and what specific challenges did you encounter?"
- "Walk me through the biggest problem you hit on a similar project and how you handled it."
A company with relevant experience won't just build what you ask for, they'll suggest improvements you hadn't considered and anticipate problems before they happen.
Key questions for references when calling:
- "How was the day-to-day communication? Could you actually reach someone when you needed to?"
- "Did they stick to the original timeline and budget?"
- "Six months later, how's the quality holding up?"
- "Knowing what you know now, would you hire them again?"
Make sure they can actually manage a project
Here's where things get messy fast if you choose wrong. An office fitout involves designers, electricians, plumbers, painters, furniture suppliers, IT technicians, and probably a few specialists you've never heard of. Someone needs to be conducting this orchestra.
A friend of mine learned this the hard way. He went with a company that had great designers but weak project management. Within a week, he was fielding calls from confused subcontractors asking about everything from power point locations to furniture delivery schedules.
Look for these project management essentials:
- One dedicated point of contact who's actually responsible for the whole project
- Regular update meetings or reports (weekly is probably about right)
- A detailed project schedule that shows how all the pieces fit together
- Clear processes for handling the inevitable changes and hiccups
Strong project management means you can focus on your business while someone else sweats the details.
Find out if they do design and construction in-house
The setup here makes a bigger difference than you might think. Some companies do everything with their own team design, project management, and construction. Others partner with external designers or subcontract major parts of the build.
Neither approach is necessarily wrong, but I've seen fewer communication breakdowns when the designer and project manager work for the same company. When problems come up (and they always do), there's no finger-pointing between the "design people" and the "construction people." Everyone's working toward the same goal.
It's like the difference between a band that's played together for years versus session musicians meeting for the first time. The chemistry just works better.
Questions to clarify their setup:
- "Do you have your own design team, or do you work with external architects?"
- "How do your designers and construction team collaborate to keep projects on budget?"
- "If there's a design issue during construction, who makes the call on how to fix it?"
You want to avoid projects where nobody takes ownership of problems because they fall between different companies' responsibilities.
Get quotes you can actually understand
Nothing makes me more suspicious than a one, page quote with a single number at the bottom. What exactly are you paying for? What's included and what isn't? How do you compare it with other options?
The cheapest quote rarely turns out to be the best value, especially when it's vague about what's included. I've heard too many stories about projects where the "extras" ended up costing more than the original quote.
Compare that with a detailed breakdown that lists including project management fees. It might be ten pages long, but at least you know what you're buying.
Demand clarity on:
- Exactly what work is included (and what isn't)
- Whether it's a fixed price or if you'll pay actual costs plus fees
- What happens if you want to change something halfway through
- How they handle items that can't be priced exactly until later (like specific light fittings you haven't chosen yet)
A transparent company will walk you through their quote line by line. If they're evasive about the details, that's telling you something important.
Get concrete answers:
- "What percentage of your projects last year finished on time?"
- "How do you handle supply chain delays or subcontractor issues?"
- "Can you show me a sample timeline for a project like ours?"
A company that takes deadlines seriously will have detailed processes for managing the things that usually go wrong.
Check they know the rules (and follow them)
This stuff matters more than you might realise. Your fitout needs to comply with building codes, fire safety requirements, disability access laws, and workplace safety regulations. Getting it wrong can mean fines, stop work orders, or having to rip things out and start again.
Make sure your company has current licenses and insurance, and that they understand the approval processes. Some of this paperwork can take weeks, so they need to factor it into the timeline.
Verify they can handle:
- Council permits and building approvals
- Fire safety and emergency exit requirements
- Accessibility compliance
- Workplace safety during construction
Watch out for obvious red flags
Sometimes your gut tells you something's off, and you should probably listen. But there are also some objective warning signs that suggest you should keep looking
- Quotes that are impossibly vague or dramatically cheaper than everyone else's
- Poor communication during the sales process (it won't get better later)
- No portfolio of similar work or reluctance to provide references
- High-pressure tactics trying to get you to sign immediately
- Claims that seem too good to be true
Understand what happens after they finish
Your relationship with the fitout company shouldn't end the moment you move in. What if something breaks or doesn't work properly a few months later?
Good companies provide warranties on their work and have clear processes for handling any issues that crop up. They should give you all the relevant documentation, warranties, and contact details for ongoing support.
Contact Info:
Name: Angelo Bisognano, Mary Karatzas , or Will Hofman
Email: Send Email
Organization: Premier Office Solutions
Address: Australia, Melbourne
Phone: +61393367507
Website: https://www.premierofficesolutions.com.au/
Release ID: 89170133
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