Office fit-out checklist for CFOs: how to control cost and schedule risk

Fit-out budgets rarely fail because of one large mistake. They drift through many small ones: a brief that was not frozen, items missing from the quote, approvals that took longer than planned, and changes agreed verbally on site. A CFO does not need to manage the construction to prevent this. A few well-placed checks before and during the project do most of the work.

Why fit-out budgets drift

• The brief keeps moving. Headcount, seating ratios and meeting room needs change after design has started.
• The quote is incomplete. Items such as fire safety, IT cabling, AV, signage or furniture are excluded or vaguely described.
• Approvals are underestimated. Landlord and building approvals take time, and the construction schedule often depends on them.
• Changes are not controlled. Small additions are agreed on site without a written price.
• Lead times are ignored. Furniture, glazing and lighting ordered late push the move-in date.

Before you sign

• Freeze the brief. Agree headcount, departments, seating and room counts in writing, with a growth allowance you have decided on deliberately.
• Ask for an itemised cost. You should see quantities, scope and prices by trade: civil, interiors, electrical, HVAC, fire, plumbing, furniture and lighting.
• Read the exclusions. Anything not listed as included is a potential extra. Ask what is excluded and who pays for it.
• Confirm who handles approvals with the landlord and the building, and what happens to the schedule if they are delayed.
• Decide on contingency. Agree how much is held, who controls it and what it may be used for.
• Check the payment terms. Payments should follow progress, not just the calendar.

During construction

• Use a change-control process. Every change gets a written scope, price and schedule impact before work starts, and someone on your side approves it.
• Get regular progress reports with photographs, percentage complete against the schedule, and open risks.
• Track the critical path. Know which items, such as approvals, long-lead furniture or utility connections, can delay handover.
• Review cost against plan at each milestone rather than only at the end.

At handover

• Walk the floor with a punch list. Record every open item with an owner and a date.
• Collect the documents: as-built drawings, operation and maintenance manuals, warranties and test certificates.
• Agree the defects period and how issues are reported and resolved.
• Reconcile the final account against the approved cost and the change log before releasing the last payment.

The role of the delivery model

A single-source design and build contract makes several of these checks easier, because design, engineering, procurement and construction sit under one team and one cost plan. It does not remove the need for discipline on your side: a clear brief, a written scope, and controlled changes. If you are comparing proposals, ask each firm to show how they would handle every line of this checklist.

Two related reads worth pairing with this checklist: why contractor quotations for the same brief can vary so widely, and what should actually change hands at the other end of the project, when the fit-out is handed over.

Every Officea Design & Build proposal is itemised this way by default, so cost and scope are visible before you sign, not discovered during construction.