Businesses moving into a new office in the UAE usually receive a shell-and-core or Category A space. Turning that into somewhere your team can work is the fit-out — and how the contract is structured matters more than most people expect.
What turnkey should cover
- Space planning and test-fit layouts against your headcount
- Design development, 3D visuals and a finishes schedule
- Authority and landlord approvals, with drawings submitted on your behalf
- Partitions, ceilings, flooring, painting and joinery
- Coordination with MEP contractors for lighting, power, data and HVAC
- Furniture supply and installation
- Snagging, cleaning and handover documentation
Where projects go wrong
Almost always at the interfaces. When the design is by one firm, construction by another and furniture by a third, gaps appear between the scopes — and each party reasonably points at the others. A single contract removes the gap.
Questions worth asking
- Who submits the drawings for landlord and authority approval, and is that time in the programme?
- Is MEP coordination included, or only the civil and joinery works?
- What are the payment milestones, and are they tied to completed stages?
- Who holds responsibility for snagging after handover, and for how long?
Realistic timelines
A 100 square metre office typically takes three to five weeks. A 500 square metre floor takes eight to twelve. Approvals, not construction, are usually what moves the date — build that into your lease planning rather than assuming a fixed start.
