Project Quote Guide · 02
Commercial Fit-Outs
A structured guide to comparing fit-out quotations where scope coordination, approvals, lead times and commercial terms can materially affect delivery.
Designed for
Office, retail, hospitality, F&B, gym, wellness and other commercial fit-out clients reviewing contractor quotations.
What to look for
Use these checks to establish whether competing quotations describe the same work and commercial commitment.
Coordinated architectural and MEP scope
Visible base-build and third-party boundaries
Realistic programme and lead-time assumptions
Defined allowances, terms and variation controls
Understand project setup costs
Commercial quotations should explain the work required before permanent finishes and services are installed.
Preliminaries and mobilisation
Check site setup, supervision, temporary protection, logistics, access, permits, insurances if stated, testing and final handover obligations.
Landlord and base-build boundaries
Clarify what is provided by the landlord or base build and where the fit-out contractor's responsibility begins and ends.
Authority-related scope
Identify which submissions, fees, inspections and coordination activities are included or excluded. QuoteCheck can review stated scope but does not certify compliance.
Programme assumptions
Check commencement conditions, working-hour restrictions, phased access, approvals, client decisions and dependencies on third parties.
Test the coordinated scope
Architectural trades and building services must align; gaps often appear where one package depends on another.
Partitions, ceilings and finishes
Review types, performance descriptions, quantities, preparation, access panels, trims, transitions and making good.
Joinery
Confirm materials, finishes, hardware, integrated equipment, shop drawings, samples, delivery and installation.
MEP and HVAC
Check the stated extent of modifications, equipment, controls, containment, connections, testing, balancing and interfaces with base-build systems.
Electrical and life-safety coordination
Clarify power, lighting, emergency systems and fire/life-safety coordination where relevant, without treating a quotation review as technical approval or certification.
Interrogate the commercial structure
The contract value may still contain unresolved scope through provisional sums, PC sums and broad allowances.
Provisional and PC sums
Ask what quantity, quality and installation assumptions are included and how substitutions or final selections will adjust the price.
Payment structure
Understand deposits, material payments, progress milestones, retention if stated, final account timing and the evidence required for each claim.
Lead-time risk
Identify long-lead equipment, imported finishes, bespoke joinery and approval-dependent procurement, with responsibility for release dates made clear.
Variation risk
Review how instructed changes, design development, unforeseen conditions and authority or landlord comments will be priced and approved.
Compare before awarding
Normalise quotations before ranking them so a lower total is not simply a smaller or less certain scope.
Build a scope comparison
Align each quotation by trade, quantity, specification, allowance, exclusion and responsibility before comparing totals.
Resolve scope gaps
Ask who owns design completion, builders' work, connections, testing, approvals, protection, cleaning and handover information.
Challenge lump sums
Request meaningful breakdowns where a large single-line amount prevents scope and quantity comparison.
Record pre-award answers
Incorporate material clarifications into the final quotation or contract documents so they do not remain informal promises.
Before signing
A practical quotation checklist
- Preliminaries and mobilisation are transparent
- Landlord, base-build and contractor boundaries are clear
- Architectural, MEP and HVAC scopes coordinate
- Authority-related inclusions and exclusions are stated
- Allowances have a defined basis
- Lead-time assumptions support the programme
- Payment terms match measurable progress
- Variation and approval procedures are understood
What QuoteCheck reviews
Review the quotation you actually received.
QuoteCheck reviews the submitted fit-out quotation for scope clarity, pricing structure, allowances, exclusions, commercial terms, programme assumptions and potential variation exposure. It helps clients compare what is written; it does not provide design, engineering, fire/life-safety or authority certification.
Continue reading