Fit out an Office
Fitting out an office is a daunting task for anyone who has been lumbered with the responsibility. So many businesses fail to correctly manage the fit out process leading to delays in moving office as well as the works being delivered over budget. This article provides a brief step by step guide to the most important aspects of your office fit out.
Steps
- Hire the right office refurbishment supplier. Whether you are moving office or carrying out an office refurbishment on your existing premises, you will need to hire a professional fit out company to work with. They will be responsible for designing and building the office interiors as well as project managing the process. It is important that the company you hire has experience fitting out similar offices to yours and can provide good references for previous work.
- Create a project plan. The fit out process usually involves about 120 different steps. It is crucial that the timings of each step are planned in advance so that you and your project manager are aware of which contractors will be on site when and how far in advance you need to contact each type of supplier. For instance installing BT lines can have as much as a 90 day lead time. Therefore, if you want to avoid being without phones in your early days in the new office you will need to be speaking to telecom's provider well in advance. Your fit out company should be responsible for coordinating these contractors but it is worth ensuring they have created a detailed plan and schedule for the works.
- Design the office. You will want to work closely with your fit out company during the design phase.
- Consider the following:
- Communication within your company. Which teams need to be located where for the best communication flow within the company. Do certain members of staff need separate offices and will the majority of the staff be located in an open plan environment or does your company prefer a more cellular arrangement?
- Noise factor. Do you want to separate certain departments that create more noise such as telesales?
- Breakout areas. Do you need a breakout area where staff can relax?
- You will also need to account for kitchen and eating facilities, storage, and a reception area.
- When designing the office, try to make the best use of the available space, where is the plumbing located, where is the natural light coming from, how can you arrange the space to give employees the most amount of space in the available space etc.
- Once you have the design in place they will need to be submitted to your landlord for approval. This is known as a License of Alteration and is required by law.
- The build: Your fit out contractor should have a project manager on site to manage the building contractors. Once the build has been done ensure you do a full check and create a snagging list before signing off the project.
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References
- www.officeman.co.uk
- www.officeman.co.uk/relocation_guide1.php
