Office fit-out projects in Dubai tend to follow a predictable sequence. Knowing the stages in advance helps you plan internally — who needs to approve what, and when you need to make decisions. Most programme delays come from approvals and material selections, not from construction.
Stage 1: Brief and site survey
The starting point is understanding the space and the requirement. We measure the floor, check ceiling heights and existing services, confirm access and lift arrangements, and establish whether the building imposes working-hour restrictions. At this stage the objective is to remove assumptions, because those assumptions become the differences in price later.
Stage 2: Layout and bill of quantities
The space is planned and priced line by line. You should expect to see joinery, MEP, partitions, ceilings, flooring, finishes and preliminaries each priced separately. This is also when long-lead items are identified, because they usually determine the programme more than the construction work itself.
Stage 3: Approvals and landlord consent
If the building requires landlord or building-management approval for alterations, drawings and documentation are submitted before mobilisation. In Dubai this step is often the longest in the programme, which is why it is best started in parallel with commercial negotiations rather than after them.
Stage 4: Procurement and off-site manufacture
Approved materials are ordered and joinery is manufactured while site works begin. Overlapping manufacture with site activity is what keeps the overall programme short. It also means selection decisions need to be made on schedule — a late finish selection can hold up an entire project.
Stage 5: Site execution
Trades are sequenced so first-fix MEP is complete before ceilings and finishes close up, and so finishing follows services rather than being damaged by them. On occupied floors, disruptive work is scheduled outside business hours and finished areas are protected.
Stage 6: Snagging, handover and aftercare
A structured snag list is raised and closed item by item, not left to a verbal walk-round. Handover should include as-built drawings, O&M information and warranty documentation, so that future alterations and maintenance start from an accurate record.
Where projects usually go wrong
- Starting site work before approvals are secured.
- Delaying material selections until the trades that need them have mobilised.
- Pricing from an incomplete brief, then discovering the gap as variations.
- Separating the fit-out contract from the joinery package so nobody owns the interface.
Our own projects run through these stages on a single contract — see the services we deliver or start with a survey.
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