All too often our clients appoint a fit-out contractor who isn’t planning to incorporate office furniture.  Busy with finalising details and preparing for the office move, on top of their already busy schedules, we’ve seen time and time again how easy it is to leave sorting office furniture until the last minute.

However, there are a number of tangible cost savings to being proactive and sorting it sooner.

Office furniture dealers are skilled in taking accurate field measurements and will produce their own drawings where applicable. Often, these more precise measurements alert clients that a construction blueprint or existing space is not compatible with the office furniture planned for that space. Warning you of the potential problems earlier, rather than later, means that your contractor can alter partitioning layouts on plans as opposed to, the much more costly, altering the real life product.  We’ve mostly seen this with manager’s offices that either could fit three in the space of 1 and equally others where you would struggle to fit in a standard desk.  Literally!  If it is too late, we can usually recommend adjustments or ways you can modify your office furniture to ensure your space will come together but it just might not end up quite the way you’ve been imagining it for ten years.

Furniture experts can use their expertise to suggest cost saving measures such as using relocatable acoustic pods instead of small partitioned offices saving around 50% of the cost, not to mention the tax deductions available on furniture as opposed to plastered partition.  Furthermore, where the budget has been tight, credenzas have been used instead of kitchen units which also a significant cost saving.

When doing second fix electrics and plumbing, a forward thinking contractor will ask to see a final furniture layout so they know where to place data points and sockets, whether it be in floor boxes, trunking or power poles.  Be ahead of the game to prevent delays to the project.

Needless to mention, if there is more time, you will be able to negotiate a better deal with your supplier to get the solution you have dreamt for with the budget you have left.

Good quality furniture does have a lead time.  This is usually around 4 weeks but does vary, especially depending on the time of year.  Having more time for a longer lead time means you can reduce cost as well as obtaining the best solution for you.

A very popular solution with our clients is to opt for the complete Accolade package where Accolade manages both fit-out and furniture elements together.  Our tight-knit team works closely to deliver everything from design to fit-out, seamlessly.  This means that there is no chance of the furniture element being left until the last minute and you won’t become piggy-in-the-middle communicating with both builder and furniture installer.  Bulk buying also results in better discounts…