Updated 18 September 2026. Figures are indicative and exclude VAT.
Illustrative imageQuick answer
Choose an office fit-out contractor by comparing itemised prices rather than totals, checking their insurance and health and safety documents, speaking to recent clients, reading the programme for realism, and agreeing a written contract with clear payment stages and a defects period.
Compare like with like
Ask every bidder to price the same drawings and specification, broken down by trade and preliminaries. A low total with vague items usually becomes a high final account.
Check the paperwork
Ask for current public and employers' liability certificates, a sample risk assessment and method statement, and confirmation of who acts as principal contractor under CDM 2015.
Talk to past clients
Ask for two or three references from similar projects and call them. Ask what went wrong and how it was handled, not just whether they were happy.
Read the programme
A credible programme shows long-lead items such as glazed partitions and furniture ordered early, and allows for landlord approvals.
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