Checklist for choosing a fit-out contractor

The quote

• Is every task listed separately with a description and a quantity?
• Does the quote say clearly what is excluded — shopfitting, air conditioning, extraction, signage, technical fees?
• Are open decisions marked, with the stage of work they affect?
• Did the contractor visit the unit before giving a final figure?
• Is it clear whether materials are included, and to what specification?

An itemised quote is the single best protection against extras. If two quotes differ widely, the difference is usually in what each one includes. The article on cost factors explains what to look for.

Paperwork and responsibilities

• Has the contractor asked who your technician is and what has been filed or applied for?
• Do they state clearly that licences and projects are your responsibility, through your technician, rather than promising to “sort it out”?
• Will they build to the declared or approved scope and flag changes that might affect it?
• Have they asked what the landlord and the owners’ community allow?

Our licences guide explains why these questions matter.

People, insurance and guarantee

• Who will be your single point of contact during the works?
• Who carries out the electrics and plumbing, and are they authorised installers, whether employed or partner firms?
• Does the contractor have public liability insurance?
• What guarantee applies to the work, and where is it written down?
• How are specialists you appoint — shopfitter, air conditioning, IT — coordinated?

Running the job

• Is there a clear sequence, with checks before ceilings and walls are closed?
• Are working hours agreed with the building and the community?
• How are unexpected findings handled — photos, a proposed solution, a priced line, your approval?
• Who buys the materials, and who is responsible for lead times?
• How is debris removed, and how are shared areas protected?
• Is a final clean included before handover?

Before you sign

• Have you received the same information from each contractor, so the comparison is fair?
• Do the payment stages relate clearly to work done or materials delivered?
• Is the handover described — a walk-round, a list of remaining details, a date to close them?
• Do you feel the contractor has asked enough questions about your business?

The last point is subjective but telling. A contractor who understands your activity and your constraints will build a better unit. Our article on red flags covers the warning signs in more detail.

How should you use this checklist?

Send the same brief to each contractor you are considering: photos, floor area, activity, drawings if you have them, and what the landlord and community allow. Then go through the list with each one, ideally in writing. Note not only the answers but how they are given — whether the contractor asks questions back, whether they are precise about what they do and do not do, and whether their quote matches what they said in conversation.

When the quotes arrive, line them up item by item. Where one contractor includes something another leaves out, ask why. Where a figure is much lower, find out what is missing. Ask for a revised quote if the first one left gaps; a good contractor will not mind. The goal is not to find the cheapest number but the clearest commitment, because clarity at the start is what keeps a fit-out on budget and on schedule at the end.

Where do we stand on this list?

We aim to answer every point above in writing: an itemised quote with exclusions, a single contact, authorised partner installers for electrics and plumbing, public liability insurance and a guarantee set out in the quote, changes priced before they are done, materials sourced and a final clean. We do not process licences or prepare projects, and we say so from the first conversation. If any point on the list is not clear in our quote, ask us, and we will put the answer in writing. For what the building work involves, see shop refurbishment and shell unit fit-out.