Getting an accurate office fit-out quote is harder than it sounds. Ask three London contractors to price the same office and you can easily get three very different numbers, sometimes tens of thousands of pounds apart. That is rarely because one firm is dishonest and the others are not. More often it is because each was given a slightly different brief, made different assumptions, and presented the figures in a different way. The good news is that with a clear brief and a few simple checks you can get quotes that are genuinely comparable, and pick the right contractor with confidence.
At Beem Interiors we quote small office fit-outs and refurbishments for London SMEs every week, so we see exactly where comparisons go wrong. This guide walks you through how to brief the job properly, what a good quote should contain, and how to compare prices like for like rather than just picking the lowest line at the bottom of the page.
Why do fit-out quotes vary so much?
Before you can compare quotes, it helps to understand why they differ. A fit-out price is built up from dozens of assumptions about scope, specification and access. Change any one of them and the total moves. The most common reasons two quotes for the same office look nothing alike are:
- Different scope. One contractor included new air conditioning or a kitchen; another assumed you would keep the existing one.
- Different specification. Carpet tiles versus engineered timber, or a basic suspended ceiling versus an exposed industrial finish, can swing the price dramatically. Our guide to where your money actually goes covers this in detail.
- Different allowances. A vague brief forces each firm to guess, so they pad the price with contingency to protect themselves.
- Different exclusions. The cheap-looking quote may have quietly left out professional fees, building control, or making good at the end of the lease.
In short, a quote is only as accurate as the brief behind it. The more precisely you describe what you want, the closer the numbers will land and the easier they are to compare.
How do you write a brief that gets accurate quotes?
You do not need an architect’s drawings to brief a small fit-out well, but you do need to give every contractor the same information. A good brief covers the space, the people and the practicalities. Aim to include:
- Your floor area in square feet and a simple floor plan or the agent’s marketing plan, even a rough sketch helps.
- Headcount and how you work, for example how many desks, meeting rooms, phone booths and breakout space you need.
- The condition of the space today. Is it a bare Category A shell, or a tired older fit-out that needs stripping out first?
- Your must-haves versus nice-to-haves, so contractors can price options rather than guess.
- Programme and access, including your lease dates, when you need to move in, and any building restrictions on working hours or deliveries.
- Your rough budget. Sharing a realistic figure is not a weakness; it helps a good contractor steer the specification to suit it.
If you are still working out roughly what the job should cost before you brief anyone, our London office fit-out cost guide and the cost-per-square-foot article will give you sensible indicative ranges to anchor your thinking. As a rule of thumb for 2026, a basic London fit-out starts around £40 to £65 per sq ft, a mid-range scheme runs roughly £65 to £120 per sq ft, and high-spec work is £150 per sq ft and up. Treat those as indicative ranges to sense-check quotes, not as prices in themselves.
What should a good fit-out quote actually contain?
A quote should tell a story, not just give a total. When you receive one, look for a clear breakdown into recognisable sections so you can see what you are paying for. A well-structured fit-out quote will usually itemise:
- Strip-out, preparation and any making good
- Partitions, doors and glazing
- Ceilings, flooring and decoration
- Mechanical and electrical work, meaning heating, cooling, lighting, power and data
- Kitchen, washrooms and breakout areas
- Furniture, fixtures and equipment, if included
- Professional fees, project management, building control and contingency
If a quote arrives as a single lump sum with no detail, ask for it to be broken down. Transparency at quote stage is one of the best signs of how a contractor will behave once the job is under way. A firm that is happy to show its workings is a firm that expects to be held to it.
How do you compare quotes fairly?
Once you have two or three itemised quotes, resist the urge to skip to the bottom line. Put them side by side and compare section by section. A few practical checks make the difference:
- Line the categories up. Create a simple spreadsheet with one column per contractor and one row per work section, so gaps jump out immediately.
- Hunt for the exclusions. Read the assumptions and exclusions on every quote. The lowest headline price often becomes the highest once the missing items are added back in.
- Check the specification matches. Make sure everyone has priced the same quality of finishes, not a cheaper substitute.
- Look at the contingency and fees. A quote with no contingency at all is not cheaper, it is just less honest about risk in older London buildings.
- Compare what is NOT in the price. Reinstatement at the end of your lease, IT cabling, or furniture can all sit outside the headline figure.
When you normalise the quotes this way, the real picture usually emerges. Sometimes the dearest quote is genuinely the best value because it includes things the others left out; sometimes a mid-priced quote from a contractor you trust beats a marginally cheaper one. Price matters, but so does who you will actually be working with for the next several weeks.
What are the red flags in a fit-out quote?
A few warning signs are worth taking seriously before you sign anything:
- A suspiciously low total with no breakdown, which often signals items left out that reappear as variations later.
- Reluctance to itemise or to put exclusions in writing.
- A long list of provisional sums, meaning rough placeholders, dressed up as a firm price.
- No mention of your lease, dilapidations or reinstatement obligations, which can be a costly blind spot.
- Pressure to commit quickly with a discount that expires in days.
Our article on the questions to ask before hiring a fit-out contractor goes deeper into vetting the firm behind the numbers, and is well worth reading alongside this one.
Do not forget the lease and dilapidations
One area that separates a sharp quote from a naive one is the commercial side of your lease. As a tenant, your fit-out and your eventual exit are linked. The alterations you make now may have to be removed at the end of the term under your dilapidations obligations, and a contractor who understands that will help you make choices that keep your future liability sensible. A quote that ignores reinstatement entirely is not necessarily cheaper, it has simply left a cost off the page for you to discover later. Our guide to dilapidations explains how this works.
The bottom line
An accurate office fit-out quote starts with a clear, consistent brief, arrives itemised so you can see where the money goes, and is compared section by section rather than on the headline figure alone. Get those three things right and you will not only pay a fair price, you will choose a contractor you can actually trust to deliver it.
Thinking about a fit-out or refurbishment? Beem Interiors gives honest, fully itemised quotes for London SMEs, with the lease and dilapidations side built in from the start. Get in touch for a no-obligation chat and a clear, transparent quote you can compare with confidence.
Related reading (internal links)
Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Office Fit-Out Contractor
How Much Does an Office Fit-Out Cost in London? (2026 Price Guide)
Office Fit-Out Cost Per Square Foot: What SMEs Should Budget
