Created with ChatGPT & Midjourney

Why do interior quotes feel so difficult to make sense of? There are countless line items and plenty of unfamiliar terms, and the format and content vary from one company to the next. The quote is the most important part of an office interior project, yet comparing quotes from different companies and judging whether a quote is reasonable are no easy tasks.

In this article, we walk through how to request an interior quote and how to read one. Along with concrete samples, we'll show you an effective way to compare quotes side by side.

But before that, there's an early step that's essential to getting a quote in the first place: the on-site briefing. When you take on an office project for the first time, it's easy to overlook what an on-site briefing is or to miss why it matters. The on-site briefing is an essential step toward receiving an accurate proposal and quote down the line. Use what follows as your guide and get an accurate quote quickly and easily!

1. Why the On-Site Briefing Is Essential

Created with ChatGPT & Midjourney

What is an on-site briefing?

An on-site briefing is a meeting held at the site with the interior firms taking part in the bid, where everyone discusses the direction of the office space project.

Who takes part?

The office PM, the interior firm's representative, and the building's facility manager all take part. Of course you'll need the PM overseeing your company's office project and the interior firm's representative, but the facility manager of the building where construction will begin is essential as well. That's because each building has different site conditions and construction requirements that need to be shared accurately. If you miss the building's requirements early on, you can easily run into additional construction work and a higher quote.

What happens there?

Meeting in person at the site is the key. You'll discuss the direction of the space while accounting for specification conditions that don't fully appear on the architectural drawings, along with mechanical systems, fire safety, electrical, and power and heating. Think of it as a process of carrying on an in-depth, concrete discussion so that the requirements laid out in the RFP can be realized at the actual site.

Why is it necessary?

1) An accurate quote: Understanding the building through the on-site briefing becomes the foundation of an 'accurate quote' with no added costs or fluctuations.

2) Easier quote comparison: By sharing the same information and presenting common criteria to every firm in the interior bid right from the on-site briefing, you can reduce the differences in quote content between companies. The more each company quotes the same content with nothing left out, the far easier it becomes to compare the figures.

What materials should you prepare?

The architectural drawings and the RFP—please have these ready in advance. The on-site briefing proceeds based on them. What's discussed here later leads, by way of the interior firm's on-site measurement, into the floor plan and the design proposal.

2. How an Expert Reads an Interior Quote

How should you read a complicated interior quote? First, take it step by step with an expert to see how a quote is structured.

A sample SPACEBASE interior quote (provided by SPACEBASE)

✔ Check at least two quotes: the 'main construction' and the 'optional construction'

What is 'main construction'?: It's the core work that must be carried out. This includes wall, floor, and ceiling work that only an interior firm can do, as well as electrical, fire safety, and mechanical work.

What is 'optional construction (separate construction)'?: These are processes carried out at your discretion, and they can be ordered directly. They include HVAC, office furniture, design furniture, network and telecommunications, electronic devices, and blind installation. Depending on the site, some processes may not be carried out at all, while others may be handled by firms outside the interior company.

You should separate main construction from optional construction and check at least two quotes. Quotes can differ markedly depending on the optional construction. Check in advance which items each interior firm includes under optional construction, and which work your own company actually needs.

✔ Start by reading the quote's 'major categories'

An interior quote can run to dozens or even hundreds of line items. But if you grasp the major categories first, you can understand the content relatively easily. Even if the detailed items vary from one interior firm to another, the major categories let you read the quote against a consistent standard.

If it still feels difficult, take a look at the major-category sample from SPACEBASE below. We encourage you to build your own company's common standard for comparing quotes.

3. A Checklist for Getting an Interior Quote Done Right

Created with ChatGPT & Midjourney

If the quote content differs greatly from one interior firm to the next, comparison becomes difficult. There are things to check ahead of time so you can request and compare quotes properly. Confirming the questions below in advance will help you receive an accurate interior quote that's easy to compare. It also makes it easier to grasp the overall construction cost and the precise order details ahead of time.

✔ Build your company's 'major categories' and a quote summary table

First, build your company's major categories, and request quotes on those terms. To compare quotes smoothly, it's best to distribute a consistent table to each interior firm when you request a quote. If you request quotes without a consistent summary table, the category that each construction item falls under will differ from firm to firm. In the end, you lose any framework for comparing quotes, and you can't tell which items are expensive and which are reasonable. If setting your company's major categories feels difficult, refer to the SPACEBASE major-category sample suggested above.

✔ Identify the 'optional construction' items

You can't overstate the importance of 'optional construction' in a quote. That's because you have to understand the optional construction in order to receive every construction quote you need from the interior firm. Even if you assume 'it's turnkey*, so of course everything is included,' the items a project requires are more numerous than you'd imagine, so you must confirm them in concrete detail. For an accurate quote, it's vital to close the gap in understanding of the construction scope between you and the interior firm.

*Turnkey: This refers to entrusting the entire process, from design through construction, to the interior firm. That said, there may be items required specifically by a given site, and some items may be ordered from a firm other than the interior company, so be sure to confirm and coordinate the construction items in advance.

✔ Request a quote with detailed line items

Making consistent quote comparisons by major category matters, but at the same time the 'detailed items' should be written out in full. The more detailed a quote is, the more transparency you secure, and the more you can prevent construction omissions before they happen. SPACEBASE delivers detailed quotes ranging from a minimum of 30 pages to as many as 200. If an interior firm hasn't given you a quote with detailed line items, be sure to request a detailed quote.

Created with ChatGPT & Midjourney

An accurate, reasonable quote is the single most important element across the whole of an office project. If the content of the quote you receive early in the project keeps changing, it can have a major impact on your budget and the final result. So once again, we want to stress that an accurate quote starts from the 'on-site briefing.'

The quote checklist introduced here can be summarized into a three-step process. 1) Grasp the major categories, 2) decide the scope of optional construction, and 3) review the detailed items. That's it. Even a complicated interior quote can be managed and compared systematically enough with the tips offered in this installment. We hope you can carefully confirm the construction scope and receive an 'accurate quote with no fluctuations.'

In the next installment, we'll guide you through how to prepare for the presentation and how to plan an efficient moving & construction schedule.

Looking for the office interior firm that's just right for you?

👉 Read Part 2 of the Office Design Guide

If you'd like to get an interior quote with ease, book a consultation with SPACEBASE.

👉 Get in touch about working together