That Fit-Out Quote Looks Great — But These Costs Are Probably Not In It.
- UODC Architects Marketing
- 6 hours ago
- 6 min read
Most corporate fit-out quotes in Metro Manila are not dishonest. They are just incomplete. The problem is that most clients do not find out what is missing until the project has already started — and by then, saying no is no longer an option.
Your project team reviews three contractor quotes. Two are clustered together. One is significantly lower. On paper, all three claim to cover the same scope.
They do not. The differences are in the line items that are missing — costs that are real, unavoidable, and almost always the tenant's responsibility. They simply were not mentioned.
Here is what experienced corporate clients check for before they sign — and why the gap between a quoted price and a final cost can be 30% or more on a standard Metro Manila office fit-out.
30%+ | The typical gap between an initial fit-out quote and the final project cost in Metro Manila, when all excluded items are accounted for. In bare shell spaces, the gap is often higher. Knowing what to look for before you sign closes most of it. |
Section 1
The eight costs most commonly left out of fit-out quotes
These are not unusual or exotic costs. They are standard components of almost every corporate fit-out in Metro Manila — and they are routinely excluded from first-round quotes, either because the contractor scoped conservatively or because they were never discussed.
| ₱3,000 – ₱8,000 / sqm |
Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure — the systems behind the walls and above the ceiling. In bare shell spaces, none of this exists yet. In warm shell spaces, it may exist in part. Many quotes cover only final connections and fixtures, not the rough-in works that make those fixtures function. This is consistently the largest excluded cost in early-stage quotes.
| ₱30,000 – ₱120,000 |
Most commercial buildings in BGC, Makati, Ortigas, and Quezon City charge processing fees for fit-out applications — plan review, inspector access, and administrative clearance. These are paid to the building, not the LGU, and are almost never included in contractor quotes.
| ₱150,000 – ₱400,000+ |
A fit-out building permit from the local government unit is legally required before construction begins. Electrical, mechanical, sanitary, and fire safety permits are filed separately. Permit fees scale with project value. Most quotes either exclude them entirely or list them as 'approximate' without basis. Get the actual figures from your contractor before you sign.
| ₱15,000 – ₱40,000 |
Required by law for any construction activity, including office fit-outs. The CSHP must be approved by the DOLE Regional Office before work starts. A contractor who does not mention this has either overlooked it or is treating it as your problem to solve.
| ₱1,500 – ₱4,000 / sqm |
Most commercial leases in Metro Manila include a restoration clause: when you leave, you must return the space to bare shell condition — demolishing everything your fit-out installed. This cost is not paid now, but it is a real liability that should be factored into total project cost. A 500 sqm office can carry ₱750,000 to ₱2,000,000 in future restoration liability.
| ₱25,000 – ₱80,000 / month |
Most premium buildings in BGC and Makati provide cooling only during standard business hours. Fit-out work is typically restricted to evenings and weekends — hours when the centralized HVAC system is off. If your contractor needs cooling for specific works or curing, after-hours HVAC is billed hourly at a per-tonnage rate. This adds up quickly on longer projects.
| Varies by specification |
The Philippines imports most premium materials — engineered flooring, glass partitions, specialist lighting, custom furniture. Imported items with 8 to 16 week lead times must be ordered before construction begins. If your project timeline does not account for lead times, either the specification changes mid-project or the construction schedule stalls. Neither outcome is free.
| ₱2,000 – ₱6,000 / sqm |
Structured cabling, server room fit-out, access control, CCTV, and AV systems for meeting rooms are frequently scoped as a separate IT procurement — meaning neither the fit-out contractor nor the IT vendor takes full responsibility for coordination. Integration problems between the fit-out and the technology layer are a common source of delays and unplanned costs in the final weeks of a project.
Section 2
Why this happens — and why it is not always intentional
Not every contractor who submits an incomplete quote is trying to win the job on a low number and recover margin later. Many first-round quotes are genuinely scoped to what the contractor was briefed on — and if the brief did not address permits, MEP rough-in, or restoration, those items simply did not appear.
The problem is structural: most corporate clients brief contractors on what they want the space to look like, not on the full scope of what the project requires. The design brief covers finishes, layout, and furniture. The technical brief — permits, building compliance, MEP systems, IT infrastructure — is often assumed rather than stated.
A contractor who does not raise these items is not necessarily dishonest. But they are telling you something about how they manage projects: reactively, not proactively. And in a corporate fit-out with a fixed move-in date, reactive is expensive.
WHAT THIS MEANS IN PRACTICE A 400 sqm office in BGC quoted at ₱18,000 per sqm — a figure that looks competitive — may exclude MEP rough-in (₱3,500 / sqm), building permit fees (₱200,000), building management fees (₱60,000), DOLE CSHP (₱25,000), and IT infrastructure (₱3,000 / sqm). The actual all-in cost is closer to ₱27,000 per sqm. The quote was not wrong. It was just not complete. |
Section 3
How to read a fit-out quote like an experienced project team
You do not need a construction background to catch the most common gaps. You need to know the right questions to ask — and the right items to look for before you compare prices.
✓ Request an itemized quote, not a lump sum or cost per sqm. A single number tells you nothing about what is included. An itemized breakdown — civil works, MEP, finishes, permits, fees, contingency — tells you exactly where the budget goes and what is missing.
✓ Ask specifically: 'What permits are included in this quote?' The answer should name the building permit, trade permits (electrical, mechanical, sanitary), and DOLE CSHP. If the contractor says 'permits are your responsibility' or lists them as an allowance without a specific figure, that is a gap.
✓ Ask: 'What MEP works are included, and what is excluded?' In a bare shell space, the answer should cover rough-in works, not just final connections. If the contractor has not visited the site and confirmed existing MEP provisions, the MEP scope in the quote is an estimate, not a commitment.
✓ Ask: 'What is not in this quote that we will need to procure separately?' A good contractor answers this directly: IT cabling, imported furniture, signage, branded graphics. A contractor who says 'everything is covered' without specifics is using language that creates disputes later.
✓ Check whether the contingency is named and sized. A professional fit-out budget includes a named contingency — typically 10 to 15% of hard costs. If there is no contingency line, either the contractor is very confident, or they are planning to raise change orders when surprises arise. Both explanations deserve scrutiny.
Section 4
The one document that changes the conversation entirely
Every commercial building in Metro Manila has a fit-out manual — a document issued by building management that defines the rules, approved materials, required submissions, accreditation requirements, and fee schedule for any construction work inside the building.
Most tenants never ask for it before briefing their contractor. Most contractors who are unfamiliar with the building have never read it. And yet it is the single document that determines what your project can and cannot do — and what it will cost beyond the quote.
Request the fit-out manual from building management before you brief any contractor. Share it as part of the brief. Any contractor who has worked in the building before will know it. Any contractor who has not will need it — and how they respond to receiving it tells you something about how they work.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE YOUR NEXT CONTRACTOR MEETINGAsk building management for the fit-out manual. Ask your shortlisted contractors which buildings they have active accreditation in. Cross-reference the two. A contractor already accredited in your building has already passed the building's qualification process — and knows the submission timeline, the fees, and the inspectors. That is not a small advantage on a project with a fixed go-live date. |
If you asked every contractor on your shortlist to send you an itemized quote with every excluded item named — would the one with the lowest number still be the lowest?
TALK TO UODC ARCHITECTS
We help corporate clients build complete, fully costed fit-out budgets before any contract is signed — so the number you approve is the number you pay.
UODC Architects · Architecture · Interior Design · Design-Build · Metro Manila · uodc-architects.com
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