---
title: How to compare office fit-out quotes in Dubai (2026)
url: https://souklocal.ae/guides/how-to-compare-fit-out-quotes-dubai
updated: 2026-11-03
source: SoukLocal (souklocal.ae), facts cited to the sources listed
---

> A worked example for a 2,500 sq ft Dubai office: two fit-out quotes compared line by line, what one leaves out, the terms, and five questions to ask.

# How to compare office fit-out quotes in Dubai (2026)

The short answer

Compare office fit-out quotes line by line, not total against total. Match the items both quotes price and compare those first; that is the real price gap. Then list what only one quote prices, where specifications differ and what neither mentions: approvals, furniture, IT, VAT. In the worked example for a 2,500 sq ft office below, a 33% headline gap shrinks to 14% on like-for-like lines.

By SoukLocal editorial team Updated 3 November 2026
- Headline gap: **33%**
- Like-for-like gap: **14%**
- Priced by one quote only: **AED 98,000**

**Illustrative, not a real project.** The two quotes below were written for this guide to show the method. The line items, quantities and rates are made up, set to sit near the published Dubai bands in [office fit-out cost per sq ft](https://souklocal.ae/guides/office-fit-out-cost-dubai). They are not SoukLocal data and not a price guide.

## A worked example: two quotes for a 2,500 sq ft office

A tenant takes a 2,500 sq ft Cat A office in a DDA zone and asks two contractors to price the same brief: a reception, eight private offices and meeting rooms, an open-plan area for about 20 desks, and a pantry. The totals look far apart.

| Quote | Total of priced lines (AED, excl. VAT) | Per sq ft | Lines |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Contractor one | 679,330 | 272 | 16 |
| Contractor two | 510,000 | 204 | 11 |

Contractor one is 33% higher. Contractor two also sits below the AED 250 to 500 per sq ft that West Gate Dubai published in January 2026 for a standard Cat A to Cat B fit-out, which is a first hint that something is missing.

- Headline total: Contractor one AED 679,330, Contractor two AED 510,000
- Like-for-like, 11 shared lines: Contractor one AED 581,330, Contractor two AED 510,000
- Items only one quote prices: Contractor one AED 98,000, Contractor two AED 0 Illustrative figures for a 2,500 sq ft office, not a real project. The 33% headline gap is 14% on the eleven lines both quotes price; AED 98,000 of the difference is five items only contractor one priced.

### 1. The items both quotes price

| Item | Contractor one (AED) | Contractor two (AED) | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Gypsum partitions, full height, 85 lm | 55,250 (650/lm) | 51,000 (600/lm) | Same quantity. Ask: to the ceiling or slab to slab? |
| Glass partitions, 30 lm | 57,000 (1,900/lm) | 49,500 (1,650/lm) | Contractor one double-glazed, contractor two single-glazed. Not like for like on acoustics. |
| Doors and ironmongery, 12 nr | 38,400 (3,200 each) | 33,600 (2,800 each) | Ask for the door type and lock brand. |
| Carpet tiles, 180 sq m | 25,200 (140/sq m) | 21,600 (120/sq m) | Ask for the product and its acoustic rating. |
| Ceilings, gypsum and tile, 232 sq m | 37,120 (160/sq m) | 34,800 (150/sq m) | Comparable: same quantity and unit. |
| Air conditioning changes: fan coil relocation, ducting, diffusers | 98,000 | 86,000 (lump sum) | Contractor two gives no breakdown. Ask how many units move. |
| Electrical and lighting: LED panels, power points, distribution boards | 112,000 | 95,000 | Ask for the number of points and the fittings. |
| Fire alarm and sprinkler changes | 46,000 | 38,000 | Ask whether Civil Defence drawings and approval are included. |
| Data cabling, Cat 6, 60 points | 27,000 (450 each) | 24,000 (400 each) | Comparable. Network equipment is in neither. |
| Joinery: reception desk and pantry | 68,000 | 61,000 | Ask for the finish and worktop material. |
| Painting, 620 sq m of walls | 17,360 (28/sq m) | 15,500 (25/sq m) | Ask for the paint brand and number of coats. |
| Like-for-like total | 581,330 | 510,000 | About 14% apart, and the glass partitions are still a different specification |

### 2. What only one quote prices

- **Preliminaries: site protection, contractor's all risks insurance, waste removal, AED 32,000.** Only contractor one. Every job has these costs; is contractor two hiding them in the rates or leaving them out?
- **Design and permit drawings, AED 24,000.** Only contractor one. The DDA Fit-Out Permit needs approved stamped and proposed drawings; someone has to produce them.
- **Approvals and authority fees, AED 18,500.** Only contractor one: landlord, DDA and Civil Defence submissions. The DDA permit fee alone for 2,500 sq ft is AED 2,250 plus AED 20 at AED 0.90 per sq ft.
- **Acoustic insulation in partitions, AED 14,000.** Only contractor one. Without it, private offices and meeting rooms are not private.
- **Connecting the moved fan coil units to the building management system, AED 9,500.** Only contractor one. Ask the landlord whether its own specialist must do it.

Those five lines are AED 98,000. If contractor two leaves them out, adding them back takes it to about AED 608,000, and contractor one is about 12% higher, with double glazing. If contractor two has included them in its other rates, contractor one is 33% higher for the same work. You cannot know which until you ask.

### 3. What neither quote states

Neither prices loose furniture, audio-visual, IT network equipment, signage or the landlord's fit-out deposit, and neither says whether night or weekend work is needed in an occupied building. Neither mentions reinstatement at lease end. Both are excluding 5% VAT. Turner & Townsend's 2026 Dubai and Abu Dhabi figures put furniture at about AED 93 to 167 per sq ft and AV at AED 51 to 107, so these are not small lines to discover later.

### 4. Terms

Contractor two asks for 50% in advance and 50% on completion, with no retention and no programme. Contractor one asks for 30% in advance, 60% against monthly valuations and 10% retained until the end of a 12-month defects period, and states eight weeks on site and 30 days' validity. Payment terms are part of the price: a large advance with nothing held back moves the risk to you.

## The five questions to send each contractor

- Please confirm whether preliminaries, insurance, waste removal, permit drawings, authority and landlord fees, acoustic insulation and BMS connection are included, and price them if not.
- Are the glass partitions single or double glazed, and are the gypsum partitions to the ceiling or slab to slab? Please name the systems.
- Please break the air conditioning, electrical and fire lump sums into quantities: units moved, points, fittings, sprinkler heads.
- Who applies to the landlord, the authority and Civil Defence, and are you registered in the Dubai Contractor Register under Law No. 7 of 2025? Please send your classification.
- What is the programme on site, how long is the quote valid, what retention and defects period do you offer, and what exactly is excluded?

When the answers come back, run the comparison again on the revised quotes. Choose on the like-for-like total, the specification and the terms, not the headline.

## Do it with your own quotes

The free [quote comparison tool](https://souklocal.ae/tools/compare-quotes) does the matching above: paste two or three quotes and it shows the line-by-line table, the like-for-like total, the lines only some quotes price and where specifications differ. Your quotes stay in your browser. To check one quote's lines, use the [quote checker](https://souklocal.ae/tools/quote-checker). Before you ask for quotes, see [fit-out approvals in Dubai](https://souklocal.ae/guides/fit-out-approvals-dubai) for who submits what, and [contractor, designer or design-build](https://souklocal.ae/guides/fit-out-contractor-vs-interior-designer-dubai) for who to hire. Ready for offers on a written scope? [Get matched offers](https://souklocal.ae/request?what=Fit-out&source=guide).

## Questions

**How do I compare office fit-out quotes in Dubai?**

Line by line, not total against total. Match the items every quote prices and compare those first; then list what only one quote prices, where the specification differs, and what no quote mentions, such as approvals, furniture and VAT. Ask each contractor to price the gaps, then compare again.

**Why are two fit-out quotes for the same office so different?**

Usually because they are not for the same scope. One prices preliminaries, approvals, design drawings or acoustic insulation and the other does not, or one prices double-glazed partitions against single-glazed. In the worked example a 33% headline gap is 14% on the shared lines.

**What do office fit-out quotes usually leave out?**

Often loose furniture, audio-visual, IT network equipment, permit and landlord fees, reinstatement at lease end and 5% VAT. Published Dubai cost bands exclude several of these too, so check each quote's exclusions in writing.

**Is AED 200 per sq ft realistic for an office fit-out in Dubai?**

Below the published band for a standard Cat A to Cat B fit-out, which West Gate Dubai put at AED 250 to 500 per sq ft in January 2026, excluding VAT and permit fees. A quote under the band is not wrong by itself, but check what it leaves out before you rely on it.

**What payment terms should I look for in a fit-out quote?**

Compare the advance, how stage payments are triggered, any retention and the defects period as part of the price. A large advance with nothing held back moves the risk to you. Ask for the programme and the quote's validity in writing too.

## Keep going

- [Go deeperDubai's Contractor Register (Law No. 7 of 2025)](https://souklocal.ae/guides/dubai-contractor-register)
- [Free toolCheck a contractor](https://souklocal.ae/tools/check-a-contractor)

## Sources

- [SoukLocal quote comparison tool: the method in this guide. The two office quotes are illustrative figures written for this guide on 3 November 2026, not a real project and not the tool's built-in sample](https://souklocal.ae/tools/compare-quotes)
- [West Gate Dubai: Cat A vs Cat B fit-out in Dubai (24 January 2026): AED 250 to 500 per sq ft, Cat A to Cat B, excluding VAT and permit fees](https://westgatedubai.com/cat-a-vs-cat-b-fit-out-dubai/), opened 3 November 2026
- [Turner & Townsend: Global office fit-out cost report 2026, data: Dubai and Abu Dhabi furniture and AV costs per sq ft, Q1 2026](https://assets.foleon.com/eu-central-1/de-uploads-7e3kk3/48604/global_fit-out_report_2026-data-only.bd74ad317b6d.pdf), opened 3 November 2026
- [Dubai Development Authority: Fit-Out Permit: approved stamped and proposed drawings, AED 0.90 per sq ft (min AED 200, max AED 10,000) plus AED 20](https://dda.gov.ae/en/planning-development/construction/permits-nocs/fit-out-permit), opened 3 November 2026
- [Dubai Municipality: Law No. (7) of 2025 Regulating Contracting Activities (the registration a contractor must hold before you engage them)](https://www.dm.gov.ae/?p=367452), opened 3 November 2026

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and vary by community and authority: confirm with the authority or your consultant before you start work.

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