Fit out contractor Dubai: a 2026 vetting checklist
A fit out contractor in Dubai turns a shell or an existing floor into a working office, shop or restaurant, including partitions, MEP alterations, finishes and the authority permits needed to open. Choosing well comes down to three checks: licence scope, who actually employs the crew, and how the quote is itemised.
Why work with Monde
- 50+ in-house specialists employed on Monde's own trade licence
- Commercial fit out for offices, retail, F&B and hospitality
- Professional project managers on every project
- Licensed building contracting firm, Monde Arabian Building Contracting LLC
- Google rating of 5 from 3 reviews
- One accountable team from permit application to snag close-out
What a fit out contractor does that a main contractor and a designer do not
A fit out contractor delivers the interior of a leased or owned space: partitions, ceilings, flooring, MEP modifications, joinery and finishes, plus the approvals needed to trade. A main contractor builds the structure and shell. An interior designer specifies the look. The fit out contractor prices, sequences and hands over the finished unit.
The boundary matters because scope gaps are where budgets break. On a 1,500 sq ft office in Business Bay, the fit out scope usually covers:
- Demolition of the previous layout and debris disposal
- Drywall and glass partitions, doors, fire-rated doors
- HVAC modifications, ductwork, diffusers, electrical and low current
- Ceilings, flooring, painting and feature walls
- Reception joinery, pantry and storage
- Permit applications, NOCs, inspections and handover documents
Retail adds a shopfront, signage power and mall design approval. F&B adds kitchen extract, grease trap, fire suppression and a Dubai Civil Defence approval that runs separately from the fit out permit. If a quote does not name those items, it is not a fit out quote, it is a partition quote.
Licences and registrations to verify before you sign
Verify four things: a trade licence whose activity codes cover the actual work, fit out permit capability with DET or Dubai Municipality, civil defence clearance where kitchens or assembly areas are involved, and current insurance certificates. A licence that only says general trading will not carry a fit out permit through approval.
Ask for copies, not reassurances.
- Trade licence with activity codes for building contracting or interior decoration and fit out
- Dubai Municipality or DET contractor registration, plus the name of the entity applying for the permit
- Dubai Civil Defence registration where fire systems, kitchens or assembly areas are in scope
- Contractor classification for the emirate you are building in, since Abu Dhabi and Sharjah run their own registration and classification routes
- Public liability insurance, workmen's compensation and contract works cover
- The trade licence of whoever will carry out the MEP and fire works
Monde operates under its own building contracting licence, so the entity named on the permit is the entity on site. You can see how that model works as a commercial fit out contractor in the UAE.
Own workforce vs subcontracted crews
An own workforce changes both cost and programme because labour margin, sequencing and quality control stay inside one company instead of being re-brokered at every stage. Ask one question in the first meeting: how many of the people on my site will be on your payroll?
A broker model looks cheaper on paper. It rarely is. Each layer of subcontracting adds a margin and a handover point where information drops. When the ceiling crew is a different company from the MEP crew, nobody owns the clash between the duct and the bulkhead.
Monde keeps 50+ specialists in house, and the difference shows on small jobs as clearly as large ones.
"The new ceiling looks clean and straight. I brought Monde to do the painting in the villa bathroom. They finished in one day and did not delay us. Good work for a small job." Muhammad Karim, 5/5
Living room finishes and joinery completed by Monde, one team from first fix to handover.
The tender pack, and what a proper quote must itemise
A tender pack is the drawing and document set you issue to fit out companies in Dubai so every bidder prices the same scope. Without it you cannot compare bids, only totals.
Include in the pack:
- Architectural layout, reflected ceiling plan and partition details
- MEP drawings covering HVAC, electrical single line, plumbing and low current
- A measured bill of quantities, not a floor area figure alone
- Finishes schedule with brands or approved equivalents
- Landlord, DET or DM, civil defence and DEWA NOC requirements
- Programme, working hours and phasing constraints set by the building
A good quote itemises the following lines separately. A lump sum hides them, and hidden lines come back as variations.
- Demolition, protection and debris removal
- Partitions, glazing, standard and fire-rated doors with certificates
- HVAC modifications, ductwork, grilles and controls
- Electrical, data containment, plumbing and low current
- Ceilings, flooring, screeding and painting
- Joinery, millwork, pantry and reception counter
- Permit fees, authority charges, DEWA connection fees and inspection charges
- Project management, site supervision and safety
- Snagging, cleaning and handover documentation
A worked example: 1,500 sq ft office in Business Bay
Fit out rates in Dubai run from AED 250 to AED 450 per sq ft for a standard commercial specification, which puts a 1,500 sq ft office at AED 375,000 to AED 675,000. That range covers the full package: materials, MEP, permits and site management. A typical mid-range job at roughly AED 300 per sq ft splits like this.
| Line item | Share | AED |
|---|---|---|
| Demolition, protection, disposal | 4% | 18,000 |
| Partitions, glazing, fire-rated doors | 19% | 85,000 |
| MEP: HVAC, electrical, plumbing, low current | 24% | 110,000 |
| Ceilings, flooring, painting | 18% | 80,000 |
| Joinery and reception millwork | 13% | 60,000 |
| Permits, DEWA fees, authority charges | 5% | 22,000 |
| Project management and supervision | 8% | 35,000 |
| Snagging, cleaning, handover | 3% | 12,000 |
| Contingency | 6% | 28,000 |
| Total | 100% | 450,000 |
Premium finishes, heavy joinery, complex HVAC or a Grade A tower with strict working hours push the number toward AED 450 per sq ft and above. A shell and core unit in a new development costs more than a refit of an existing floor, because everything from ceiling grid to floor screed is missing.
Programme realism and the red flags in a fit out contract
A 1,500 sq ft office fit out takes 6 to 10 weeks on site once permits are issued, and the permit stage adds 3 to 5 weeks before that. Anyone quoting four weeks on a building fit out with new HVAC work is either excluding something or planning to ask for it later.
What pushes a programme out:
- Long-lead joinery, imported tiles or specified furniture
- HVAC changes that need DEWA approval and landlord sign off
- Permit resubmission after a drawing comment
- Civil defence inspection slots for F&B and retail
- Slow client decisions on finishes after demolition starts
- Restricted working hours in an occupied tower
Monde plans the works, the procurement and the authority steps as one sequence, which is what keeps a running building running.
"The site was clean when they left. We needed them fast on a running job. They finished the renovation on time. Good work from start to end." Davranbek Tashbayev, 5/5
Site inspection during wall finishing, with the supervisor checking texture before the accent strip goes on.
Red flags to walk away from or renegotiate:
- A lump sum with no BOQ and no quantities
- No named party responsible for the DET or DM fit out approval
- No defects liability period, or one shorter than 12 months
- Payment milestones front-loaded before mobilisation
- No snag list process and no retention held back
- Authority fees left out of the price and described as reimbursables
Six checks before you sign
Work through these in order. Each one removes a specific risk.
- Match the trade licence activity codes to the actual work, not just to the company name.
- Get permit responsibility written into the contract, with the licence number of the applying entity.
- Ask how many trades are on the payroll, then meet the project manager and site engineer by name.
- Require a BOQ-based quote with quantities so you can compare bids line by line.
- Collect insurance certificates and, for F&B, confirm the civil defence approval route.
- Fix a payment schedule against milestones, with 10% retention and a 12-month defects liability period.
You can compare the vetting process across sectors in our all commercial fit out guides, or request a fit out BOQ and quote with your drawings and we will return an itemised price.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate MEP consultant for a fit out?
Not always. For a standard office under about 3,000 sq ft, most fit out contractors carry an MEP engineer who produces coordinated drawings for the permit. You need a separate consultant when the load changes are significant, when the building requires an independent design review, or when the landlord insists on it. Ask who signs the MEP drawings before you appoint anyone.
Who pulls the DET or DM fit out permit, me or the contractor?
The contractor normally applies, but the permit is issued against the licence and the tenancy, so the tenant authorises it. Confirm in writing which entity applies, who pays the fees and who handles resubmissions. Fees for a 1,500 sq ft office typically land between AED 15,000 and AED 30,000 depending on the emirate and the amount of MEP work.
How long does handover take after snagging?
Plan two to three weeks. Snagging on a 1,500 sq ft office usually produces 30 to 80 items, most of them cosmetic. The slow parts are joinery replacements and paint touch ups, because they need the same trades back on site. Close the snag list before the final payment milestone, not after.
Can a fit out contractor work on an occupied office?
Yes, with phasing. Expect night and weekend working, dust screens, temporary power and separate access routes. Programme usually stretches by 20 to 30 percent because the building restricts noisy work to specific windows. Budget for that in the tender rather than discovering it at the end.
What is a typical defects liability period for a fit out?
Twelve months from handover is standard in the UAE. It covers defective workmanship and materials, not damage caused by the tenant. Anything shorter than 12 months tells you the contractor is not planning to come back. Hold 5 to 10 percent retention until the DLP expires.
How much does a fit out contractor in Dubai charge per square foot?
For a standard commercial specification, AED 250 to AED 450 per sq ft is the working range for 2026. Retail and F&B sit higher because of kitchen extract, fire suppression and shopfront work. Villa painting or ceiling work is priced per job instead, often from AED 1,500 for a single room.
