Design-build against the split model
Larger tenants often appoint a design firm, a project management consultancy and a contractor separately. It is a legitimate model and it is slower. Here is where the time actually goes on a BKC floor.
| Stage | Split model | Design and build | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concept to detailed design | 8 – 10 weeks | 6 – 8 weeks | Buildability resolved during design |
| Tender and award | 4 – 6 weeks | Not required | 4 – 6 weeks |
| Landlord approval of services | 3 – 5 weeks, after tender | Runs in parallel with design | 2 – 4 weeks |
| Nominated vendor ordering | After award | At design freeze | 2 – 3 weeks |
| Construction | 14 – 20 weeks | 14 – 20 weeks | None |
| Total to occupation | 29 – 41 weeks | 22 – 32 weeks | 4 – 7 weeks earlier |
On 9,000 sq ft at prevailing BKC rents plus service charge, five weeks of earlier occupation is worth roughly ₹40–₹55 lakh. That is the honest commercial case for design-build here, and it is larger than any fee difference.
Worked example: 9,000 sq ft chargeable floor, turnkey
| Package | ₹ lakh | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Design, documentation and landlord submissions | 14.5 | Concept to as-built, all landlord approval packages |
| Landlord charges, supervision, passes and protection | 22.8 | Including night-shift supervision and lift bookings |
| Furniture, workstations, seating and storage | 74.0 | 82 seats, six meeting rooms, breakout and reception |
| Ceiling, lighting and controls | 41.5 | Daylight dimming on the glazed edge; access panels coordinated |
| Electrical, UPS, data and containment | 38.2 | Dual-source distribution, 1.4 kVA per seat UPS |
| HVAC, VAV rebalancing and BMS — nominated vendor | 33.6 | Passed through at cost, programmed by us |
| Fire detection and sprinkler modification — nominated vendor | 27.4 | Passed through at cost |
| Partitions, glazed fronts and acoustic doors | 25.0 | Boardroom Rw 50, meeting rooms Rw 45 |
| Flooring | 17.0 | Carpet tile throughout, stone to the lift lobby |
| Pantry, wellness room and washroom upgrade | 8.0 | Pantry for 82; two focus and wellness rooms |
| Commissioning, handover and contingency | 4.0 | Integrated testing, O&M set, as-built drawings |
| Total, ex-GST | 306.0 | ₹3,400 per sq ft on 9,000 sq ft chargeable |
Add 18% GST. Nominated vendor packages are ₹61 lakh, 20% of the contract, shown at pass-through cost with the landlord's quotations attached.
One contract across the landlord interface
Who carries what risk
| Risk | Who carries it in our contract | How it is managed |
|---|---|---|
| Design does not meet the landlord's manual | Us | Services concept submitted for comment during design, not after |
| Nominated vendor is late | Shared, with a defined mechanism | Orders at design freeze; the landlord is copied on every chase |
| Night-work slots unavailable | Us | First six weeks of slots booked before contract signature |
| Crew fails security vetting | Us | One fixed crew list lodged well in advance, with reserves vetted |
| Client changes the layout after freeze | You | Variation priced in writing with programme impact stated |
| Furniture lead time | Us | Ordered at design freeze; a stock alternative identified for every long-lead item |
| Base-build defect discovered on strip-out | You, as a landlord matter | Documented and raised within 48 hours with photographs |
Furniture inside the contract
We include furniture in BKC turnkey contracts as a matter of course, and clients occasionally question it. The reason is a handover date. A floor that is built, commissioned and empty is not occupiable, and furniture is the single most common long-lead item on a corporate fit-out — twelve to eighteen weeks on imported task seating, longer on bespoke. Inside the contract it is ordered at design freeze against a programme we control. Outside it, it is ordered when procurement gets to it, and we have watched finished floors sit empty for a month for exactly that reason.
What a BKC turnkey contract must state explicitly
- Which area basis the rate applies to. Chargeable, usable or carpet. A rate quoted against the wrong one moves the contract value by a fifth.
- Which packages are pass-through. Nominated vendors listed by name, with the landlord's quotations attached and no margin applied.
- How much of the labour is night work, at what premium, and what happens if the building withdraws slots.
- What handover means. Commissioned, tested, furnished, cleaned, with as-built drawings and the O&M set issued — not simply built.
- Reinstatement. An as-built and a reinstatement schedule handed over at completion, so the end of the lease is a quotation rather than a negotiation.
A contract that says all five of those things is usually two pages longer than the one it replaces and several weeks shorter in dispute. On a BKC floor the ambiguity is never in the joinery specification; it is in the interface with the building, and that is exactly where most fit-out contracts go quiet. We put those five clauses on the first two pages rather than in a schedule, because the people who need to read them are the tenant's real estate and finance teams, not their lawyers.
For the district see interior designers in BKC; for the design side see office interior designers in BKC. Our contract structure is on turnkey interior contractors in Mumbai and the contracting detail on office fit-out contractors.
Design-and-build delivery by Greenbox Design Studio.
Frequently asked questions
Is design-build actually faster than appointing a designer and a contractor separately?+
By four to seven weeks on a typical BKC floor. The saving is not in construction, which takes the same time either way. It is in removing the tender and award cycle, running landlord approval in parallel with design rather than after it, and placing the nominated-vendor orders at design freeze. At BKC occupancy costs, five weeks is worth ₹40–₹55 lakh on 9,000 sq ft.
How are nominated vendor costs handled in a turnkey contract?+
Passed through at cost, with the landlord's own quotations attached to our BOQ so you can see exactly what they charged. We add no margin on them. What we do add is programme management — placing the orders at design freeze, chasing with the landlord copied, and holding them to a date — which is where the value actually is.
Should furniture be inside the contract?+
We think so, and we include it. Furniture is usually the longest lead item on a corporate fit-out, and a built, commissioned, empty floor is not a handover. Inside the contract it is ordered at design freeze against a programme we control. Clients who procure it separately frequently occupy two to four weeks later than they needed to.
What happens if the landlord rejects part of our design?+
That risk sits with us, which is why we submit the services concept for landlord comment during design rather than after it. By the time the detailed drawings are issued the landlord has already commented on the ceiling coordination, the sprinkler layout, the BMS interface and the signage. Rejections at the formal stage are then rare and minor.
Can you work on an occupied floor or a phased move?+
Yes, and in BKC it is common where a tenant is expanding into an adjacent demise or refurbishing in place. It means a phased programme with temporary partitions, dust and noise control to an occupied standard, and a larger share of the work in the night window. Budget 12–18% above a vacant-floor equivalent and expect the programme to be about a third longer.