For startups and growing companies
Brief your office fit-out before the fit-out contractors brief you
The Workspace Brief Sprint gives you an architect-led brief for your first or next office: what you need, how much space, what Cat A and Cat B mean for your budget, a test-fit on the floor you're considering, and the questions to put to your landlord.
from £2,450 + VAT · fixed in your written proposal
Website prices are indicative and do not form part of the contract.
Who it's for
- Founders, COOs, Heads of Operations or People at startups and scale-ups.
- Companies taking their first leased office, moving, or reconfiguring the space they have.
- Teams who want an architect's view before talking to fit-out or design-and-build contractors.
The decision: What office do we need, and what will the fit-out cost, before we talk to fit-out contractors?
A fit-out is a large commitment to make without a brief
Growing companies often take an office before they've agreed what they need from it. The landlord's Cat A finish and your own Cat B fit-out get confused, budgets are set too low, and the first detailed layout may come from a contractor who hopes to win the works. A short, architect-led brief puts you in control before you sign or tender.
We are architects, not contractors: we don't carry out fit-out works. Our brief sets out what you need, so you can compare contractors' proposals on the same basis.
Cat A vs Cat B, in brief
- Cat A is the landlord's base finish of the space, typically ceilings, floors, lighting and basic building services.
- Cat B is your own fit-out: partitions, meeting rooms, kitchen, furniture, IT and brand. It is normally the occupier's cost and the part most open to choice.
- What's included in "Cat A" varies by building and by lease, so the sprint checks it for the floor you're considering.
What you get
At a fixed price:
- Requirements brief: your teams, ways of working, rooms and special requirements, written up as a brief you can hand to landlords, agents and contractors.
- Hybrid headcount and space model: how much space you need for the way you actually use the office.
- Cat A / Cat B budget range for the fit-out, indicative. We state the source and date of the cost data behind it.
- One test-fit on a shortlisted floor, showing whether your brief fits.
- Landlord-question list: what to ask about the Cat A specification, services and terms before you commit.
Add-on (optional): Design Guardian review of a contractor's design-and-build proposal against your brief, quoted on request.
How it works
- Book a free intro call. In 20 minutes we check the sprint fits your move or reconfiguration.
- Written proposal and terms. We confirm the floor or building, the scope, the fixed price and our terms in writing.
- 50% deposit. When you accept, we invoice a 50% deposit.
- Send us what you have: headcount and growth plans, how your teams work, the particulars and plans of the floor or floors you're considering. After you accept the proposal, we'll email you a list of what we need. One site visit within Greater London is included. Travel outside London is quoted in your proposal.
- Delivery and balance. You receive the brief, model, budget range, test-fit and landlord questions as a PDF report, with a 1-hour review call to talk them through, and we invoice the balance.
What it isn't
- Not a fit-out contract or a contractor's quote. The budget range helps you plan and compare; it isn't a price for the works.
- Not full design. Detailed Cat B design is a separate appointment with blng studio.
- Not a lease review or a building survey. Your solicitor, agent and surveyor still have their roles.
- Not M&E design. Building services are covered only as questions and allowances.
After the sprint
- Cat B design with blng studio, a separate appointment, quoted on request.
- Design Guardian: client-side review and oversight of your fit-out or design-and-build contractor, a separate appointment, quoted on request.
Workplace experience
The Workspace Brief Sprint draws on blng studio's workplace work, including WIKUS headquarters and conference centre: a headquarters with offices and a conference centre (scope: architecture).
Fee
From £2,450 + VAT for a floor of up to about 465 m². Larger floors, up to about 1,400 m², or two buildings: £3,450 + VAT. Extra test-fits are £750 + VAT each. Your fee is fixed in the written proposal before you commit. Website prices are indicative and do not form part of the contract.
Turnaround: target delivery: 10 working days from the Start Date.
The Start Date is the day we have both your deposit (in cleared funds) and all the information listed in your proposal.
FAQ
When should we do this?
Ideally before you sign a lease or ask contractors for proposals, while you still have choices.
Do we need drawings?
The agent's or landlord's floor plans are usually enough for a test-fit.
Will you manage the fit-out?
We don't carry out the works. blng studio can design the Cat B fit-out, or act as your Design Guardian while a contractor does, as a separate appointment.
Is the budget range reliable?
It's an indicative planning range, not a quote. We state the source and date of the cost data behind it.
How does invoicing work?
After the free intro call we send a written proposal and our terms. When you accept, blng studio invoices a 50% deposit, and the balance on delivery. Invoices are issued through Xero, in GBP.
Who does the work?
The blng studio team; our architects carry out every sprint.
Can I cancel?
Yes. If you cancel after accepting the proposal but before work starts, we refund your deposit in full. Once work has started, you pay only for the work done (the fee ÷ 10 × the working days worked), set against your deposit, and we refund any difference. If the work done comes to more than the deposit, you pay the difference, up to the full fee. Full details are in our terms. Work starts on the later of the day your deposit clears and the day we receive all the information listed in your proposal.
Know what you need before you sign
Disclaimer
General information. It isn't advice for a specific building until we've reviewed it as part of a paid sprint.