# Office Furniture Procurement: Why Lead Times Set the Move-In Date

> Office furniture procurement is choosing, approving, ordering, delivering and installing workstations, chairs and loose furniture. It often sets the move-in date because most items are made or shipped to order after samples are approved, so the lead time starts at approval, not at contract. Delivery also has to fit the building's lift bookings and follow ceilings, flooring and power.

## Furniture is a manufacturing schedule, not a site activity

Furniture arrives at the end of a fit-out, so it is tempting to buy it at the
end. That is the misconception that most often moves an office opening date.

Partitions, ceilings and flooring are built on site, and if the work falls
behind, more people and longer shifts can recover some of it. Workstations,
chairs and most loose furniture are **manufactured or shipped to order**. Their
lead time runs in a factory or on a ship, and no amount of site labour shortens
it. If the order is placed late, the floor can be finished, cleaned and ready,
and still have nowhere to sit.

For a CFO or an operations head the cost is direct: rent and service charges
running on an office that cannot be occupied, the old premises held longer than
planned, and a move date announced to staff that has to be changed.

## Where the lead time actually comes from

The supplier's quoted lead time is only one part of the furniture programme.
The clock usually starts later than the buyer thinks, and stops later too.

| Stage | What happens | What typically extends it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Quantities and layout | Desk count, sizes, storage, meeting and breakout furniture fixed | Layout still changing; headcount not agreed |
| Selection | Products and finishes shortlisted | Too many options; decisions by committee |
| Samples | Physical samples supplied and reviewed | Samples not available locally; repeated rounds |
| Approval and order | Finishes, fabrics and quantities confirmed; order placed | Advance or purchase approvals slow internally |
| Manufacture | Production at the factory | Custom sizes or finishes; factory loading |
| Shipping and clearance | For imported items, freight, port and customs | Shipping schedules, documentation, port congestion |
| Delivery | Transport to site, unloading, lift movement | Lift booking windows; site not ready to receive |
| Installation | Assembly, levelling, power and data connection | Floor boxes or outlets not where desks are |
| Snagging | Damage, missing parts, adjustment | Replacement parts on the same lead time |

The important line is approval. Most suppliers count their lead time from the
date samples, finishes and quantities are confirmed, not from the date of the
contract. A project that takes several weeks to approve a fabric has spent
those weeks before the factory starts.

The practical answer is to plan furniture backwards. Take the date desks must
be in use, subtract installation, delivery windows, any shipping and clearance,
and the supplier's committed manufacturing time, and the result is the latest
date for approval. That date belongs in the fit-out programme alongside design
freeze, not in a purchasing calendar that starts when the site is nearly done.

## Imported or locally made

| Factor | Imported furniture | Locally made or locally assembled |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lead time | Typically longer, with shipping and customs added to manufacture | Typically shorter and easier to track |
| Control | Less; changes after order are difficult | More; adjustments and site visits are practical |
| Consistency | Same product as the client's offices elsewhere | Depends on the maker's quality control |
| Customisation | Limited to the range's options | Easier to adapt to awkward dimensions |
| Spares and additions | Arrive by the same long route | Usually quicker to source |
| Future expansion | Range may change or be discontinued | Easier to match later, if the maker is retained |

Neither is right in every case. A common, sensible split is imported or
branded task chairs where comfort and consistency matter most, with locally
made workstations, storage and joinery where dimensions and speed matter. The
range of furniture a fit-out typically covers is set out under
[workstations and office furniture](/services/interior-fit-out/workstations-and-office-furniture).

For standards, work chairs are covered by **IS 17631** and tables and desks by
**IS 17633**, both dealing with performance and safety such as strength,
stability and durability. Ergonomic dimensions are addressed in **EN 1335-1**
for office work chairs and **EN 527-1** for work tables and desks. Which
standards and certifications apply to a given product is a question to put to
the supplier in writing.

## Approving samples without restarting the clock

Sample approval is where furniture programmes quietly lose time. Good practice:

- **Approve the real product.** The exact model, size, frame finish, laminate,
  edge band and fabric, with cable management and accessories fitted.
- **Sit-test chairs with a group** of future users, across a range of heights,
  rather than choosing from a brochure.
- **Check desks with equipment on them**: monitors, arms, laptops and docking,
  so cable routes and reach are tested, not assumed.
- **Fix the decision window.** Set a date by which each item is approved, and
  one person who approves it.
- **Record the approved sample** with its specification and keep it on site as
  the reference for checking deliveries.

Where a workstation bay or meeting room repeats many times, a
[mock-up room before the full fit-out](/blog/mock-up-room-before-full-fit-out)
tests the furniture together with the floor boxes, lighting and finishes around it.

## Delivery sequencing: the lift, the loading bay and the finished floor

Furniture should arrive **after** the wet and dusty trades are finished:
ceilings closed, flooring laid, painting substantially complete and floor boxes
and power outlets installed. Before that, it is at risk of damage and gets in
the way of the work still to be done.

In a multi-tenant building, delivery is also governed by the building. Goods
lift bookings, permitted delivery hours, loading bay slots and floor protection
rules are usually set out in the
[landlord's fit-out guidelines](/blog/reading-landlord-fit-out-guidelines-before-design).
A large furniture delivery may need to be split across several booked windows,
which affects how quickly installation can proceed.

Practical sequencing points:

- **Phase deliveries by zone**, so installation can start on one area while the
  next is still being finished.
- **Plan a staging area** for unpacking, and remove packaging daily. Cartons
  piling up on a finished floor are a damage and fire risk.
- **Protect lift cars, corridors and new flooring** along the delivery route.
- **Connect workstation power and data** as desks are installed, so faults with
  floor box positions show up on the first bay, not the last.

How furniture fits into the whole move programme is covered in
[the office relocation timeline from lease to move-in](/blog/office-relocation-timeline-lease-to-move-in).

## Common mistakes

- **Ordering after the site is ready.** By then, the full manufacturing lead
  time sits between finished works and occupation.
- **Changing headcount after order.** Quantities, layout and floor box positions
  all move together.
- **Approving from photographs.** The fabric, laminate and seat feel arrive
  different from what was imagined.
- **Ignoring the lift booking.** The furniture arrives on a day the goods lift
  is booked by another tenant.
- **Installing before the dust stops.** Furniture is damaged and late trades work
  around it.
- **Not ordering spares.** A few extra chairs, pedestals and screens avoid a
  repeat of the full lead time for a damaged or added item.

## What to ask your furniture supplier or contractor

- What is the committed lead time, and from which event is it counted?
- Which items are imported, and what is included for shipping and clearance?
- Can we see and test the exact product, not a similar model?
- What is the last date to change quantities or finishes?
- How will deliveries be phased, and who books the lift and loading bay?
- How are desks matched to floor boxes and data outlets before installation?
- What spares and warranty support are included, and from where are parts supplied?

## Standards referenced

Work chairs under **IS 17631**; tables and desks under **IS 17633**; office work
chair dimensions under **EN 1335-1**; work table and desk dimensions under
**EN 527-1**. Product certification, ergonomic suitability for particular users
and the delivery and installation arrangements for a specific building should be
confirmed with the supplier, the project's designers and building management.

## Frequently asked questions

### How long does office furniture take to arrive?

It depends on the product, the quantity, the finish options chosen, whether it is made locally or imported, and how busy the manufacturer is. Standard system workstations in standard finishes are typically quicker than custom joinery or imported chairs. The only reliable figure is the one the supplier commits to in writing, counted from the date samples and finishes are approved.

### When should furniture be ordered in a fit-out?

As soon as the layout and quantities are frozen and samples are approved, which is usually well before the site is ready for it. The order date is driven backwards from the date furniture must be installed, minus the supplier's committed lead time, delivery and installation. Waiting for site progress before ordering is the most common reason furniture governs the opening date.

### Is imported furniture worth the longer wait?

Sometimes, for a specific chair or system the client has chosen for comfort, design or consistency across offices. The trade-off is a longer and less controllable supply chain, with shipping, customs and port time on top of manufacture, and spares that come from the same route. Locally made furniture is usually easier to adjust, replace and extend later.

### Why should furniture be installed after ceilings and flooring?

Because furniture is easily damaged by dust and wet trades, and because ceilings, flooring and power outlets must be finished for desks to be positioned and connected correctly. Installing early means protecting the furniture, working around it, and often moving it again. Late finishing work in a furnished space is slower and causes damage.

### What should a furniture sample approval include?

The actual product in the specified size, frame finish, laminate or fabric, with cable management and accessories fitted. Chairs should be sat in by a group of future users, not judged in a photograph. The approved sample should be recorded with its specification and kept as the reference against which the delivered furniture is checked.

### Do office chairs and desks have Indian standards?

Yes. Work chairs are covered by IS 17631 and tables and desks by IS 17633, which deal with performance and safety such as strength, stability and durability. Ergonomic dimensions are also addressed in European standards such as EN 1335-1 for work chairs and EN 527-1 for desks. Ask the supplier which standards and certifications apply to the specific product offered.

## Sources

- [IS 17631](https://standards.bis.gov.in/website/published-standards/department-wise) — Furniture - work chairs - specification
- [IS 17633](https://standards.bis.gov.in/website/published-standards/department-wise) — Furniture - tables and desks - specification
- [EN 1335-1](https://standards.cencenelec.eu/ords/f?p=CEN:105) — Office furniture - office work chair - dimensions
- [EN 527-1](https://standards.cencenelec.eu/ords/f?p=CEN:105) — Office furniture - work tables and desks - dimensions

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Source: https://hagerstone.com/blog/office-furniture-procurement-lead-times