Fit-Out Interface Matrices in Dubai: Find the Gaps Between Trade Packages

Start where two packages meet

Identify items involving more than one party: AV and joinery, kitchen equipment and MEP, access control and doors, signage and shopfront, or tenant works and base-building services. Focus on the handoff between packages rather than reproducing the entire BOQ.

For each interface, describe the finished outcome. “Display installed and operational” is clearer than “screen by client”, which says nothing about mounting, power, cabling or configuration. Use the BOQ guide to keep underlying scope definitions clear.

Break responsibility into actions

Separate providing design data, supplying components, delivering, installing, connecting, testing and approving. Different parties may own different actions. Include the information each party needs and when it must be provided.

For an AV display, record who confirms weight and mounting details, provides structural backing, supplies brackets, installs containment and completes the functional test. The example demonstrates the method; the actual allocation must follow the project scope and specialist design.

Include the client and landlord interfaces

Record direct client vendors and landlord-controlled systems alongside the main contractor's trades. Confirm access windows, shutdown arrangements and any approved specialist requirements with management. Do not assume the main contractor can alter shared services without agreement.

Review the matrix with the landlord fit-out manual. Separate an obligation to coordinate from an obligation to perform specialist work. Naming a coordinator does not automatically transfer design or statutory responsibility.

Reconcile the matrix with procurement

Check each assignment against quotations, exclusions and appointments. Where two parties both exclude the same task, resolve the gap before award or issue the appropriate change through the agreed process. Where both include it, clarify the intended arrangement to avoid duplicate purchasing.

Set decision dates for equipment data and interfaces that affect fabrication. If a supplier changes, review the matrix again. A new product can introduce a different connection or commissioning responsibility even when its visible function is unchanged.

Use it at coordination and handover

Review open interfaces at progress meetings and record evidence of closure. For testing, define who attends and what demonstrates that the combined installation works. Separate component completion from system-level acceptance.

At handover, retain the final responsibility and support contacts with the O&M information. The matrix is a practical management tool, not a substitute for the contract or professional appointments. Keep it consistent with those documents throughout the project.

Frequently asked questions