The old way
Clients call for status updates because there's no visibility
With Slabr™
Client portal shows project progress, stage photos and sign-off requests as the team updates the job record
Solution · Fit-out
The operating system for retail & commercial fit-out companies.
Multi-site projects. Tight deadlines. Demanding clients. Slabr™ gives fit-out companies full visibility from quote to installation — so nothing falls between the cracks and no client ever chases you for an update.
Product preview
Sample Flow board for multi-trade fit-outs.
Preview stage capacity, blocker flags and risk-to-install — based on the Slabr workflow model.
Flow™ · Operations
Production board
Live stage view across the floor — capacity, blockers and risk-to-install
Cutting3
3/4 cap
J-1812
Sample kitchen project
Themba 2h
J-1810
Sample glazing — foyer
Joe 5h
J-1809
Sample stone bathroom
Marco 4h
Assembly4
4/5 cap
J-1805
Sample stone vanity
Lerato Wed 17:00
J-1804 RISK
Sample metal balustrade
Sipho Wed 12:00
J-1803
Sample furniture commission
Cara Thu 09:00
J-1802
Sample fit-out — lobby
Marco Fri 10:00
Finishing2
2/3 cap
J-1798
Sample kitchen — unit 14
Lerato Thu 15:00
J-1796
Sample wardrobe
Themba Fri 09:00
Install2
2/4 cap
J-1794
Sample fit-out — lobby
2 fitters Fri 10:00
J-1791
Sample kitchen install
2 fitters Mon 09:00
Stages
multi-room scope, phased install, one job record
Token portal
client sees progress without phoning the office
Snag log
photos and resolution attached to the job
Milestone billing
progress invoices triggered as stages advance
The old way vs the Slabr way
Fit-out runs on communication. Bad tools break it.
Six places communication and tooling silently fail you on a fit-out — and what changes when one job record carries the whole project.
The old way
Installation teams show up without the right materials
With Slabr™
Purchase requests, goods received and inventory all in sync — team goes prepared
The old way
Milestone billing happens late because no one noticed the stage was complete
With Slabr™
Automatic billing triggers when stages advance — cash comes in faster
The old way
Subcontractors work independently with no record of what was done
With Slabr™
Production flow assigns tasks and records completions with timestamps and photos
The old way
Quoting a fit-out job takes days of spreadsheet work
With Slabr™
Forge™ pricing engine handles labour, material, freight and margin in minutes
The old way
Site snags get lost in email chains
With Slabr™
QC module logs every issue with photos, location and resolution — signed off before handover
Built for fit-out
Every module works together.
Sales, production, track, inventory, finance, clients — same job record, same stage timeline, no double-entry.
Sales™
Quote multi-room, multi-area fit-out projects with itemised scope. Client approves online — converts to job instantly.
Production™
Stage-by-stage workflow for fabrication and installation. QR codes on site for scan-to-update.
Track™
Installation scheduling with technician assignment. Client notified when team is en route. Site photos attached to job.
Inventory™
Track material use per job. Scan-based replenishment. Offcut tracking across multiple sites.
Finance™
Milestone billing, deposit requests and final invoices. Per-job profitability on every contract.
Clients™
Client portal for project status, document approvals and snagging sign-off. Eliminates status-update calls.
Cost of the silent error
The 5 most expensive mistakes fit-out companies make
Each one is a quiet leak — visible in the final account months later, never in any single progress claim. The fixes are procedural, not motivational.
Mistake 01
BOQ format doesn't match the architect's spec
The architect issues a Bill of Quantities under one numbering convention (NRM2, CSI MasterFormat, or a bespoke trade breakdown) and the fit-out contractor re-quotes against a different structure. By the time variations and progress claims start landing, nobody can reconcile line 4.3.2 in the contractor's quote with line 25.30.10 in the architect's BOQ. The cure is a quote template that mirrors the architect's BOQ line-for-line — same headings, same sequence, same units — so every variation, invoice tranche and final account references one shared spine.
Mistake 02
Subcontractor quotes not pinned to the main quote
The shopfitter prices the joinery, the M&E sub prices the services, the flooring sub prices the floor — and each lives in its own PDF, sent on a different date, with its own assumptions. When the client signs the main quote, the sub-quotes are not version-pinned to that revision. Two weeks later, a sub re-quotes “the same scope” at a different number, and the contractor either eats the delta or has to raise an awkward change order. Pin every sub-quote to the main quote revision the client actually approved, and treat any later re-price as a formal change order.
Mistake 03
Verbal scope additions taken on site, mid-build
The client's ops manager walks the site, points at a wall and says “while you're here, can you also…” The site foreman agrees, the team does the work, and three months later the contractor tries to invoice it. The client says they don't remember authorising it, there's no signed instruction, and the line gets written off. The fix is procedural: any scope addition over a defined threshold is captured as a priced change-order line on the job, signed in the portal before work starts, and folded into the next milestone claim — not invoiced as a surprise extra at the end.
Mistake 04
Retention not tracked across multi-stage billing
Commercial fit-out contracts typically hold 5–10% retention against each progress claim, half released at Practical Completion and half after the defects-liability period. Contractors that bill in five tranches and handle retention as a single end-of-job line routinely lose track of which tranche carried which retention, and end up under-claiming the PC release. Track retention as a per-tranche ledger entry — held, released-at-PC, released-at-DLP-end — so the cash position is visible every month, not reconstructed from invoices a year later.
Mistake 05
Snag list across multi-trade not consolidated
On a fit-out the client doesn't care which trade caused the issue — they want one list, one owner per item, and one closeout date. Contractors that ask each sub to track their own snags end up with five spreadsheets, no consolidated status, and a PC certificate that slips because one trade is two weeks behind on closeout while the others are done. The fix is a single consolidated snag list against the job, with each item tagged to a responsible trade, photographed, and signed off in the client portal — so PC and the retention timeline can actually start on time.
Frequently asked
Fit-out questions, answered
The questions fit-out contractors actually ask us — covering BOQ, milestone billing, PC vs SC, retention, snagging and DLP — with answers that cross-link to the deep glossary.
What's a BOQ and why does it matter?
A Bill of Quantities (BOQ) is a structured, line-itemised schedule of every measurable element of the works, prepared from the design drawings. It tells you, in one document, how many square metres of partition, how many linear metres of skirting, how many doors, how many luminaires — each with a unit and a rate. On a commercial fit-out the BOQ matters because it becomes the spine the entire contract runs on: pricing, variations, progress claims, retention and final account all reference the same line numbers. A contractor that quotes against a different structure forces every later document to be re-mapped, and reconciliation breaks down within weeks. Reference: RICS NRM2, CSI MasterFormat.
How do I handle milestone billing on a phased fit-out?
Milestone billing works best when the milestones are written into the contract up front, each tied to a verifiable on-site condition (e.g. demolition complete, partitions framed, M&E first-fix, ceilings closed, finishes complete, PC). Each milestone has a value, a retention deduction, and a documentary trigger — typically a signed inspection certificate or photo bundle. The contractor raises the application for payment against the milestone, the client (or their QS) certifies the value, and the invoice issues for the certified amount net of retention. Tracking each milestone as its own line on the job, with its own status, retention and certified value, is what stops the cash position from drifting on a multi-stage contract.
What's the difference between Substantial Completion (AIA) and Practical Completion (JCT/JBCC)?
Substantial Completion (SC) under AIA contracts (US tradition) and Practical Completion (PC) under JCT (UK) and JBCC (Southern Africa) are sibling concepts: both mark the point at which the works can be used by the client for their intended purpose, even if minor items remain on a snag list. Both trigger handover, start the defects-liability period, and release the first portion of retention. The procedural differences are real — AIA SC is certified by the architect via a signed certificate (G704), JCT PC is certified by the contract administrator, JBCC PC is certified by the principal agent — but the operational consequence is identical: handover, snag closeout window, retention clock starts. Reference: AIA A201-2017; JCT Practical Completion guide.
How do I track retention release across multiple invoice tranches?
Treat retention as its own ledger, separate from the invoice register. Each progress claim creates two entries: the gross value certified, and the retention deducted (typically 5% under JCT/JBCC commercial standards, sometimes 10% capped at a project total). The retention ledger then carries a status per entry — held, released-at-PC, released-at-DLP-end — and a target date driven by the certified PC date and the contractual defects-liability period. At PC the contractor raises a retention-release application for half the held balance; at the end of DLP, another for the remainder. Without this ledger, contractors routinely under-claim by 1–3% of contract value. Reference: BESA retentions guidance.
How do snag lists work on multi-trade fit-outs?
On a multi-trade fit-out the client expects one consolidated snag list, not one per trade. The list is typically generated from a joint walk-through at PC, with each item photographed, located on the floor plan, and tagged to a responsible trade. Each item carries an agreed closeout target — usually 14 to 28 days after PC — and a sign-off signature from the client or their representative once closed. The snag list lives against the job, not against any one sub-quote, and feeds the retention release: PC retention is typically released regardless of open snags, but the DLP retention can be held against material non-closures. Single source of truth, multiple owners.
What's the standard defects liability period in commercial fit-out?
Defects-liability periods (DLP, also called the rectification period under JCT or the defects period under JBCC) are typically 12 months from Practical Completion on standard commercial fit-out, though 6 months is occasionally used on shorter retail rollouts and 24 months on premium or healthcare work. During the DLP the contractor remains responsible for rectifying defects that emerge in normal use — distinct from snags identified at PC, which are closed in the immediate post-PC window. The second half of retention (typically 2.5% of contract value) is released at the end of the DLP, conditional on a final defects certificate being issued. Reference: JCT, JBCC, and BESA guidance.
Cited references
Sources & references
Industry references underpinning the BOQ, milestone billing, completion and retention practice described on this page.
- RICS NRM2. New Rules of Measurement — detailed measurement for building works. The dominant BOQ measurement standard for UK and Commonwealth commercial construction. https://www.rics.org/profession-standards/rics-standards-and-guidance/sector-standards/construction-standards/nrmReference for BOQ structure, measurement conventions and unit definitions on commercial fit-out.
- CSI MasterFormat. Construction Specifications Institute — the dominant work-results classification for North American commercial construction (50 numbered divisions). https://www.csiresources.org/standards/masterformatReference for the divisional numbering convention used in US-style specifications and BOQs.
- AIA A201-2017. General Conditions of the Contract for Construction — the standard US construction contract conditions, defining Substantial Completion and the related certification process. https://help.aiacontracts.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500010259162-Summary-A201-2017-General-Conditions-of-the-Contract-for-ConstructionAuthoritative reference for SC, retention and defects handling under AIA contract forms.
- JCT (UK). Practical Completion — the JCT contract administrator's guide to PC certification, retention release and the rectification period. https://corporate.jctltd.co.uk/practical-completion/JCT corporate reference for PC procedure under standard UK building contracts.
- JBCC. JBCC Guide to Completion and Payment — Southern African standard for PC, final completion, retention and progress payment under JBCC contracts. https://jbcc.co.za/docs/JBCC%20Guide%20to%20Completion%20and%20Payment.pdfJBCC reference for PC, retention release and certified-payment workflow on commercial fit-out in South Africa.
- BESA. Retentions and Security of Payment — the Building Engineering Services Association guidance on retention practice in UK commercial construction. https://www.thebesa.com/payments/retentions-securityTrade-body reference for retention rates, release timing and payment-security practice.
External links open in a new tab. Retention rates, DLP durations and milestone-billing structures cited above are standard-practice ranges drawn from the references — your contract terms may differ. BOQ, retention, snag list, PC sign-off and change-order definitions in the FAQ above link into the deep glossary for further reading.
Designed outcome — fit-out projects move from WhatsApp groups and shared spreadsheets onto one job record. Stages advance, clients sign off in the portal, and invoices fire when delivery confirms. Workflow example, not a customer testimonial.
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Run every fit-out job from one system.
From first quote to final sign-off. No spreadsheets, no WhatsApp chaos, no missed invoices.