What turnkey actually means
Turnkey is one of those words dealers use until it stops meaning anything. Here is the working definition we use at COI. You make one phone call. You sign one contract. You get one project manager. You write one check. Furniture lands, gets assembled, gets placed per the floor plan, and the room is ready for people on day one.
If any of those numbers go above one, the project is not turnkey. It is coordinated. There is a difference.
The office manager in the room usually feels that difference more than anyone. Three movers, two installers, the IT contractor, the AV vendor, the building's freight elevator scheduler, and a furniture salesperson with a clipboard. Five email threads. Two calendar invites that conflict. The office manager becomes the project manager by default.
What you stop having to do
Here is the short list of work that goes away when the dealer runs a real turnkey project.
- ›Calling six different manufacturers to compare lead times. The dealer does it and reports back a single recommendation. - Coordinating the freight elevator window with the building. The dealer pulls the COI and books the dock. - Tracking shipment status across multiple suppliers. The dealer aggregates it into one schedule. - Receiving furniture and verifying counts against packing slips. The installer handles it. - Filing punch list items with the manufacturer. The dealer absorbs the item and gets it fixed. - Coordinating debris removal and packaging disposal. Built into the install scope.
For a 50-person fit-out, that list adds up to 30 to 60 hours of work for an office manager who already has a full job.
What a real turnkey scope looks like
On a typical 75-person project, the COI turnkey scope covers six categories from one contract.
- Design brief and 3D space plan. 2. Furniture specification across whatever brand mix makes sense. 3. Procurement and shipment tracking from every manufacturer. 4. Delivery, assembly, and placement on a scheduled day. 5. Building coordination for dock, elevator, COI, and security access. 6. Day 2 lifecycle enrollment for every piece installed.
One project manager handles the entire path. The office manager gets a weekly check-in and a calendar invite for install day. That is it.
The alternative is a contract with the furniture company, a separate contract with the installer, a separate contract with the mover, a separate contract with the IT cabling team, and a fifth contract with whoever delivers the chairs the furniture company does not stock. Each one with its own COI, its own schedule, and its own dispute resolution process.
How to tell if a dealer is actually turnkey
Before you sign a furniture contract, force the dealer to commit on four points in writing.
- ›Project manager named in the contract. Not a sales rep, an actual PM with a phone number. - Installation included in the line item. Not subcontracted to someone you have to call separately. - Building coordination listed as scope. Dock, elevator, COI, and access management. - Punch list resolution timeline. Same-day or next-day fix on minor issues, with a written escalation path.
If any of those four is missing, the dealer is selling furniture, not running a turnkey project. The work that falls between the line items lands on you. Make the dealer carry it.
