Top 5.5 Consultants You Should Hire For Your Office Buildout

The architect and engineers may design the project, but several other specialists can make the buildout considerably easier to plan, coordinate and operate.

Originally published April 22, 2015. Updated October 2026. The original “5.5” list wasn’t intended to identify every consultant a project might require. It focused on specialists owners and tenants sometimes overlook when assembling an office buildout team.

Congratulations, you’ve signed your new office lease and now you’re ready to begin thinking about the design of your new space.

But before the ink has dried on the contract, your phone starts to ring off the hook from every mover, telephone vendor, IT consultant, contract furniture firm, designer, architect, general contractor, copy machine firm, leasing company…and the list goes on.

I was once that guy who was on the receiving end of those phone calls. I know firsthand what it’s like to be deluged from every vendor looking to sell their services.

Why do you need these services? When should I engage them? Who is the most reputable vendor? What is it going to cost? Wasn’t the landlord handling that? Isn’t this in my work letter?

Your natural inclination is to shut down and avoid the calls.

Aside from the architects, engineers and design professionals, there are several consultants who can help bring harmony to the chaos and make your planning, design and implementation process much easier than if you were to go it alone.

Here’s a quick guide to the 5.5 consultants you should consider when planning your office buildout.

1. The Project Manager / Owner’s Rep

First and foremost, the PM is your advocate and point person through the project.

When I originally wrote this article, I was a project manager working for one of the world’s largest project management firms, so I don’t say this simply for selfish reasons.

The role is to help manage the project from the owner’s or tenant’s perspective—coordinating the team, monitoring the budget and schedule, identifying issues and keeping decisions moving.

The architect designs the space. The contractors build it. The consultants address their specialties.

Someone still needs to keep the whole project connected.

2. Technology Consultant

Technology touches nearly every part of a modern office.

The technology consultant can help plan network and wireless infrastructure, audiovisual and collaboration systems, equipment rooms, connectivity and other technology requirements.

Just as importantly, they need to coordinate those requirements with the architect and engineers so power, cooling, pathways, ceilings, furniture and other building elements support the technology being installed.

Technology shouldn’t be something the project discovers after the walls and ceilings are closed.

3. Structural Engineer

You might not think structural engineering is necessary for an office buildout.

Sometimes it isn’t.

But rooftop equipment, supplemental HVAC, concentrated equipment loads, floor openings and other seemingly straightforward changes can introduce structural questions.

I’ve seen plenty of weight in a relatively small area.

You want to make sure the floor can support it before the equipment arrives—not after.

4. Acoustical Consultant

Privacy is a concern in many legal, healthcare, financial and other workplaces.

An acoustical consultant can evaluate how sound travels through walls, doors, ceilings and other assemblies and help the design team determine what level of acoustical performance is appropriate.

That may include wall construction, doors, sound masking and other measures.

The objective isn’t simply to make a room quiet. It’s to make sure conversations stay where they’re supposed to stay.

5. Furniture Consultant

Furniture affects much more than appearance.

The furniture consultant can help select and specify workstations, private-office furniture, conference tables, seating, storage and other components while coordinating dimensions, power, technology and installation requirements with the project team.

They also provide the “function over form” reality check that so many designers miss.

5.5. Move Consultant

From purge campaigns and filing-space needs to furniture moves, technology transfers, packing instructions and move sequencing, the move consultant works with your team to prepare for the move.

They can coordinate with departments and vendors, help determine what moves and what doesn’t, and plan the transition so the organization can get from the old space into the new one with as little disruption as practical.

The construction project isn’t finished for the employees if nobody has figured out how they’re actually getting into the new office.

Who Else Might You Need?

These 5.5 consultants aren’t intended to be the complete project team.

Depending on the project, the owner or tenant may also need MEP engineers, lighting, security, code, sustainability, commissioning, food-service or other specialty consultants.

The right team depends on the project.

But if any of these 5.5 consultants come calling, there may be a good reason not to hang up the phone.