For most tenants, the electrical and data cabling phase of a fitout is the first time the project feels genuinely disruptive. Walls are open, ceilings are partially removed, cables are draped across the space, and the noise from drilling through concrete slabs and cutting conduit channels is constant. Knowing what to expect during this phase, and what you will be asked to decide along the way, makes the process considerably less stressful.
Electrical work is also the phase where tenant decisions have the most direct impact on whether the project finishes on time. Late answers about outlet positions, data point locations, or AV requirements do not just delay the electrician; they delay every trade that follows. The practical reality of living through an electrical phase is worth understanding before your fitout starts.
What the Space Looks Like During Electrical Work
During the electrical rough-in phase, the office will look substantially different from what most tenants expect. If the fitout involves new partitions, the metal stud frames will be standing but not yet sheeted with plasterboard. The ceiling tiles may be removed or stacked to one side to give access to the ceiling void. Cable trays, conduit runs, and bundles of cabling will be visible throughout the space, routed from the comms room or switchboard location to each zone.
The floor may be covered in protective sheeting, particularly in areas where floor boxes are being installed. Electricians will be working from ladders and elevated platforms to route cables above the ceiling grid, and there will be regular noise from core drilling, conduit cutting, and cable pulling. If the business is operating from the same building during the fitout, the noise and access disruption during the electrical phase is typically the most noticeable of any stage.
This visual chaos is normal and temporary. The rough-in phase is the most visually messy part of the build because everything is exposed and nothing is finished. Within a few weeks, the partitions will be sheeted, the ceiling will be reinstated, and none of the cabling will be visible. But during the rough-in, the space will look like it has gone backwards rather than forwards, and that often surprises tenants who have not been through a fitout before.
Decisions Tenants Need to Make During Electrical Work
Even when the design is well advanced before the build starts, the electrical phase generates decisions that only the tenant can make. The most common involve confirming exact outlet and data point positions on walls that are now physically framed, selecting light switch locations and dimming preferences for meeting rooms, confirming AV connectivity requirements for boardrooms and conference spaces, and specifying any equipment that needs dedicated power circuits.
These decisions often feel minor to the tenant but are critical to the electrician. A power outlet moved 300 millimetres along a wall after the cable has been run means re-routing through a different stud cavity. A meeting room display that changes from wall-mounted to screen-on-stand eliminates the need for a high-level power point but may require a floor box instead. Each change is manageable in isolation, but if several accumulate during the rough-in phase, they slow the programme and can push second fix into conflict with other finishing trades.
The most productive approach is to treat the electrical rough-in as a decision deadline rather than a review period. If the electrician asks where a switch goes, they need an answer that day, not at the end of the week. The fitout team will typically schedule a site walk with the tenant at the start of the electrical phase specifically to confirm these details on site, where the physical space makes it easier to visualise positions and heights.
Noise, Access, and Business Continuity
If your business is continuing to operate during the fitout, the electrical phase requires specific planning around noise and access. Core drilling through concrete slabs is loud enough to make phone calls impossible in adjacent areas. Cable pulling through ceiling voids can dislodge dust that settles on furniture and equipment below. And electricians working from ladders in open ceiling areas need clear access to zones that may overlap with occupied parts of the office.
Most fitout teams manage this by scheduling the noisiest work for early mornings, evenings, or weekends, depending on building access rules and the tenant’s operating hours. However, this only works if the tenant communicates their constraints early. A business that runs client meetings every morning from nine to eleven needs the fitout team to know that before the electrical programme is finalised, not after the drilling has started.
Dust management during electrical work is another practical consideration. Drilling and cutting generate fine concrete and metal dust that the site team will contain with temporary barriers and extraction, but some dust migration is inevitable in an open-ceiling environment. Tenants with sensitive IT equipment, medical devices, or inventory in adjacent areas should flag this early so the fitout team can install additional protection or adjust the work sequence to minimise exposure.
What the Testing and Commissioning Phase Involves
After the second fix is complete and all outlets, switches, data points, and light fittings are installed, the electrical contractor runs a series of tests before the system is energised and handed over. These tests include circuit continuity checks, insulation resistance testing, earth-fault loop impedance testing, and verification that all residual current devices and circuit breakers operate correctly. The results are documented in a certificate of compliance, which is required for the tenancy to receive an occupation certificate.
From the tenant’s perspective, testing is a relatively quiet process compared to the installation phases. The electrician will work through each circuit systematically, and the lights, outlets, and data points will be switched on progressively. This is the point at which any defects or misaligned outlets become apparent, and the fitout team will typically invite the tenant to walk the space with them to identify anything that does not match the design intent.
Data cabling commissioning is separate from electrical testing. The data cabling contractor will test each cable run for signal integrity, certify the results, and label each data point to match the patch panel schedule. This certification is important for the tenant’s IT team, because it confirms that every data point will perform to the specified standard and identifies any cables that need replacement before the network equipment is connected.
Common Surprises During the Electrical Phase
Even in well-planned fitouts, the electrical phase regularly produces a few surprises. The most common is discovering that the building’s existing electrical infrastructure does not support the new tenancy load. Older buildings may have switchboards that are at capacity, requiring an upgrade before the fitout electrical can be connected. This is usually identified during the design phase, but occasionally the full load calculation reveals a shortfall that was not apparent from the base building documentation.
Another frequent surprise involves comms room conditions. The tenant’s IT team may specify particular temperature or ventilation requirements for the comms room that differ from what the base building provides. Addressing this mid-fitout can require additional mechanical work, dedicated cooling units, or upgraded ventilation, all of which affect cost and programme if they were not anticipated.
Floor box depths are a third area where surprises emerge. In buildings with shallow raised floors or limited slab-to-soffit clearance, standard floor boxes may not fit without modifications. The electrical contractor may need to use low-profile boxes or adjust the screed buildup, either of which affects the flooring programme and potentially the finished floor level. Tenants who are new to commercial fitouts are often caught off guard by these building-specific constraints, which is why an early site survey is so valuable.
How Communication Typically Works During This Phase
During the electrical phase, the main point of contact for the tenant is usually the fitout project manager rather than the electrician directly. The project manager coordinates between the electrical subcontractor and the tenant, translating technical questions into business decisions and ensuring that answers flow back to the site team quickly.
Good fitout teams provide a regular update cycle during the electrical phase, typically a brief site report or call once or twice a week that covers progress, upcoming decisions, any issues that have emerged, and the expected timeline for the next stage. This communication is particularly important during the electrical phase because so many other trades are waiting on electrical completion before they can start.
Tenants who understand what to expect from the fitout company during this period find the process far less stressful. The key is knowing that questions will come, that they need prompt answers, and that the visual mess of the rough-in phase is a necessary and temporary step toward the finished result.
Preparing Your Team for the Electrical Phase
If your business will be affected by the electrical phase, whether because you are operating from adjacent space or because your IT team needs to coordinate with the cabling contractor, a brief internal communication before work starts makes a meaningful difference. Staff who know that drilling will happen between seven and nine in the morning, or that the server room will be temporarily inaccessible on a specific day, can plan around the disruption rather than being caught off guard by it.
The IT team in particular should be involved early in the electrical phase. They will need to confirm data point quantities and locations, specify any proprietary cabling standards, coordinate the comms room layout with the electrical contractor, and plan the network cutover from the old infrastructure to the new. This is not work that can be deferred to the end of the fitout; it needs to run in parallel with the broader fitout programme to avoid a bottleneck at handover.
The electrical phase is also the right time to confirm any specialist power requirements for equipment that has not yet arrived on site. If the business is installing commercial kitchen equipment, server racks, specialist printers, or audiovisual systems, the electrical contractor needs the technical data sheets to confirm circuit sizing, outlet types, and isolation requirements. Providing this information during the rough-in phase avoids retrofit work after the fit-out is otherwise complete.
If you are approaching an office fitout and want clear guidance on what the electrical phase involves and how to prepare your team for it, we can walk you through the process and manage the full delivery.
Call us on 1300 60 93 93