Office furniture: specifying a workplace with one supplier in Ireland

Before choosing products, work out how the space is used. How many people are in on a typical day, and on the busiest day? How much desk sharing is realistic? Which teams need quiet focus, which need to talk, and how many meetings are video calls? The answers decide the ratio of desks to meeting rooms, phone booths and informal areas, and they stop you buying desks for people who are at home most of the week.

A supplier offering office design will usually produce a space plan and layout drawings. Ask how it accounted for circulation routes, fire escape routes, access to windows and radiators, power and data positions, and accessibility for staff and visitors with disabilities. A layout that looks good on screen can fail when the cable route does not reach the desk.

Sit-stand desks let people change position during the day. When comparing them, look at the height range against your tallest and shortest users, the stability at full height, lifting capacity if monitors are on arms, noise of the motor, and cable management that moves with the desk. Ask for the relevant European standard for office chairs and desks to be named in the specification, and for the warranty on frames, motors and gas lifts.

Open-plan offices often fail on noise rather than on space. Acoustic solutions include ceiling rafts and baffles, wall panels, screens between desks, soft flooring and booths for calls. An acoustic supplier should look at the room's hard surfaces and the activities in it, and explain what each measure is expected to achieve rather than simply selling panels by the square metre.

Reception areas set the first impression and deal with visitors, deliveries and sometimes security. Think about sightlines to the entrance, accessible counter heights and where visitors wait.

Office furniture proposals range from a product list to a full fit-out. The following points make them comparable.

• a product schedule with manufacturer, model, finish and quantity for every item
• the standards each chair and desk is tested to, and the warranty for each
• lead times, including for made-to-order finishes and imported items
• delivery, installation, assembly and removal of packaging
• out-of-hours installation if the office stays open
• disposal, resale or recycling of existing furniture, with waste paperwork
• space plan and drawings, and how many revisions are included
• payment terms, and whether leasing or phased delivery is possible

In rented offices, partitions, booths fixed to the building, and changes to lighting or power usually need the landlord's consent under the lease, and the landlord may require you to remove them at the end.

The layout must keep escape routes clear and wide enough, and the business's fire risk assessment should be reviewed after a major reconfiguration. Upholstered furniture for workplaces should meet the flammability standards the supplier can document; ask for them.

The GDPR applies to your documents; in Ireland the Data Protection Commission is the supervisory authority. If a supplier processes personal data on your behalf, you need a data processing agreement.

Irish companies are registered with the Companies Registration Office. Ask for the company number and VAT number, and check whether prices are quoted with or without VAT.

Source: dataprotection.ie · eur-lex.europa.eu · revenue.ie

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