Planning Low Current Systems Early Saves Real Money on Office Fit-Outs

On nearly every office fit-out we join midway through, the same pattern repeats: low current systems — CCTV, access control, structured cabling, public address — get scoped after the interior design and civil work are already locked in, forcing expensive rework of walls and ceilings.

The fix is simple but requires discipline: bring your low current contractor into the design phase, not the execution phase. Camera coverage and cable pathways should be marked on the same drawings as electrical and HVAC, reviewed by the same design team.

For access control specifically, decide your door-by-door security tiers (public, staff-only, server room, executive) before ordering hardware — retrofitting a higher security tier onto a door already fitted with the wrong reader type is one of the most common budget overruns we see.

We now offer a fixed-scope low current design review for fit-out projects specifically to catch these issues before construction starts, rather than during it.