Introduction
It looks like a good deal.
A design firm with a polished portfolio, a smooth pitch, and a price that seems fair.
Until you realize they don’t actually build anything.
At CBD Projects, we’ve had clients come to us mid-crisis — after working with design-only firms that outsource the fit-out phase. What followed? Miscommunication, cost overruns, missed approvals, and timelines that slipped by weeks or months.
The problem isn’t the design.
It’s the disconnect.
Here’s what really happens when your designer outsources the build — and why a fully in-house solution saves you more than it costs.
1. Miscommunication Between Designer and Contractor
The design was beautiful — on paper.
But the contractor didn’t fully understand it. Or cut corners. Or substituted materials.
This is a common scenario when the design and fit-out teams aren’t part of the same ecosystem. You’ll find yourself:
- Acting as the middleman between creatives and builders
- Re-explaining decisions already made
- Losing time to revisions and rework
In contrast, an integrated team like CBD Projects designs with buildability in mind — because we’re the same team that will execute it.
2. No One Takes Full Accountability
When delays or mistakes happen (and they do), outsourced models lead to finger-pointing:
- The contractor blames the designer
- The designer blames the supplier
- You’re stuck in the middle
With CBD Projects, there’s no one to pass the buck to.
We take full ownership — from concept to final handover. One contract. One timeline. One team.
3. Budgets Spiral Out of Control
Here’s what most clients don’t see upfront:
Outsourcing means multiple vendors.
Multiple vendors mean markups, management fees, and duplicated costs.
And that budget you were promised? It doesn’t hold.
We’ve audited projects where clients ended up paying 30–40% more than they expected — simply because of layered vendors and misaligned scopes.
In-house fit-out control means we cost the project as a whole, not in silos. What we quote is what you pay — with full visibility at every stage.
4. You Risk Compliance Failures
In the UAE, commercial fit-outs are approval-intensive.
When design firms outsource the build, they often outsource the responsibility for:
- Municipality drawings
- Civil Defense & DEWA approvals
- Special authority permits (like DHA for clinics)
- Fire safety, HVAC specs, load upgrades
These aren’t cosmetic issues.
A single rejected submission can stall your opening — or cost you penalties.
CBD Projects has full G+1 contracting license, and we handle all approvals in-house. That means compliance is planned from day one — not rushed after mistakes happen.
5. Time Is Money — And You Lose Both
Outsourcing slows everything down.
- You wait for handovers between teams
- You chase updates from people who don’t talk to each other
- You spend more time managing the project than running your business
With CBD Projects, timelines are promises — and we deliver on them. Because we control the entire workflow, we remove friction and keep the build moving.
Final Thought: Don’t Buy the Façade. Build the Foundation.
A great-looking design firm isn’t enough if they don’t build what they imagine. The real cost of outsourcing isn’t just money — it’s stress, delays, and compromised results.
At CBD Projects, we design and build in-house — so what you see is what you get.
No surprises. No runaround. Just one accountable team focused on one result: your success.
