Setting up a first office is a rite of passage for growing Egyptian companies — and a procurement trap. The showroom tour ends with a quotation triple your budget, or a piecemeal retail spree ends with mismatched desks and no storage. Use this checklist to buy once, correctly.

Workstations: the foundation

Per employee: a desk with cable management, an ergonomic task chair (adjustable height and lumbar — this is where cheap buying costs you in sick days), and personal storage. Standardise one desk model across the office; it makes reconfiguration and expansion trivial. Allow 4–6 m² per workstation when planning capacity.

Meeting spaces and reception

Even a ten-person office needs one enclosed meeting room (table for 6–8, presentation wall) and an informal corner — two armchairs and a coffee table do more for daily collaboration than a second boardroom. Reception is your first client impression: a clean console, comfortable seating for three or four, and deliberate décor beat an expensive but generic fit-out.

Storage nobody thinks about until it's too late

Filing cabinets for finance, lockable storage for IT equipment, a pantry setup (appliances included — kettle, microwave, refrigerator), and archive shelving. Under-bought storage is the number-one reason offices look chaotic within six months.

Phase the buying

Phase one, before move-in: workstations, chairs, meeting room, internet-critical infrastructure. Phase two, first month: reception, décor, pantry appliances. Phase three, quarter two: expansion furniture based on actual growth. Phasing with a single wholesale supplier keeps the spec consistent across phases and gives you trade pricing on the total volume, not three disconnected retail bills.

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