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Case study: an interior design company runs a villa project in OSERP
This case study follows one real project, step by step, through OSERP: a luxury villa interior designed and fitted out by a Dubai interior design company. Every screenshot was taken from a working OSERP system as the project moved through its stages. Nothing is a mock-up.
You will see the project from three sides:
- The company's team in OSERP: planning, budgeting, ordering from subcontractors, certifying their work, invoicing the client, recognising revenue and closing the job.
- The client on the company's own website: accepting the agreement, approving drawings and changes, following progress and paying invoices.
- The subcontractors on the same website: seeing their work orders, claiming the work they have done, and following their bills and payments.
At the end, you will see how the numbers add up, and where OSERP protected and added profit.
The company
Marina Fit-Out Contracting LLC is an interior design and fit-out company in Business Bay, Dubai. It designs interiors and builds them, using its own design and project team and specialist subcontractors for each trade: gypsum, flooring, joinery, lighting and painting.
Before OSERP, the company ran projects the way most studios do: a spreadsheet budget, the agreement in a PDF, drawings sent by email, subcontractor invoices checked against memory, and client changes agreed on site by phone. The company knew its margin only when the job was over, and often not even then.
The project
| Project | Al Barari Villa 14 - Luxury Villa Interior Design and Fit-out (code VIL-AB14-2026) |
| Client | Rahman Family Office; the family's contact is Sara Rahman |
| Scope | Six-bedroom villa, 9,500 sq ft of interiors over two floors and a basement: design, ceilings, marble and oak floors, custom joinery, lighting and decorative finishes |
| Contract | AED 1,850,000 + VAT, lump sum design and build |
| Programme | 1 April to 15 September 2026 |
| Project manager | Priya Menon |
| Subcontractors | Al Noor Gypsum & Ceilings, Emirates Flooring Contracting, Gulf Joinery Industries, Bright Line Electromechanical, Colourcraft Painting Services |
| Consultants and suppliers | Studio Linea Design Consultants (3D visualisation and lighting design), SiteServe Logistics (site protection and cleaning) |
The result
| Planned at tender | Final | |
|---|---|---|
| Contract value | 1,850,000 | 2,015,000 |
| Cost | 1,350,000 | 1,469,820 |
| Profit | 500,000 | 545,180 |
| Margin | 27.0% | 27.1% |
| Programme | 15 September | Handed over 15 September |
| Client paid | 100% of everything invoiced, plus 5% retention held to the end of the defects period |
The subcontract orders came in AED 21,820 over the tender budget, and the joinery alone came in AED 25,000 over. OSERP showed this on the day the orders were placed, before any money was spent. The team recovered it and more: the family asked for a quartz kitchen and a home cinema, and the company priced it, had it approved in the client portal before ordering anything, and earned AED 67,000 of margin on it. The project finished AED 45,180 above its planned profit.
How to read this case study
Each chapter is one stage of the project. Every chapter shows the screens in the order the team used them, explains what each field and button does, and ends with what it meant for the company's money. Work through them in order the first time. Afterwards, use them as a reference when you run your own project.
Chapters
- The company, its website and its people - the company's website with the client portal, the team, the client and subcontractors.
- Planning the project - the project, its structure (WBS), the schedule, the team, risks and documents.
- The agreement and the client's acceptance - scope, payment schedule, issuing it, inviting the client, acceptance with an emailed code, and the billing plan.
- Budget, subcontract orders and the early warning - the tender budget, work orders, the overrun caught at ordering, compliance papers, and the subcontractor portal.
- Design approval and keeping the client informed - drawings the client rejects and approves online, progress updates and the client's dashboard.
- Subcontractor claims and certification - a subcontractor claims online, the company certifies what was measured, retention is held.
- Variations: getting paid for change - the client's change request, priced and approved in the portal before work starts.
- Invoicing, collections and revenue - milestone invoices, payments, revenue by progress and earned value.
- Handover, settlement, close-out and reports - closing the job and the reports management reads.
- Where the profit came from, and lessons - the profit bridge, a checklist for your own projects, and exercises.
What you need to follow along
- An OSERP company with the Projects module and the Interior design and fit-out industry pack applied (see Industry packs and service websites).
- A website (store) with the Client portal switched on (see Client project portal).
- An email gateway under Integrations > Notifications, so invitations and acceptance codes reach people.
- For the subcontractor side, see Supplier and subcontractor portal.
All amounts are in UAE dirhams (AED). Amounts on OSERP's project screens are before VAT unless the screen says otherwise. Invoices sent to the client and bills from subcontractors carry 5% UAE VAT on top.