The move itself is the short part. The physical relocation of 200 workstations usually takes a weekend or a few days, and the weeks before it, spent on the lease, the new floor, approvals and telecom, decide your date. Whether the new floor is already fitted or needs a fit-out changes the total by months. This guide gives the one published range we could verify, a method to build your own timeline backward from a target date, and the Ortigas checks that affect it.
A workstation is one seat with a desk, chair and computer setup. A fit-out is the construction, partitions, electrical and air-conditioning work, cabling and furniture that turn a floor into your office. PEZA is the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.
Meyer Inc., a US moving company serving the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, states that an office move takes 1 to 6 months from planning to completion. Its phases are 3 to 6 months of planning (lease review, budget, mover selection), 1 to 3 months pre-move (packing, inventory, communication), 1 to 3 days or more for the move (mid-sized offices about 2 days, large corporate relocations 3 to 5 days or longer), and 1 to 2 weeks after the move for testing and adjustments. It advises starting at least 6 months ahead (Meyer, 9 Feb 2026). These are US figures, which do not cover Philippine permits, building rules or PEZA, so use them only as a reference range.
| Density | Formula | Floor area |
|---|---|---|
| 3.0 to 3.6 sqm per seat | 200 x 3.0 to 3.6 | 600 to 720 sqm |
| 5 to 7 sqm per seat | 200 x 5 to 7 | 1,000 to 1,400 sqm |
The first range comes from operator sites on the FlySpaces Cebu list, and the second is a planning assumption, not a sourced standard. The area drives fit-out time and cost, so settle your density with a space planner early.
Start date = target move date − (the sum of the stages that run in sequence). Stages that can run in parallel count once, at the length of the longest. Ask for the duration of each stage in writing from the party who controls it.
| Stage | Who gives you the duration |
|---|---|
| Agreement and approvals to start | Landlord or operator; your legal team |
| Design and space planning (if fitting out) | Your designer |
| Building permits and building administration approvals | The city and the building |
| Fit-out construction (if fitting out) | Your contractor |
| Telecom and IT cabling | Carriers; your IT lead; the building |
| Inspections and testing | Building, city, Bureau of Fire Protection |
| Move preparation and staff communication | Your project lead |
| Physical move | Your mover |
| Settling and fixes | Your IT and facilities leads |
Two further dates constrain you: the notice period in your current lease, and PEZA's evaluation time if you are registered and moving. Here is a worked example. All durations are hypothetical, are not benchmarks, and show how the arithmetic works.
| Stage | Fitted floor, weeks | Bare shell with fit-out, weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Agreement | 4 | 4 |
| Design | not needed | 4 |
| Permits | in parallel below | 4 |
| Fit-out construction | not needed | 12 |
| Telecom and IT | 6 (in parallel with approvals of 2 and move preparation of 4) | 4 |
| Inspections and testing | included | 2 |
| Physical move | 1 | 1 |
| Settling | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 4 + 6 + 1 + 2 = 13 weeks | 4 + 4 + 4 + 12 + 4 + 2 + 1 + 2 = 33 weeks |
The fitted floor takes about 3 months (13 / 4.33) and the bare shell about 7.6 months (33 / 4.33) in this example. The gap comes from the fit-out, which is why a ready-built floor shortens the plan most. Replace the numbers with your own quotes.
Which city. Ortigas Center sits within the joint boundaries of Pasig, Mandaluyong and Quezon City, and most of its skyscrapers are in the Pasig portion (Wikipedia). Business and building permits depend on the city where your building stands, so confirm it. Wikipedia reports that Pasig opened a business one-stop shop at Silver City 4 in 2026 for registration and renewals, which you should verify with the city.
Truck rules. MMDA's light truck ban has restricted trucks on EDSA and Shaw Boulevard at set hours. A 2021 report listed EDSA from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Shaw Boulevard from 6 to 10 a.m. and 5 to 10 p.m., Mondays to Saturdays, and a later guide states EDSA has no ban on Sundays and holidays. The schedule changes, so confirm the current rules with MMDA and your mover.
Building rules. Ask both the current and the new building administration for the notice period, fees and approvals for work permits, gate passes and lift or loading dock bookings for your move date, and for the hours when noisy fit-out work is allowed. We could not verify specific rules for individual Ortigas buildings, so do not assume them.
PEZA. If you are IT-BPM and already registered, PEZA requires notice and a Letter of Authority before you change location (Duran and Duran-Schulze), and a published process summary lists a 20-working-day evaluation. Confirm current requirements and timing with PEZA, and check that the new building and floors are accredited.
Market. Leechiu Property Consultants reported 18% vacancy and an average rent of PHP 738 per sqm per month for Ortigas and Mandaluyong at end-2025 (BusinessWorld, 20 Jan 2026). Higher vacancy can mean more fitted floors to choose from, which shortens the plan. Ask each landlord for what is available now.
Tell FlySpaces your headcount, your target move date and whether you need PEZA, and the team replies with a shortlist that fits. Inquire here