Office Decommissioning Services

Decommissioning an office goes well beyond clearing furniture. It's the controlled shutdown of a working environment — IT systems taken offline, data securely destroyed, assets tracked and reconciled, and the physical space cleared in a sequence that maintains security and compliance throughout. We manage the entire process.

What Decommissioning Means in Practice

Office decommissioning is the process of systematically closing down commercial premises. It's the term used when the project goes beyond simply clearing items out — when there are IT systems to disconnect, data to destroy, assets to account for, and compliance requirements to satisfy.

A typical decommissioning project includes:

• IT system shutdown — servers powered down, network equipment disconnected, telephony decommissioned
• Data destruction — every storage device identified, logged, and either wiped to NIST 800-88 standards or physically destroyed
• Asset reconciliation — items checked against the asset register, with discrepancies flagged and documented
• Furniture and equipment clearance — full office clearance of physical contents
• Confidential waste — paper files, ID badges, branded materials cross-cut shredded with certificates
• Signage and branding removal — external signage, reception branding, wayfinding
• Building services handover — utilities, alarms, access control systems transferred to the landlord or next occupier

The key difference from a standard clearance is the level of documentation, security, and programme management involved. Decommissioning is typically managed as a formal project with defined phases, sign-off gates, and centralised reporting.

IT Asset Disposal

IT asset disposal (ITAD) is usually the most sensitive part of any decommissioning project. Every device that has ever stored data — desktops, laptops, servers, phones, printers, copiers, backup tapes — needs to be handled with a documented chain of custody.

Our ITAD process

1. Asset audit — every device logged by serial number, make, model and location, reconciled against your asset register
2. Data sanitisation — hard drives and SSDs wiped to NIST 800-88 standards using certified tools. Verification scan confirms successful erasure
3. Physical destruction — for highly sensitive data or failed drives, physical shredding with particle-size destruction. Witnessed destruction available for classified or regulated data
4. Certificates — individual certificates of destruction per device, with serial numbers, destruction method, date and operator details
5. Remarketing — devices with remaining value are wiped, tested and remarketed through our ITAD partners, with proceeds credited back to you
6. WEEE recycling — devices with no resale value are recycled through WEEE-compliant channels

ADISA certification

We work with ADISA-certified disposal partners. ADISA (Asset Disposal and Information Security Alliance) is the UK industry standard for IT asset disposal. ADISA certification means the entire process — from collection to destruction — is independently audited. This gives you a defensible audit trail if a data breach claim arises from disposed equipment.

WEEE compliance

All electronic waste is handled in compliance with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations. This includes proper classification, separate collection, and processing through approved treatment facilities. We provide WEEE compliance documentation as part of every IT disposal project.

Asset Tracking and Reporting

For corporate and enterprise clients, asset tracking is often as important as the physical clearance. We provide:

• Pre-decommission asset audit — a complete inventory of the site, reconciled against your existing asset register
• Chain of custody tracking — every item logged from removal through to final destination (resale, recycling, destruction)
• Discrepancy reporting — items on the register but not on-site (and vice versa) are flagged for investigation
• Final asset report — a complete record of every item's disposition, suitable for corporate audit and finance reconciliation
• ESG impact data — weight-based breakdowns of reuse, recycling and disposal, with carbon equivalency calculations

This level of tracking is essential for businesses with fixed asset registers, those going through audits, or organisations with regulatory reporting obligations.

Phased Multi-Site Operations

Decommissioning rarely happens all at once. Whether you're consolidating from three offices to one, closing regional branches over 12 months, or restructuring a property portfolio, phased operations need careful programme management.

Our approach to multi-site decommissioning:

• Single project manager — one point of contact for the entire programme, regardless of how many sites are involved
• Site-by-site phasing — each site gets its own timeline, tailored to lease dates, staff relocation schedules and business continuity requirements
• Consistent processes — the same methodology, documentation and quality standards applied across every location
• Consolidated reporting — one programme report covering all sites, with per-site breakdowns for your finance and facilities teams
• Lessons learned — each phase informs the next, so the programme gets more efficient as it progresses

Security During Decommission

An office being decommissioned is at its most vulnerable. Staff are leaving, access controls are changing, and valuable assets are being moved. Security needs to be actively managed throughout:

• Access control — our teams work with named operatives only, DBS-checked where required. Building access is managed through your security team with temporary passes
• Confidential waste zones — secure areas for accumulating confidential materials before shredding. Lockable containers provided on-site
• IT staging areas — dedicated secure zones for IT equipment awaiting data destruction, with restricted access and CCTV where available
• Visitor and contractor logs — full sign-in records for every person on-site during decommissioning
• Daily site reports — progress reports with photos, so your facilities or project manager has visibility without needing to be on-site constantly

Decommissioning vs Clearance vs Strip Out

These three terms are often used interchangeably, but they describe different scopes of work:

Most large projects involve two or all three. A typical sequence is: decommission (IT and data first) → clearance (furniture and contents) → strip out (fixtures and fittings). We manage all three as a single programme.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does office decommissioning include?

Office decommissioning includes IT asset disposal (servers, desktops, laptops, phones, networking equipment), secure data destruction with ADISA-certified certificates, asset register reconciliation, furniture clearance and disposal, confidential waste destruction, and full waste documentation. For multi-site operations, it also includes phased project management and centralised reporting.

What is ADISA certification?

ADISA (Asset Disposal and Information Security Alliance) is the UK industry standard for IT asset disposal. ADISA-certified companies follow audited processes for data sanitisation and physical destruction. Using an ADISA-certified provider means you have a defensible audit trail if a data breach claim arises from disposed equipment.

How is decommissioning different from clearance?

Decommissioning is a broader term that encompasses the full process of closing down or vacating commercial premises — IT systems, data, security, asset tracking, phased operations and compliance. Office clearance is typically one component of a decommissioning project, focused on the physical removal of furniture and equipment.

Can you decommission multiple sites as one project?

Yes — multi-site decommissioning is one of our core capabilities. We manage the programme centrally with a single project manager, phased timelines per site, consolidated reporting and consistent processes across all locations. This is common for businesses consolidating offices, closing regional sites, or restructuring their property portfolio.

What happens to IT equipment during decommissioning?

IT equipment follows a strict chain of custody. Assets are logged against your register, data-bearing media is wiped or physically destroyed with certificates issued per device, and equipment is either remarketed (with proceeds credited back to you), donated, or recycled through WEEE-compliant channels. Nothing leaves site without being tracked.