Free variation order form

What a variation is, and why it needs paperwork

A variation is any change to the work in your contract: extra work, less work or different work. (In the US and Canada it is called a change order.) A variation order is the document that records the change and the client’s agreement to it.

“While you’re here, can you just…” is how most unpaid work starts. A signed variation order:

• Gets you paid. It shows the client asked for the work and agreed the price, in their own handwriting.
• Stops arguments at the end of the job, when memories of who said what have faded and the final account is being argued over.
• Protects your programme. Extra work takes extra time. Recording the days now means you aren’t blamed for finishing late.
• Keeps the client in the picture. No surprises on the final bill means fewer disputes and better reviews.

What to fill in, field by field

Variation number

V-001, V-002 and so on, in order, one series per job. Keep withdrawn and rejected ones in the register too, so there are no gaps in the numbers.

Job details

The job, client, site address, and the contract or job reference.

Who asked, when and how

The name and role of the person who asked for the change, the date and time, and whether it was in person, by phone, by email or text, or on a drawing. Check that they can actually order changes under your contract: on a small domestic job that is the homeowner, while on bigger jobs it is usually the architect, contract administrator, superintendent or principal agent named in the contract.

Where on site, and the reference

The room, elevation or gridline, and any drawing or instruction number.

The work

Exactly what is included, and what isn’t. “Supply and fit two extra double sockets in the kitchen, on the existing ring, with back boxes; making good by others” leaves little to argue about.

Cost

Labour, materials, plant and hire, subcontract and any other costs, then the subtotal, VAT or GST, and the total. Build your overheads and profit into the rates.

Price basis

A fixed price; daywork at the rates in your contract; or an estimate with the final price to follow. If you can’t fix a price before you start, agree the basis and the rates in writing.

Extra time

How many working days the change adds, and the new completion date. Leave this blank and you may lose the time.

Payment

Whether it is paid with the next payment or when this piece of work is finished.

Client approval

The client signs under the words “I confirm I asked for this extra work.” Then they print their name and position, and add the date and time. You sign for the contractor, give them a copy, and tick the box to say you did.

A worked example

The client, Priya, asks on site for an extra double socket on the kitchen island. Filled in, the variation order says:

• Variation no. V-002, asked for by Priya Patel (client), in person, on 6 October at 14:10.
• Where: the kitchen island, end panel.
• The work: add a second double socket on the island end panel, fed from the kitchen ring, with back box, cable and faceplate to match. Not included: any change to the island’s finish.
• Cost: labour and materials, £180.00 in total, at a fixed price.
• Extra time: none. Payment: with the next payment.

Priya signs under “I confirm I asked for this extra work.” You sign too, and she has a copy before anyone picks up a tool. It takes two minutes, and it ends the argument before it starts.

Good practice

• Get it signed before you start. If the work truly can’t wait (a safety problem, or something that will be covered up today), write it in your site diary, confirm it by email or text the same day, and get the form signed as soon as you can.
• One change per form. Several small changes on one form are hard to price and easy to dispute.
• Price it before you start wherever you can. If not, agree the basis, and get daywork sheets signed each day.
• Take photos before and after, with the date and time on them, especially of anything that will be covered up.
• Keep the register up to date, with the status of each variation, so you always know what is still waiting for a signature.
• Keep copies, and send the client a photo or scan of the signed form the same day.

Common mistakes

• Starting on a spoken “go ahead” and meaning to sort the paperwork out later.
• Vague descriptions like “extra electrics” or “changes to kitchen”.
• No price, or no time, on the form.
• The wrong person signing: a visitor or a manager with no authority to order changes.
• Lumping several changes together on one form.
• Leaving unsigned forms to chase at the final account.
• Forgetting omissions. When the client takes work out, record that too, so the price comes down by an agreed amount rather than an argued one.

Notes for your region

Your contract’s change procedure comes first: who can order a change, how it must be given, and how quickly you must give notice of its cost and time.

• United KingdomOn JCT contracts, changes are usually instructed by the architect or contract administrator, and JCT’s Home Owner contracts are for working directly with a homeowner. Under NEC4, changes are handled as compensation events, and a contractor generally has eight weeks from becoming aware of an event to notify it.
• IrelandOn RIAI contracts, changes usually come as architect’s instructions, and the RIAI publishes a standard Architect’s Instruction form. Public work uses the government’s Public Works Contracts, with their own procedure for changes.
• AustraliaUnder AS 4000, the superintendent directs variations. For home building, several states require variations to be in writing and agreed before the work goes ahead. In Queensland, for example, the written variation must describe the change and give the date it was asked for, an estimate of any delay, and the change to the price or how it will be worked out.
• New ZealandResidential building work of $30,000 or more, including GST, needs a written contract, and it should say how variations are handled. On commercial work, NZS 3910 and the NZIA contract set their own rules for variations and notices.
• South AfricaUnder the JBCC Principal Building Agreement, changes to the works come as contract instructions issued by the principal agent. The NEC and the GCC, used on much civil and public work, have their own change procedures.

General guidance, not legal advice. Check your contract.