Guide
Construction Variation Guide
A variation is a change to the contracted scope of works — additional, omitted or altered work. This guide is general information for subcontractors, not legal advice; always read your own contract terms.
When work is a variation
Work is usually a variation when it was not in the drawings, specification or agreed scope at the point of contract, and it has been instructed by someone with authority to instruct.
The usual failure points
Most variation value is lost for administrative reasons, not commercial ones.
- The instruction was verbal and never written down
- The work was completed before the price was agreed
- The price was agreed but nobody recorded who agreed it
- No evidence exists that the work was actually completed
- The variation was submitted after the payment application deadline
What good looks like
Instruction recorded the same day, priced within days, approved in writing against a specific price, evidenced on completion, and invoiced against that approval.