Moment 4 of 7
Changes
Change is normal. Agree it before the work goes ahead.
Construction changes happen in real time. A wall is opened. An unexpected pipe is found. The customer asks for another socket. A product becomes unavailable. Someone agrees a solution while standing on site.
The work continues because stopping feels inefficient. Weeks later, each person remembers a different conversation. The customer thinks it was included. The trade thinks the additional cost was obvious. The final account becomes the first time the commercial consequence is made explicit.
A variation moves that decision to the point where both parties still share the context.
Guides for this moment
- For homeownersKey termWhat is a variation in building work?A variation is a proposed change to what was originally agreed for a building project.Read the guide
- For buildersGuideThe customer asked for extra work. What should you do before starting?The customer is standing beside you on site and says: “While you are here, could you move that doorway and add two sockets?”Read the guide
- Both sidesScenarioWe found rotten joists after lifting the floor. Who pays?Alex’s contractor removes a bathroom floor covering and discovers three badly decayed joist ends. The accepted scope allowed for replacing the floor finish, not repairing concealed structural timber.Read the scenario
What the words mean
- Variation
- A variation is a recorded proposal to change agreed project work or its commercial basis, including scope, specification, price, timing, responsibility, completion criteria or payment structure.
What each side does
Having the work done
The customer should be able to answer:
- 1What was originally agreed?
- 2What is changing?
- 3Why is it changing?
- 4Is the change optional, necessary or one of several options?
- 5What does it cost, including any credit?
- 6What does it do to timing?
- 7Does it affect later work?
- 8What happens if I do not accept it?
- 9Is more funding required?
The customer should not accept simply because work is waiting. They should also not ask the trade to proceed while postponing the commercial decision.
Doing the work
The trade should record the variation as soon as a conversation becomes a proposed change. Important practice includes:
- do not rely on the fact that the customer was present on site;
- do not assume the cost is obvious;
- distinguish a request from casual discussion;
- state labour, materials, subcontractor, overhead or margin treatment as appropriate;
- include any delay or resequencing consequence;
- link evidence to the existing scope;
- wait for the required acceptance where practicable;
- if urgent work cannot wait, record why, what authority existed and what was done as soon as possible.
Assurr’s part in this
What Assurr does
- provides a structured place to describe and review the change;
- connects the change to work, evidence, cost and time;
- records questions, revisions and acceptance;
- preserves previous versions and chronology;
- updates downstream project records according to the configured workflow.
What Assurr doesn’t do
- decide whether a change is legally chargeable;
- determine the correct price;
- certify technical necessity;
- replace professional design or contract administration;
- guarantee funding or payment;
- decide a dispute.