The form, with a worked variation
CR-004 in full below. Note the third section: most variation forms price the material and forget that the project now takes six days longer.
| Description | Unit | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Additions requested by the client | ||||
| Convert the second bedroom wardrobe from hinged to sliding | sq ft | 48 | ₹420 | ₹20,160 |
| Add a pull-out pantry unit to the kitchen tall bay | nos | 1 | ₹28,500 | ₹28,500 |
| Add profile lighting to the crockery unit | rft | 5 | ₹1,850 | ₹9,250 |
| Upgrade master bedroom shutters from laminate to acrylic | sq ft | 64 | ₹640 | ₹40,960 |
| Add a shoe drawer bank at the entrance | sq ft | 8 | ₹1,650 | ₹13,200 |
| Additions requested by the client — sub-total | ₹112,070 | |||
| Omissions agreed in exchange | ||||
| Omit the study table in the second bedroom | rft | -4 | ₹7,200 | ₹-28,800 |
| Omit the balcony decking | sq ft | -36 | ₹340 | ₹-12,240 |
| Reduce false ceiling in the passage to a plain band | sq ft | -22 | ₹125 | ₹-2,750 |
| Omissions agreed in exchange — sub-total | ₹-43,790 | |||
| Time and preliminaries impact | ||||
| Additional site days caused by this variation | days | 6 | ₹4,200 | ₹25,200 |
| Re-drawing and re-approval of the affected elevations | LS | 1 | ₹9,500 | ₹9,500 |
| Time and preliminaries impact — sub-total | ₹34,700 | |||
| Sub-total (ex-GST) | ₹102,980 | |||
| GST @ 18% | ₹18,536 | |||
| Grand total (incl. GST) | ₹121,516 |
Negative quantities are omissions and net off automatically. The grand total is the net change to the contract value.
How to run variations
- One form per variation, numbered. Bundling four changes into one form makes each impossible to price or reverse.
- Price the time. Six extra site days on a supervised project is a real cost to both sides, and it is the part that gets argued about later.
- Offer omissions against additions. It is the most effective way to keep a variation budget-neutral.
- Sign before starting. A variation executed and priced afterwards is a negotiation, not an agreement.
Three arguments it prevents
- “That change was free.” Nothing is free once the carcass is cut; the form makes the cost visible at the moment of asking.
- A project that finishes three weeks late with no explanation. Signed time impacts add up to a documented extension.
- Variations priced at the end, in bulk. By then the client has no leverage and the contractor has no incentive to be modest.
Check the clause that governs this in the contract clauses checklist, and track the money in the budget planner.
Frequently asked questions
How much do variations typically add to a project?+
Five to twelve per cent on a well-specified project and twenty per cent or more where design decisions were left open. The number correlates almost exactly with how complete the drawing set was at contract stage.
Can the contractor refuse a variation?+
Yes, if it is outside their competence, affects a warranty or cannot be done in the remaining programme. A reasonable contractor will price it and state the time impact. A contractor who accepts every variation without a time impact is either not thinking or not telling you.
What rate applies to extra work?+
Whatever was fixed in the contract, in the same units as the BOQ. That is why the extra-work rate belongs in the contract at signature: it is the only moment at which you have any negotiating position on it.
Do omissions get credited at the full rate?+
Usually at the rate less any material already ordered or work already done. If the study table has been manufactured, omitting it saves you the installation only. This is why omissions are worth raising early and are worth almost nothing late.
Should small changes go through the form?+
Anything above roughly Rs 10,000 or anything with a time impact, yes. Below that, keep a running list and settle it in one form at the end. What must not happen is a series of verbal agreements that surface as a single unexplained line in the final account.