How to write a variation the builder will approve (with a checklist)
The parts of a variation that builders approve without arguing, what gets them queried, and a checklist and example layout for trade subcontractors.
Builders' project managers see a lot of variations. The ones that get approved quickly have something in common: the PM can check them in two minutes without picking up the phone. The ones that get queried, knocked back or "held for discussion" make the PM do the work.
Here's how to write the first kind.
What a PM is actually checking
When a variation lands, the builder's PM is asking five questions:
- Did we ask for this? Who on our side instructed it?
- Is it really extra? Or is it in their scope already?
- Is the price fair? Does it match their rates and the quantity of work?
- Can I pass it on? Can the builder recover it from the client, and do I have what I need to do that?
- Is it on time? Did they follow the contract process?
Answer all five on the page and there's nothing left to argue about.
The checklist
- A reference number and the job. VO-019, Lot 7, Harbour Street. Number them in order so nothing goes missing.
- A one-line title. "Relocate main switchboard from garage to laundry." Not "Extra works".
- Who instructed it, when and how. "Dan K., Site Supervisor, verbal on site, 14 March, 7:40am." Name and role, not "the builder".
- What changed. Two or three sentences describing the work. Write it so someone who wasn't there understands it.
- Why it's a variation. Quote the scope clause or exclusion: "Schedule 2, item 2.8: relocation of existing services excluded."
- A priced breakdown. Labour by role, hours and rate. Materials with quantities. Plant hire. Margin. GST shown separately.
- Time impact. "No impact on the program", or the days it adds and why.
- Photos. Before, and after if the work is done. Mark them up if it helps.
- Assumptions. "Assumes access to the ceiling space from the garage." These head off queries.
- An easy way to approve. A signature block, a reply-to-approve line, or a link.
An example layout
Adapt it to your trade. The structure is what matters.
What gets variations queried
- Lump sums with no breakdown. "Additional works: $2,400" invites a phone call. A breakdown invites a quick check.
- Rates that change from one variation to the next. If the labour rate on VO-012 doesn't match VO-019, the PM starts questioning everything. Use the same rate card every time.
- "Per the builder's request". Which person? When? A name and a time are far harder to dispute.
- Bundling. Five changes in one variation means one disputed item holds up the other four. One change, one variation.
- Sending it weeks later. The PM can't remember the conversation, the client has moved on, and your notice period may have passed. Send it while it's fresh, ideally the same day.
- Missing photos. Especially for work that gets covered up: in walls, ceilings or underground.
Timing: notice first, price second if you need to
If you can't price it accurately straight away, don't wait. Many subcontracts require written notice of the variation within a short period, so send the notice with a description and an estimate, and say a final price will follow. Missing a notice deadline because you were waiting for a supplier quote is one of the most common ways subbies lose variations. We explain why in what is a variation.
Make it easy to say yes
The fewer steps it takes the PM to approve, the faster you get approved. An email they can reply "approved" to is better than a PDF they need to print and sign. A link they can tap to approve from their phone on site is better again.
Doing this every time
Most subcontractors know what a good variation looks like. The problem is producing one every time, from a voice note or a text from site, while the office is also doing invoices, compliance and payroll. Small variations are the first to slip.
That's the job Variation Capture does: it builds this exact layout from a photo and voice note, checks the scope against your contract, prices it from your rate card, tracks the notice deadline, and gives the builder a link to approve. Your office checks every draft before it goes. Watch a variation go from site to signed.