Variation order template for Singapore renovation jobs

The client points at the wall and asks for one more socket. You say "can". Three weeks later the final bill has a line they don't remember agreeing to, and the only record is a thumbs-up in a group chat.

What counts as a variation?

Anything that moves the scope, the price or the schedule you agreed in the contract.

What goes on a variation order?

One change per VO, with these fields. Copy and paste it into a document, or into the notes of your quotation file.

VARIATION ORDER No. ___

Project / address:
____________________________
Date raised: __________
Raised by: client / ID /
contractor

Description of change
(location, item, size, finish):
____________________________
____________________________

Reason:
____________________________

Price
  Add / omit (S$): ________
  (before GST)
  GST: ________
  Total (S$): ________

Completion date effect:
  ___ days, or none
Payment milestone it goes into:
____________________________

Before photo attached: yes / no

Client approval
  Name: ______________
  Date: ______________

A starting point. Your contract decides how a variation has to be issued and approved. If it names a form, use that form.

How to handle a change on site

1. Say the price comes first. "Can do. I'll send the VO with the price before we start."
2. Photograph the area as it is. A dated before photo shows what was there.
3. Write one VO for one change. Description, price with GST, effect on the date, and which payment milestone it belongs to.
4. Wait for the approval. The work starts after the client has said yes to the number.
5. Update the schedule and the payments. If the date moves or the total changes, the payment schedule should say so. See the payment schedule guide.
6. Keep one copy both sides can find. Not in one person's phone.

Where variation orders go wrong

• "Price to follow." The work gets done, then the number arrives and the client is surprised.
• "Ok can" in a chat with no number. It's a yes to something, and nobody can say to what.
• Five changes in one message. The client approves three and remembers two.
• Two versions of the same VO. One was edited and now two copies disagree. Keep the approved one and file the old one as superseded.
• The payment schedule never changes. The VO is signed, but the balance due still shows the old total.
• Credits left out. When a client drops something, the saving belongs on a VO too.

What the rules say

CaseTrust-accredited renovation firms use CASE's standard renovation contract, and CASE's accreditation information has variations agreed in writing before the works go ahead. Outside that, your own contract sets what a variation needs. Whether an unapproved change can still be charged depends on the contract and the facts, so don't count on it. Get it in writing first.

Doing it in Synify

In Synify, variations go through Approvals. The change, the cost and the client's decision are recorded together. The client approves from their phone, in their own language, and the approved VO sits in the project record next to the photos and the payment milestones. Documents in the vault are versioned, so an update doesn't overwrite the earlier copy.

Your first project is free, and your client never pays.

Common questions