Variation Order - Construction

A signed change to the contract scope. Its lines carry quantity changes against the tender lines you already hold: a plus quantity adds work, and a minus quantity omits it.

When to use it

The client has instructed a change (extra work, an omission, a revised rate), and it has been agreed in writing. Record it before the varied work is measured on a bill.

Before you start

The project must exist as a cost center marked as a project.
Its tender schedule must already be entered, because every variation line has to name the tender line it revises.
Have the client's instruction reference to hand.
The person who approves the variation is normally not the person who prepared it.

Where to find it

Entry > Construction > Variation Order.

The fields on this screen

Section	Field (on screen)	What to enter	Required
Variation Order	VO No.	Numbered automatically when you save. Leave it blank unless you need to set the number yourself.	No
Variation Order	Project	The project whose contract this variation changes. It also decides which BOQ lines you can pick.	No
Variation Order	Date (AD)	AD date of this variation. It is filled in for you when you pick the Miti.	No
Variation Order	Miti (BS)	Nepali (BS) date of this document. Pick from the calendar - the AD date is filled in for you.	No
Variation Order	Client Instruction Ref.	The client's instruction or site order that authorises this variation. Enter their reference here.	No
Variation Order	Reason for Variation	Why the scope changed. It shows on reports and makes the variation easy to find later.	No
Variations	BOQ Line	The BOQ line this variation revises. Every variation line must name one.	Yes
Variations	Variation Description	What is being added to, or taken off, this BOQ line.	No
Variations	Unit	Unit the quantity is measured in - piece, kg, litre and so on.	No
Variations	Qty Delta (+/-)	How much this line adds or removes: 250 to add, -400 to omit. Approving it moves the BOQ quantity.	Yes
Variations	Rate	Price for one unit of the work this line varies.	No
Variations	Amount	Value of this variation line. Type it in yourself - it is not worked out from the quantity and rate.	No

How it works

Save it as a draft. A draft changes nothing, and you can still edit every line.
Submit for Approval. The document locks while it waits. An approver then clicks Approve Variation. They can instead click Return for Correction to send it back to draft with a comment, or Reject to close it.
On approval, the revised quantity moves. Each line's quantity change is added to the tender line it names. The contracted quantity itself is never overwritten, so the original and the revised figure both stay visible.
Every later check measures against the revised quantity. The over-measurement check on an RA Bill and the over-award check on a subcontract both use it. The varied work can now be measured and awarded without anything being forced through.
A variation posts no accounting entry. Nothing reaches the books here. Money moves when the varied work is measured and billed on an RA Bill.

Reverse Approval returns an approved variation to draft and takes the quantity change back out. Cancel closes a draft you no longer want.

Tips and common mistakes

Type a minus quantity to omit scope. That is the normal way to record work taken out of the contract, and it is what the plus-or-minus quantity field is for.
Every line needs the tender line it revises and a quantity change. The form will not save without both, because a variation with no target is not a variation.
A draft variation moves nothing. If a bill is being refused for over-measurement, check that the variation has actually been approved.
The list opens on the current fiscal year. Widen the From Date to find an older variation.

BOQ / Tender Schedule (the contract quantities this revises)
RA Bill (where the varied work is measured and billed), Subcontract Award
BOQ vs Actual (where the revised quantity shows up)