Variations signed before the work starts
Write up each variation as its own document, with the change, the price, the new contract sum and the time, and have the owner sign it on site.
- 5/5 on G2
- 4.2 on Capterra
- Building QuoteCloud since 2013
In QuoteCloud a variation is a document of its own, made from your variation template: it sets out the scope as contracted and as varied, the price of each change, the revised contract sum and any extra time. The owner signs it online or in person on your tablet before the changed work starts.
A sample variation, V-03, from a fictional builder, Corbel Building Co., open in the signing view on a tablet: rock excavation, two extra power points and three pendant points priced as changes to contract CB-2318, the revised contract sum of $132,525.25 and two extra working days. The owner, Ellie Doyle, then signs on the screen and the button changes to Signed.
The contract sum, one signed variation at a time
Every change on the Doyle extension went out as its own numbered document. Each one states the sum before and after, so the next progress claim starts from a figure both sides signed.
-
18 Feb
CB-2318
Signed contract
Contract signed
Both owners signed estimate CB-2318 online and paid the 10% deposit.
Contract sum$128,623.00 -
Week 2
V-01
+$1,045.00
Extra circuit to the garage
A late request, priced and signed before the electrician came back.
Contract sum after V-01$129,668.00 -
Week 3
V-02
−$385.00
Owners supply the laundry tub
A credit is a variation too, so the deduction is agreed in writing.
Contract sum after V-02$129,283.00 -
11 Mar
V-03
+$3,242.25
Rock in the footings, plus lights
The provisional sum ran over, and two late requests came in on the same visit.
Contract sum after V-03$132,525.25 -
Next claim
Revised
+$3,902.25 since signing
Where the next claim starts
Add the signed variations to the stage you claim next, invoiced from your accounts.
Revised contract sum inc tax$132,525.25
Each variation is a separate QuoteCloud document made from your variation template. Your team writes the sums into it: QuoteCloud does not total variations across documents or add them to claims by itself.
Marked up, priced and signed on site
Your supervisor marks each change on a site photo with the image editor, prices it in the variation template and turns the tablet around. The owner reads the change and signs in the signing view: no account, no printer, no second visit.
The signed copy, with its certificate of authenticity and audit trail, goes to both owners by email straight away.
- Signing in person on your phone or tablet, or online from a link
- Several signers when both owners need to agree
- An optional one-time passcode before signing
- Image editor for the site photo: Starter and up
eSignatures: every plan
Contracts, deposits & progress claimsWhere the changes go
- 2 extra double power points
- 3 pendant points
- Island moved 100 mm
Approve variation V-03
Ellie Doyle · Owner
Signed in person on site · 11 Mar, 8:05 am
Variation summary
- This variation
- +$3,242.25
- Revised contract sum
- $132,525.25
- Time
- +2 working days
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Sample variation · V-03
One number both sides signed
After three variations the Doyle extension stands at $132,525.25 inc tax and two extra working days. The figure is written into V-03 and signed on site, so it is settled long before practical completion.
From a change on site to the next claim
Five steps your supervisor and office follow for every variation, large or small.
Raise it on site
Open the variation template on a phone or tablet and mark the change on a site photo with the image editor.
Price each change
Set out each change as contracted and as varied, its price from your cost book, the revised contract sum and any extra days.
Approve the big ones
Over your threshold, the variation waits In Review until a director approves it (approval workflow, Business plan).
Sign before you build
The owner signs in person on your tablet or online from the link. Take a payment on signing if you want one.
Add it to the claim
Invoice the signed variation with your next progress claim from your accounting software.
What goes into a variation document
Your variation template carries the same parts every time, so nothing is left to memory on site.
As contracted, as varied
Each change as contracted, struck through, beside the scope as varied, in a table block.
A price for each change
Additions, credits and no-cost changes, each priced on its own line, inc tax.
The revised contract sum
Original sum, earlier variations, this variation and the new total, written into the document.
The effect on time
Extra working days stated beside the money, so time is agreed as well as cost.
A marked-up site photo
Where each change goes, numbered on a photo with the image editor (Starter and up).
Signature and certificate
Signed in person or online, with a certificate of authenticity and audit trail, on every plan.
Make your variation template in the trial
Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us the variation form you use now and we'll convert one template for you during the trial.
Big variations wait for a director
Set an approval rule on total value, and any variation over it goes In Review before it can be sent. The director sees the whole document, approves or declines it, and only then does it reach the owner.
Prices still moving before the owner signs? Revise Last Version makes a new revision marked Revised and keeps the earlier one in the document history.
- Rules on total value or discount percentage, by team, role, template or customer
- Every named approver can be required
- Version history keeps each revision
Approval workflow and version history: Business plan
How the approval workflow worksDocument workflow
In ReviewTriggered when Total value greater than $3,000
- Ruth HammondDirectorWaiting
Must be approved before it can be sent.
- Approval request sent by Tessa Gray
- Waiting for Ruth Hammond
Approval workflow · Business plan
Variation questions, answered
How do I send a variation in QuoteCloud?
Make a variation template once, then create each variation as its own document from it. Set out each change as contracted and as varied with its price, the revised contract sum and any extra time. Send it from a link, or open the signing view on your phone or tablet so the owner signs on site before the work starts.
Can the owner sign a variation on site?
Yes. Open the document in the signing view on your phone or tablet and hand it over: the owner signs on the screen, with no account needed. The signed copy carries a certificate of authenticity and an audit trail. eSignatures are included on every plan, and several signers can sign the same variation.
Does QuoteCloud keep a running total of variations?
No. Each variation is a separate document. Your team writes the original contract sum, the earlier variations, this variation and the revised contract sum into each one, usually from a template with a table block, so every signed variation carries the figures both sides agreed.
Can a client pay for a variation when they sign?
Yes, from the Essentials plan with Stripe or PayPal connected. Set a payment on the variation as a percentage or a fixed amount, and the client pays straight after signing. Or leave the payment off and add the signed variation to your next progress claim, invoiced from your accounting software.
What if the price changes before the owner signs?
Use Revise Last Version. It creates a new revision marked Revised and keeps the earlier one in the document history, so you can see what changed. Version history is on the Business plan. Once a variation is signed, raise any further change as a new variation.
Can large variations need approval first?
Yes, on the Business plan. Set an approval rule on total value or discount percentage, and a variation over the threshold goes In Review. The named approvers approve or decline it before it can be sent to the owner.
Explore QuoteCloud for construction
Every page of QuoteCloud for construction, from the first estimate to the last variation.
-
PC sums, provisional sums & selectionsPrime cost and provisional sums set out clearly, and the client's selections and upgrades chosen before signing.Explore
-
Contracts, deposits & progress claim schedulesContracts signed by every owner, the deposit paid on signing, and the stage payment schedule set out in the contract.Explore
-
Staged estimates & building quotesEstimates broken into stages and trades, priced from your cost book, with upgrades the client can tick.Explore
- Commercial fit-out proposals & tendersTrade packages, a programme, locked compliance content, approvals and several signers for commercial work.
- Quotes for trade subcontractorsFor electricians, plumbers and other trades quoting builders: rates, inclusions, licences and a quick acceptance.
- Cost book, rates & margin controlLabour, material and subcontract rates in one catalogue, with costs and margins your client never sees.
- Plans, site photos & build schedulesDrawings, marked-up site photos and a Gantt build schedule inside the estimate, next to the price.
- Accounting & job management integrationsWon jobs into Xero or QuickBooks, and on to simPRO, ServiceM8 or your calendar through Zapier.
- Construction templatesReal QuoteCloud templates for builders, renovators, roofers and subcontractors, ready to make your own.
- QuoteCloud implementation for buildersYour estimate template converted, cost book imported, insurances locked in, approvals and training.
- FAQAnswers to the questions builders, renovators and contractors ask most.
Every change signed before it's built
Free for 14 days. No credit card required.