A variation order turns a change agreed on site into a priced, signed record before the work is done. This free Excel template covers additions and omissions, GST, the revised contract sum and the effect on the completion date, with a register that tracks every VO on the job.
A VO is short, but it has to stand on its own. Anyone reading it months later, in your office or the client's, should see what changed, why, what it costs and who agreed. Include:
If your contract sets out its own variation procedure or form, follow the contract. The template gives you a clear layout to work within it.
Three sheets. The Variation order sheet is the document the client signs. The VO register lists every VO on the job with its status and the claim it was billed in. The How to use sheet explains each part. Pale yellow cells are for your details; amounts, GST and the revised contract sum calculate.
| VO register column | What it is for |
|---|---|
| VO no. | The number on the signed VO |
| Date raised | When the change was written up |
| Description | One line on what changed |
| Amount before GST | The net change from the VO |
| Status | Draft, Sent, Approved or Rejected |
| Date approved | When the client signed |
| Billed in claim no. | The progress claim that includes it |
| Remarks | Anything else worth noting |
At the top, the register adds up the approved VOs and the approved VOs not yet billed in any claim, which is the figure to check before every progress claim.
Five steps. Write it up while the details are fresh, and get it signed before the work.
Use one VO per change, numbered in order. Fill in the reason and who asked for the change while everyone still remembers.
Mark each item Add or Omit. Omitted items reduce the amount automatically, so the client sees the true net change.
Enter the original contract sum and the VOs approved so far. The revised contract sum and GST calculate.
Send the VO and get the client's signature before the change is carried out. Note any extra days on the programme.
Mark the VO approved, and when you bill it, write the claim number. Approved VOs with no claim number are money still to collect.
An Excel file with the variation order itself, a VO register for the whole job, and instructions. Fill in the form and the download appears straight away.
An Excel file you can fill in straight away. It also opens in Google Sheets and Numbers.
Download the variation order templateMore free templates
The hard part of a VO is not the layout. It is noticing that a change happened, pricing it, and getting it signed before the work. Lynqra builds systems that pick up a change from the site team's message, draft the VO with your rates and send it to you for approval. Nothing goes to the client until a person in your firm approves the price, and signed VOs are listed for the next progress claim.
See quotation and variation order automation, or read our guide to the variation order approval workflow.
Yes. Variation order, change order and VO all mean a written, priced change to the original scope.
Yes. An omission reduces the contract sum, and the client should see and sign it like any other change.
Yes. The layout works for residential renovation and for design-and-build work. Where your contract has its own variation procedure, follow it.
Yes. Fill in the short form and the download appears straight away. You can use and change the file for your own firm's jobs.
Yes. Upload the file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets, or open it in Numbers. The formulas and drop-down lists work in both.
Related guides for ID and renovation firms
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