On managed contracts, particularly with agents or contractors above us, the words 'variation' and 'instruction' carry a specific meaning. Both describe a change to the agreed contract, and both need to be issued and accepted formally rather than mentioned in passing on site.
A variation is any change to the original agreed scope — more rooms, a different specification, extra access equipment. It is priced, described and issued as a discrete item rather than folded silently into the main job.
An instruction usually comes from above us — a main contractor, employer's agent or managing agent directing a specific action. We act on it once it is issued in a recognised form, and we query anything ambiguous before proceeding rather than guessing at intent.
On any job with more than one party involved, a verbal request is easy to dispute later. A written variation or instruction removes that risk for everyone, and it is the record we point back to if a query comes up after handover.
Not always — for a single domestic client a written email confirming the change is usually enough. On managed contracts the process is more structured.
Whoever is named as having that authority in the contract — typically a contract administrator, agent or nominated site contact.
We raise the conflict before proceeding rather than picking one interpretation ourselves.
Tell us who holds contract authority on your job and we will confirm variations through the correct channel.
Variations and instructions are both formal changes to a contract, and both are only actioned once properly issued.
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