Change Order and Variation Template (FIDIC, NEC4, AIA)

Construction change order or variation: instruction, cause, valuation build-up, time impact, approvals, running contract sum

BauwesenStandardFIDIC 2017 2nd eds (2022 reprint) Clause 13; NEC4 ECC clause 6; AIA G701-2017change order variationAktualisiert 29.10.2026

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Anleitung: Use it for each change to a construction contract, from instruction or notice to approval. Fill the notice dates and contract mechanism first, then the valuation and time impact. The main pitfall is missing a contractual time bar because notice dates were not recorded.

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Change Order / Variation: [Variation number and title]

A record of one change to a construction contract: the instruction or request, the reason, the valuation, the time impact and the approvals, with a running summary of the contract sum. The fields map to the change mechanisms of three widely used contract families: FIDIC 2017 second editions (Clause 13, Variations and Adjustments, reprinted with amendments in 2022), NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract compensation events (core clause 6), and the AIA change order form G701-2017 in the US. Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked Example. This is a documentation format, not legal or contractual advice: your signed contract, its particular conditions and amendments govern, so check them and a qualified professional.

Document control

Field	Value
Change number	[VO-007]
Title	[Two additional rooflights over the reading room]
Project and contract	[Project name; contract form and edition, for example FIDIC Red Book 2017 2nd ed. 2022 reprint / NEC4 ECC Option A / AIA A201-2017]
Contract term used	[Variation / compensation event / change order / construction change directive]
Version	[1.0]
Status	[Raised / Priced / Under review / Approved / Rejected / Withdrawn]
Owner	[Contract administrator or project manager, @name]
Last updated	YYYY-MM-DD
Classification	[Commercial in confidence]

Revision history

Version	Date	Author	Change summary
0.1	YYYY-MM-DD	[@name]	Raised from client request
1.0	YYYY-MM-DD	[@name]	Example: Priced, time impact assessed, approved

1. Origin and instruction

Field	Value
Initiated by	Example: Client, to improve daylight in the reading room
Route	[Instruction / request for proposal / contractor's notice / directive]
Contract mechanism	Example: FIDIC 2017 Red Book Sub-Clause 13.3.1, Variation by Instruction
Instruction or notice reference	Example: EI-031
Date of instruction or event	YYYY-MM-DD
Date contractor became aware	YYYY-MM-DD
Date of contractor's notice or response	YYYY-MM-DD
Linked RFI or drawing revision	Example: RFI-042; drawing FHL-MPA-01-R1-DR-A-00410 rev C02

1.1 Description of the change

Example: Add two rooflights, 1.2 m by 2.4 m, over the reading room (grid C-D/4-5), with steel trimmers to the roof structure. Omit the standard roof deck at those openings, 2 x 1.2 m x 2.4 m = 5.76 m2.

1.2 Mechanism by contract family

Contract family	How a change is started	How it is priced and agreed	Main clauses (numbers only)
FIDIC 2017 (Red, Yellow, Silver)	Engineer's (or Employer's) instruction, or request for a proposal first	Contractor submits particulars; valued under the measurement and valuation rules; Engineer agrees or determines	13.1 right to vary, 13.2 value engineering, 13.3.1 by instruction, 13.3.2 by request for proposal, 12.3 valuation (Red Book), 3.7 agreement or determination, 20.2 claims
NEC4 ECC	Project Manager's instruction changing the Scope (clause 14.3), giving a compensation event under 60.1(1); other events under 60.1	Contractor's quotation of changes to Prices and Completion Date; assessed on Defined Cost plus Fee and the Accepted Programme; Project Manager accepts or assesses	60.1, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66
AIA (US)	Owner, contractor and architect agree a change order; or the owner directs a construction change directive when price or time is not yet agreed	Change order states agreed adjustment to contract sum and time; directive is later converted to a change order	A201-2017 Article 7; forms G701-2017 (change order), G714-2017 (construction change directive)

2. Reason and classification

Field	Value
Cause	[Client request / design development / design error or omission / unforeseen ground or existing conditions / regulatory change / contractor proposal]
Responsible party (contractual view)	[Client / contractor / shared, with clause reference]
Scope effect	[Addition / omission / substitution / change of sequence or method]
Affects health and safety?	Example: Yes, new roof openings; RAMS-FHL-011 and the construction phase plan updated
Affects the BIM or design model?	Example: Yes, architecture and structure models revised

3. Valuation

Ref	Item	Basis	Quantity	Unit	Rate	Amount
V1 (Example)	Labour, roof trades	Daywork or cost	96	h	32.50	3,120.00
V2 (Example)	Rooflight units, 1.2 x 2.4 m	Supplier quotation	2	nr	2,850.00	5,700.00
V3 (Example)	Steel trimmers and fixings	Supplier quotation	1	item	1,240.00	1,240.00
V4 (Example)	Mobile elevating work platform	Plant hire	4	day	145.00	580.00
V5 (Example)	Roofing subcontractor, upstands and flashings	Subcontract quotation	1	item	3,600.00	3,600.00
	Subtotal additions					14,240.00
V6 (Example)	Overheads and profit at 8%	Contract percentage				1,139.20
	Total additions					15,379.20
O1 (Example)	Omit standard roof deck	Contract rate	5.76	m2	68.00	-391.68
O2 (Example)	Overheads and profit at 8% on omission	Contract percentage				-31.33
	Total omissions					-423.01
	Net value of this change					14,956.19

Labour V1: 3 operatives, 4 days, 8 hours a day, 96 hours in total.

4. Time impact

Field	Value
Programme used	Example: Accepted programme rev 6, updated to the date of instruction
Activities affected	Example: Roof deck zone 2, roof membrane zone 2, internal ceiling reading room
Gross delay to the affected path	Example: 3 working days
Mitigation	Example: Rooflight install resequenced with membrane works; 1 day recovered
Net effect on completion date	Example: 2 working days
Extension of time requested	Example: 2 working days (FIDIC Sub-Clause 8.5 / NEC4 change to Completion Date / AIA contract time adjustment)
Effect on key dates or sectional completion	[None / detail]

5. Review and approval

Role	Name	Decision	Value approved	Time approved	Date
Contractor's commercial manager	[@name]	Submitted	14,956.19	2 days	YYYY-MM-DD
Cost consultant	[@name]	Example: Recommended	14,956.19	2 days	YYYY-MM-DD
Contract administrator / Engineer / Project Manager	[@name]	Example: Agreed	14,956.19	2 days	YYYY-MM-DD
Client	[@name]	Example: Approved	14,956.19	2 days	YYYY-MM-DD

Approval limits: [state who may approve changes up to which value, from the client's delegation of authority].

6. Contract sum summary

Item	Amount
Original contract sum	Example: 8,400,000.00
Approved changes before this one (VO-001 to VO-006)	Example: 126,450.00
This change (VO-007)	14,956.19
Approved changes to date	141,406.19
Revised contract sum	8,541,406.19
Approved changes as a share of the original sum	1.68%
Pending changes not yet approved	[Amount and count]

7. Attachments and links

Instruction or directive: [reference]
Contractor's quotation or particulars: [reference]
Marked-up drawings and model revision: [references]
Programme extract showing the time impact: [reference]
Related records: request for information (construction/rfi-log), change register (project/change-control), daily site reports (construction/daily-site-report) for any daywork records.

Standard and licence note

Based on the publicly described structure of the FIDIC 2017 second editions (reprinted with amendments in November 2022) Clause 13 and Sub-Clause 20.2, the NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract core clause 6 (compensation events), and AIA documents A201-2017, G701-2017 and G714-2017, as checked in October 2026. These contracts are copyrighted: this template names clause numbers and uses original wording only. Official text: FIDIC, purchase or licensed access at fidic.org/bookshop; NEC, at neccontract.com; AIA, at aiacontracts.com. Check your signed contract, particular conditions and amendments; this is not legal or contractual advice. Template licence: MIT.