Extra work rarely arrives as a formal request. It arrives as "could you just...", on a call, in an email, on site. Each small favour takes hours the fee didn't include. A variation is how you turn that extra work into an agreed change to the fee.
What a variation is
A variation is a written change to the agreed scope of work, with a price and the client's approval. It covers work that was not in the original brief or fee proposal, for example a redesign after approval, an extra planning route, or more revisions than were allowed for.
Check your appointment terms first. They usually say what counts as a variation and how one is agreed. This guide is general guidance and not legal advice.
Step 1: spot the change early
Ask one question whenever a request comes in: "Was this in the scope we priced?" If the answer is no, or you're not sure, treat it as a possible variation before the hours are spent, not after.
Step 2: estimate the extra hours
Estimate the time for each person involved, including the time around the work: meetings, coordination, revisions and checking. Be as honest as you were when you priced the original fee.
Step 3: price it at your normal rate
Multiply the hours by the same effective rate you use to price fees. If your target is £75 an hour and the extra work is 20 hours, the variation is £1,500. Add any extra costs you will pass on, such as consultants or printing, as separate lines.
If you tend to under-estimate extras, it can help to compare similar past variations before you send the price.
Step 4: write it down and get approval
Send the client a short written variation: what changes, what it costs, and what effect it has on the programme. Ask for approval in writing before starting. An email reply can be enough, but a signed or clearly recorded approval is better.
A good variation has:
- A one-line description of the change
- The reason (for example: client request after stage sign-off)
- The price, and whether it is a fixed fee or time-based
- The effect on the programme, if any
- A space for the client's approval and the date
Step 5: track it and invoice it
Add the approved variation to the project fee, so your effective hourly rate is calculated on the new total. Log the extra hours against it, and invoice it as agreed, either with the next stage invoice or separately.
The common mistake
The most common mistake is waiting. The longer the extra work goes on without a written variation, the harder it is to ask for payment, and the more likely the client is to feel surprised by the bill.
How Projexa helps
In Projexa you raise a variation from the project, send it to the client, and the client signs it off in their portal. Approved variations are added to the fee automatically, and the extra hours are tracked against them, so your effective hourly rate reflects the real total.