Can you just add another section of handrail while you are here?
Your fitters are on site installing a steel staircase and balustrade. The site manager asks for an extra length of handrail to a landing that was not on the drawings, and for two brackets to be moved because the wall position changed. The fitters do it, because it keeps the job moving. Nobody writes anything down.
At the final account, the main contractor has no record of either request. The stage payment for fabrication complete was claimed late because the office did not know the stage had been reached.
Why variations and stages slip through
Project work is agreed in documents but changed on site. The people on site are fitters and supervisors, not quantity surveyors, and recording a variation feels like paperwork that can wait. Stage payments depend on the office knowing where each project is, which it often does not.
- Variations are agreed verbally on site.
- Photos and notes of changes are on fitters' phones.
- Variation prices are not agreed before the work is done.
- Stage payment dates depend on someone noticing a stage is complete.
- Evidence for claims, such as photos and delivery records, is scattered.
What it costs
Extra work done and never paid for. Stage payments claimed late, pushing cash further out on projects where you have already paid for the steel. Final account disputes with no written record to support your position. And margin that disappears on projects that looked profitable when priced.
The project tracking we build
- Each project holds its contract stages and payment terms, and its drawings and scope.
- Fitters and supervisors record a variation on their phone in a minute: what was asked, who asked, photos, and a quick description. It works offline on site.
- The office prices the variation from your rates, and a confirmation is sent to the contractor's named person asking for written agreement before or promptly after the work.
- Stages are marked complete from the shop and site: fabrication complete, delivered, installed, with the evidence attached, such as photos, delivery records and inspections.
- When a stage is reached, a payment application is prepared with the evidence and any agreed variations, for someone to check and send.
- The project view shows contract value, agreed variations, pending variations, stages claimed and paid, so the final account is built as the job goes.
| Recorded | Used for |
|---|---|
| Variation request with photos | Evidence of what was asked and done |
| Written confirmation | Agreement before the final account |
| Stage completion evidence | Timely, supported payment applications |
| Payment status | Cash flow per project |
| Running final account | No surprises at the end |
What your contract allows you to claim, and how, is set by the contract and your own advisers. We build the records and the workflow around it.
What changes on projects
Variations are recorded when they happen, with photos and a named person who asked. Contractors confirm them while the work is fresh. Stage payments go in when stages are reached, with evidence. The final account is mostly done before the job finishes, rather than reconstructed afterwards. Fitters have a quick way to protect the business without doing paperwork.
Cash flow on projects becomes visible as well. You can see, across all live projects, what has been claimed, what is due to be claimed and what is overdue, which matters when steel for the next project has to be paid for before the last one has settled. Retentions held by contractors can be listed with their release dates so they are claimed when due rather than forgotten.
Is project paperwork costing you money?
- Site changes are agreed verbally.
- Variations have gone unpaid.
- Stage payments go in late.
- Final accounts turn into disputes.
- Evidence for claims is on fitters' phones.