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Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Contracts and Payments

Variation order

Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples

nounCommon term

In civil engineering & construction, variation order means: A formal written instruction from the client or engineer that changes the work in the contract, for example by adding, removing or altering an item.

In Turkish: değişiklik emri, değişiklik talimatı, iş artışı

How it is used

Often shortened to VO. Variations are instructed, valued and agreed, and they can change both the contract price and the time for completion. American contracts call it a change order.

Example sentences

  1. We won't build the extra ramp without a signed variation order.

  2. Variation order 14 adds a second lift to the core.

Common collocations

  • issue a variation order
  • value a variation
  • variation claim
  • change order
  • contractorA company or person that agrees, under a contract, to carry out construction work for a client for an agreed price and within an agreed time.
  • clientThe person or organisation that orders and pays for a construction project. Many standard contracts call the client the Employer or the Owner.
  • extension of timeExtra time added to the contract completion date because of delays the contractor is not responsible for, such as client changes or exceptional weather.
  • bill of quantitiesA document that lists every item of work in a project with its quantity and unit, such as cubic metres of concrete or tonnes of rebar, so that contractors can price it.

More terms: Contracts and Payments

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