A variation order is an instruction that an architect gives to the builder concerning any variations to the original building contract. They are often associated with increased costs and delays, but they continue to be used. This 11 page paper proposes research in order to identify the benefits and advantages that the use of variation orders can provide for the contract owners. The bibliography cites 12 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: TS14_TEvaryord.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Methodology 8 References 12 1. Introduction 1.1 Background In a perfect world, construction contracts issues would be perfect, they would detail all the work required along
with all of the relevant standards and expectations and would not require any alterations to be made for any reason. In this perfect world both the contractors and the owners
of the contract would know what to expect from the other party and what is expected of themselves. However, the world is not perfect and contracts will often need to
be varied due to a range of factors, from the contract owner changing their mind to necessary changes due to inadequacy of design or even government regulatory requirements. For this
reason contracts need to be drawn up that not only specific the subject of the contract, but also contingency clauses to allow for the way different unexpected factors, such as
variations orders, will be dealt with. It may be argued that when variation orders are considered they are likely to result in increased costs, these are not only as
a direct result in the change such as new materials and labor, but as a result of indirect costs, such time delays and the need to reschedule and the knock
on effect of the changes on other areas of the building project (Koushki et al, 2005, Ibbs et al, 1997). The chances and level of potential versions will be dependant
on the type of contract being undertaken, large complex projects will have a greater potential for variations orders than smaller, simpler projects (Kaming et al, 1997). Arain and Low (2005)
notes that it appears the occurrence of variations is doubled in refurbishment or improvement projects when compared to new projects. When considering the costs it would make sense