How to Create Variations and Extensions of Time (EOT)

Manage contract changes quickly and efficiently when cost or time adjustments occur during construction. This guide covers creating variations with multiple line items, documenting Extensions of Time (EOT), tracking variation statuses from forecast to approval, and attaching supporting documentation to keep your projects accurate.

Before you start:

• Have your contract details and variation amounts ready
• Prepare any supporting documentation you need to attach

Adding a Variation

Step 1: Access the Variations Form

• Click Cost Module in the left navigation bar
• Choose one of three ways to add a variation:
  • From the Overall page, click the blue + Add button in the upper left corner and select + Add Variation, or
  • Locate the contract you want to add a variation to, click the Action button next to it, and select + Add Variation
  • Click Variations in the top navigation to view your Variation register, then:
    • Click the blue + Add Variation button in the upper left corner, or
    • Select Add Your First Variation in the centre (only visible if you have no variations)

Result: The Add Variation form will open, ready for you to input your variation data.

Note: The Variations Register is the main list view where you can also see all your variations, add new ones, and manage existing entries.

Step 2: Complete Variation Details

• Enter a descriptive Variation Title
• Select the Varying Contract from the dropdown
• Choose the appropriate Variation Category
• Select the current Status of your variation

Status	Meaning	Behavior
Forecast	Early estimate or projection; used for planning only.	Does not appear in payments form or overall page - no impact to FFC. Appears only in variation register for planning and tracking.
Pending	Awaiting review, input, or further documentation.	Does not appear in payments form or overall page - no impact to FFC. Appears only in variation register for planning and tracking.
In Principle	Tentatively approved but not yet finalized or signed off.	Appears in payments form and overall page - impacts FFC as committed cost. Also appears in variation register.
Approved	Officially approved and added to the contract.	Appears in payments form and overall page - impacts FFC as committed cost. Also appears in variation register.
Rejected	Reviewed and declined; not progressing further.	Does not appear in payments form or overall page - no impact to FFC. Appears only in variation register for tracking.
Withdrawn	Manually removed from the process (e.g., withdrawn by submitter).	Does not appear in payments form or overall page - no impact to FFC. Appears only in variation register for tracking.

The variation register maintains a complete record of all variations regardless of status for audit and tracking purposes.

Step 3: Add Variation Description and Background

• Click the Description tab below the Variation basic details section
• Add your recommendations into the Recommendation box, like background, scope, and justification
• Review the Approval Description box containing pre-filled contractual statements
• Customise the text if required by toggling the edit option

Note: Recommendation text appears only on Variation Recommendation PDFs. Approval text appears on Variation Approval and Variation Order PDFs.

Step 4: Complete Additional Fields

• Click on Additional Fields to add optional reference numbers or identifiers
• Enter any tracking numbers important to your variation management

Note: Information entered here will appear in Variation Approval Letters.

Step 5: Add Variation Line Items

• Scroll down to the Contracts section
• Click the contract header to expand it and view line items
• If you are varying a Contract Line Item, enter the value in the Variation Amount Column next to the Line Item
  • If there is a difference between the amount initially requested and the approved amount, you can enter the initial amount into the Preliminary Amount field
• If you are entering new Line Items to the contract, enter the Variation Name under New Line Items
  • Pre-existing Contract Variations are named “Other Commitments”, but this can be renamed
• Input the Variation Amount and Preliminary Amount (if applicable) to the new Variation line item
• Click + Add Contract Variation to add multiple line items as needed

Step 6: Attach Supporting Information

• Scroll down to Notes and add internal notes if needed (these are only visible to project users, and won't appear on variation letters)
• To attach files, click the upload box or drag and drop your documents

Step 7: Finalise Variation

• Click the Add button in the bottom right corner
• The variation saves automatically and updates contract values, budget forecasts, payment schedules, variation register, and all related reports

Adding an Extension of Time (EOT)

Extensions of Time (EOT) are independent of Cost Variations

Step 1: Navigate to Time Impact

• Click Cost Module in the left navigation bar
• Choose one of three ways to add a variation:
  • From the Overall page, click the blue + Add button in the upper left corner and select + Add Variation or;
  • Find your contract, click the Actions button beside it, and select Add Variation
  • Go to the Variations register and click the blue + Add Variation button
• Click the Time Impact tab in the Add Variation form

Step 2: Enter Time Extension Details

• Enter Days Requested - number of weekdays being requested for the EOT
• Enter Days Approved - number of weekdays actually approved
• Add relevant comments in the Comments field (visible to project users only)

Step 3: Review and Adjust Completion Date

• Review the Revised Completion Date - Mastt calculates this using weekdays only
• Manually adjust the completion date if needed - this will change the Days Approved if you adjust it to match the approved EOT date
• Verify the date aligns with your project schedule

Important notes about Time Impact (EOT):

• Comments entered here won't appear in change order letters
• To exclude time impact details from letters, leave this tab empty
• EOTs can be created without any cost impact to the contract

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: Why isn't my contract appearing in the dropdown?

Ensure the contract is properly set up in the Contracts module first. The contract must be approved before you can add variations to it.

Q: How do I handle negative variations?

Enter negative amounts in the variation amount and line item fields. Mastt will automatically reduce the contract value accordingly.

Q: What happens to my payment schedule after adding a variation? Payments reflect the contract value at the time they were created. Variations added afterward will not appear in those payment letters.