How to Create Variations and Extensions of Time (EOT)

This guide covers how to create variations and extensions of time (EOT) in Mastt to track contract changes and their financial and schedule impacts on your construction projects.

Before You Start

• Have your contract details and variation documentation ready
• For EOTs, confirm your contract has completion dates already set in the contract's Key Dates tab

Adding a Variation

Navigate to the Variation Form

1. Click Cost in the left-hand navigation
2. 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 vary, click the Action button next to it, and select + Add Variation
   • From the Variations tab: 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)

The variation form opens with a tab-based layout, giving you quick access to different sections of the form.

Select the Contract and Complete Variation Details

1. Enter a Variation Title (required field)
2. Select the Varying Contract from the dropdown menu
3. Choose a Variation Category
4. Select the appropriate Status:

Add Variation Line Items

1. Click the Line Items tab in the variation form
2. For each line item, enter:
   • Line Item Name: Descriptive name that will appear in correspondence and reports
   • Variation Amount: The cost change amount (positive or negative)
   • Requested Amount (if applicable): Enter the amount if it differs from the approved Variation Amount
3. Set the tax rate in the Tax % column — rates pre-fill from the contract tax rate but can be changed per line item
4. Click Add Line Item to add more variation line item

Link Line Items to Contract Line Items

1. For each line item, click the dropdown under Contract Line Item:
   • Select Entire Contract to vary the main contract amount, or
   • Select a specific contract line item to vary that individual line

• Click the dropdown under Budget to assign the line item to a specific budget — if left blank, the variation will follow the default budget allocation from the contract
• You can create multiple variations against the same contract line item — each variation is tracked separately in your Variations register

Add Description and Recommendation

1. Navigate to the Description tab in the variation form
2. Enter your recommendation text in the Recommendation field using the rich text formatting toolbar — this appears on Variation Recommendation PDFs only
3. Review the Approval Description with pre-filled contractual language — this appears on Variation Approval and Variation Order PDFs
4. To customise the approval text, toggle on Customise your letter's text and edit as needed

Add Additional Fields

1. Navigate to the Additional Fields tab
2. Enter any tracking numbers or identifiers important to your variation management

Add Notes and Supporting Documents

1. Use the Notes field for internal comments and audit trail entries — these are not shared externally
2. The Notes field supports rich text formatting, including bold, italics, and lists
3. Drag and drop supporting documentation into the Attached Files upload area, or click inside the box to browse

Save the Variation

1. Click the blue Add button in the bottom right corner
2. A confirmation message will appear confirming your variation was created successfully

The variation is saved and visible immediately in your project. Variation amounts automatically calculate in the Forecast Final Cost (FFC) and related financial figures based on the status selected.

Adding Time Impact (EOT)

Extensions of time are added through the Time Impact tab in the variation form. Follow the steps in Adding a Variation above to open the form and select a varying contract, then navigate to the Time Impact tab.

Enter Time Extension Details

1. Enter the Requested EOT (Days Claimed) to record the number of weekdays the contractor has requested
2. Enter the Variation EOT (Days Approved) to record the approved time extension
3. Review the Revised Completion Date, which automatically calculates based on weekdays only
4. Add Comments if needed — these are visible to project users only and do not appear in variation letters
5. Navigate to the Line Items tab and ensure at least a $0 value is entered on a contract line item, then click the blue Add button to save

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: Why aren't my variations appearing in the correct budget?

Variations follow different budget rules depending on how they're set up. If a variation is linked to a specific contract line item, it will automatically use that line item's budget allocation. If it's linked to the entire contract, you can manually allocate it to a budget or leave it unallocated. If you want to change a variation from a line item variation to a contract-level variation (or vice versa) after it's been included in a payment, you'll need to remove and re-add the payment for the allocation to update.

Q: Why isn't my variation showing on the payment form?

Your variation must have a status of In Principle or Approved to appear on payment forms and in progress claims. Variations with a status of Draft, Forecast, or Pending are not available for payment processing.

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