How to Download and Customise Variation Letters

Variation letters provide formal documentation for changes to your project scope and cost. This guide shows you how to download Recommendation, Approval, and Order letters, add custom text, attach supporting documents, and control who authorises them.

Before You Start

• Select the appropriate contract standard in the Contract module (not required, but letters won't include proper contractual clauses without it)
• Ensure variations are created and completed in the Variations register

Downloading a Variation Letter

1. Navigate to your Cost module from the side navigation menu
2. Click Variations in the top navigation
3. Locate the variation you want to work with
4. Click the Action button next to your variation
5. Select your letter type from the dropdown menu:
   • Variation Approval PDF
   • Variation Order PDF
   • Variation Recommendation PDF

Adding or Editing Text in Variation Letters

Open the Description Tab

1. Click the Action button on your variation and select Edit Variation
2. Click the Description tab — you will find the Recommendation and Approval Description sections

Add Recommendation Text

The Recommendation text appears on Recommendation letters only.

1. Scroll to the Recommendation section
2. Enter your custom text using the rich text formatting toolbar

Add Custom Approval Text

The Approval Description appears on both Approval and Order letters. The letter includes pre-filled contractual statements from your selected contract standard.

1. Scroll down to the Approval section
2. Click the toggle labelled Customise your letter's text
3. Enter your additional approval text using the rich text formatting toolbar

Edit the Pre-filled Variation Clause

1. Navigate to the Edit Contract form
2. Click the Terms tab then select Variations Terms
3. Update the standard variation clause as needed

Attaching Supporting Documents

When you download any variation letter PDF, a pop-up will ask if you would like to add attachments. Only PDF attachments are supported.

1. Select the files you want to include from the Available Attachments list on the left
2. Selected files appear in the Selected Attachments on the right — you can reorder them as needed
3. Click Continue to generate the letter with the selected attachments, or continue without attaching files

Adding Internal Notes

1. In the variation form, scroll to the Notes section
2. Add internal comments explaining the variation or any context for your team

Saving and Downloading Your Letter

1. Click Update and wait for the confirmation message
2. Click the Action button again next to the variation
3. Select the appropriate variation letter PDF to download your completed letter

Changing the "Authorised by" on Letters

1. Click Contracts in the top navigation
2. Click the Action button on the contract you want to edit and select Edit Contract
3. Ensure a Contract Standard is selected (this enables the Roles tab)
4. Click the Roles tab
5. Complete the required role fields with the correct names and details
6. Use the toggle to select which role should display as Authorised by on letters (Superintendent/Authorised Person, Client's Representative, Architect, or Principal, depending on the contract standard selected)
7. Click Update to save your changes

Reassigning Variation Lines

Variation lines can be reassigned to a different contract line item after creation.

1. Open the variation form by clicking Action > Edit Variation
2. Locate the line item you want to reassign
3. Select a different contract line item from the dropdown

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: Can I edit the pre-filled variation clause for just one variation?

No, variation clauses are set at the contract level in the Terms tab. Changes apply to all future variation letters for that contract. Use the custom approval text feature to add variation-specific content.

Q: What happens if I have multiple roles filled in but no toggle selected?

Variation letters won't show an "Authorised by" person until you toggle on a specific role. Make sure to select the appropriate role and save your contract.

Q: What if the letters don't reflect my recent changes?

Ensure you clicked Update and saw the confirmation message. Refresh the page if the changes don't appear immediately.

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