Overview
Variations (also called change orders) let you manage changes to a job after work has started. Whether you're adding new work, swapping items, or updating client selections, Buildxact keeps the changes connected to your job costing, invoicing, and client approvals.
This article covers:
Creating a new variation for additional work
Swapping existing items
Using variations with Selections
Sending variations for approval
Invoicing accepted variations
How cost plus jobs differ
Video
Watch the video below for a complete walkthrough of variations and change orders in Buildxact or get more detail below:
Create a new variation
Create a new variation whenever work is being added that wasn't included in the original scope.
Open the Variations (Change Orders) tab.
Select + New Variation.
Enter:
A variation name
Proposed start date (optional)
Delay days (optional)
Description/details
Add the required labour, materials and other cost items.
Assign each new item to an Actual Costing category.
Apply the required markup.
Save the variation.
Tip: Think of a variation as a mini estimate. You simply build the additional work exactly as you would when creating an estimate.
Assign Actual Costing categories
New variation items aren't automatically assigned to an Actual Costing category.
When creating a variation:
Select an existing category for each new item, or
Type a new category name to create one.
If no category is selected, Buildxact will automatically create a category based on the variation name. While this can be corrected later, assigning categories during setup keeps your actual costing organised.
Proposed start dates and delay days
These fields don't affect scheduling automatically—they simply document the agreed timing with the client.
For example:
Proposed start: Next Monday
Delay days: 3 days while materials are ordered
If you add the variation to the schedule using the Timeline (T) button, these values are used to place the work on the schedule.
Variation statuses
Variations progress through several statuses:
Pending – Being prepared.
Sent – Shared with the client.
Accepted – Approved by the client.
Rejected – Declined by the client.
Once accepted, the variation becomes part of the job.
Print or send a variation
Variations can be:
Printed for manual signatures
Shared by email
Sent through the Client Portal
Sent for digital signature
Printed variations include signature boxes for manual approval.
Digital signature requests send the client a secure link where they can review and sign electronically. Once signed:
The variation is automatically linked to the signed document.
Both you and the client receive a copy.
Buildxact notifies you that the signed variation is ready for processing.
Swap existing items
Sometimes the client wants to replace an existing item rather than add new work.
Instead of creating a variation from scratch:
Locate the original item in the estimate or job.
Select Variation/Change Order.
Buildxact automatically creates a negative item to remove the original allowance.
Add the replacement item.
Assign the correct Actual Costing category.
Apply the appropriate markup.
Accept the variation.
For example:
Remove carpet originally quoted.
Add upgraded carpet selected by the client.
The original item is refunded while the new item becomes the active cost.
Markups on swapped items
Whether you refund the original markup depends on your contract and business processes.
For example:
If the original item was an allowance or provisional sum, the client may never have seen the markup.
If your contract refunds markup, simply apply the same markup percentage to the negative item.
The replacement item can use any markup required.
Variations in Actual Costings
Once accepted, variation items appear in Actual Costings.
Variation items are displayed in blue, making them easy to identify.
You can:
Move them into the desired order
Add notes if required
Purchase materials and record costs as normal
Variations and Selections
If you're using Selections, Buildxact can automatically create a variation once the client makes their choices.
When creating the variation:
Original allowance items are refunded.
Selected items are added.
You can still edit categories, markups or pricing before sending it to the client.
This allows multiple client selections to be bundled into a single variation for approval.
Invoicing variations
For Fixed Price, Contract Price and Completion Percentage jobs:
Accepted variations appear inside Outgoing Invoices.
You can choose to invoice:
The full variation
A partial amount
Multiple variations across different progress claims
Once invoiced, Buildxact tracks:
Which invoice included the variation
How much has already been billed
Remaining amounts still available to invoice
Fully invoiced variations are automatically removed from future invoice selections.
Cost Plus jobs
Variations work slightly differently for Cost Plus jobs.
The variation acts as an approved budget rather than the final amount the client will pay.
Actual costs are still generated through:
Purchase Orders
Work Orders
These costs then flow through to client invoices.
Important
Markup entered on a Cost Plus variation does not automatically transfer to invoices.
For example:
Variation uses 5% markup
Default invoice markup is 20%
The invoice will still default to 20% unless you manually change it.
To avoid mistakes, it's generally recommended to use your standard markup percentage when creating Cost Plus variations.
As always, reach out with any questions