When a client requests changes to the scope of work, you have two main options for managing the variation in : updating the existing quote on the job, or creating a new job and quote. This article covers both approaches and helps you decide which suits your situation.
Quote Variation Workflows — a structured, automated variation tracking feature — is available on the Advanced plan. On the Standard or Premium plans, variations are managed manually using the methods described below.
Option 1: Update the existing quote with variation details
Use this approach when the variation is closely related to the original scope and you want to keep all work under a single job and invoice.
- From the navigation bar, select > and drill down on the job number of the job with the accepted quote.
- Select Job Actions > + New quote, then choose one of the following copy options:
- Job tasks and costs — copies all tasks and costs currently on the job.
- Master quote tasks and costs — copies the line items from the last accepted quote.
Add the variation tasks or costs to the new quote. Keep all original line items as they were — do not remove existing items, as this quote will become the new master quote once accepted. Add new tasks and costs to represent the new items being requested by the client, even if they are extensions to existing tasks or costs.
The only exception to this is where a variation will reduce an existing commitment. If this is the case then simply reduce the hours against an existing task or reduce the quantity against an existing cost.
- In order to be able to produce a quote document for your client that only displays the content of your variation, create a job phase for each one. Job phases let you view and report on a subset of the job’s tasks and costs.
- To make variations even easier to identify, you can use task labels such as Variation 01 or Variation 02, and include similar references in any cost item descriptions.
- Select Issue and then print your quote. Choose to group the content by phase and this will enable you to select only the phase relating to your variation so that you are sending only these details to the client.
- When you are ready, click Accept to accept the new quote. This quote becomes the new master quote for the job, and all future invoices based on quoted value will refer to it.
Once a new quote is accepted on a job, it becomes the master quote and replaces the previous one for invoicing purposes. Make sure the new quote includes all original line items, not just the variation items.
Option 2: Create a new job and quote for the variation
Use this approach when the variation represents a distinct scope of work that you may want to invoice independently, or when you want cleaner separation between the original project and any changes.
- Create a new quote in the usual way, scoped to cover only the variation work. When the quote is accepted, a new job will be created.
- To link the variation job back to the original, create a custom field for your job records (such as Project ID) and enter a matching value in both the original job and the variation job.
- Use the report builder to create a custom report using the Job Report type. Filter by your Project ID custom field to view all jobs belonging to the same project together.
- To invoice both jobs on the same invoice, go to the Invoice Manager and select + Create New Invoice > + Progress Invoice. Select the client and the Job Invoice option, then select both jobs to combine them on a single invoice.
If you need to reference the original job number on the variation job, add it as a custom field value. You can then include this reference on invoices or use it in custom reports to group related work.
Choosing between the two approaches
| Consideration | Update existing quote | Create new job and quote |
|---|---|---|
| Variation is closely related to the original scope | Well suited | Can work, but may be unnecessary overhead |
| Variation is a distinct or separate project | Not recommended | Recommended |
| Invoice original work and variation separately | Not possible — both are on the same job | Supported — jobs can be invoiced independently or together |
| Keep all work visible on one job | Yes | No — requires custom fields and reports to link jobs |
| Track variations with job phases | Yes — create a phase per variation | Not applicable |
If you need a structured, workflow-driven approach to variation management — including a chronological audit trail of every scope change linked to the job budget — consider upgrading to the Advanced plan, which includes Quote Variation Workflows.