What are dayworks?
Dayworks are a method of paying for work that cannot be measured or priced in advance, using recorded hours of labour, plant and materials at agreed daywork rates. They are useful for small unforeseen tasks but expensive and hard to control. Under PSSCOC 2020, daywork must be ordered in writing, the contractor must inform the Superintending Officer in advance, and signed daywork sheets within 3 days are a condition precedent to payment.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in Variation Orders and Provisional Sums: How to Stop Surprise VOs on Singapore Building Works. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
Surprise variation orders usually come from scope that was never fully defined, items excluded from the quote, provisional sums used as placeholders, and concealed site conditions. Owners reduce them by defining scope in drawings and an itemised schedule, pricing exclusions when comparing quotes, requiring written instructions and quotations before varied work starts, and agreeing valuation rules in the contract.
More questions on this topic
- What is a variation order?
- What is the difference between a provisional sum and a prime cost sum?
- Is a lump-sum quotation fixed no matter what?
- Can a contractor claim for variations done on verbal instructions?
- How are variations valued?
- How should I compare quotations with different exclusions?
- Who bears the cost of concealed conditions found during A&A works?