How to keep a conflict and variation register
A conflict and variation register is a single log of every contradiction, ambiguity or gap found across a tender's documents (scope, specifications, drawings and schedules), so each one becomes a deliberate clarification, qualification or priced allowance instead of an absorbed cost. Set up the columns below, then log each issue as you read.
Using this guide
Contradictions between a tender's documents are not edge cases; they are where margin leaks. A clause the scope, the specification and the drawings each answer differently becomes a variation you absorb instead of one you could have claimed. This register captures every one as you read, so each is resolved on purpose. Build the columns once, scan the document pairs below, and keep the log live past award.
Columns every register entry needs
- Entry ID (e.g. CVR-001) so each issue can be referenced unambiguously
- Date raised and who raised it
- Type: conflict, ambiguity, gap (silent scope), or change from a prior revision
- Document A reference: document, section or clause, and revision
- Document B it contradicts (or 'silent / not specified')
- Plain-language description of the contradiction
- Commercial and schedule impact if it stays unresolved
- Proposed action: clarification (RFI), qualification / departure, or priced allowance
- Owner and due date
- Status: open, clarification sent, closed, or converted to variation
- Source page, drawing sheet and issued revision recorded for each finding
- Supplier package and quote line affected by the issue recorded
Where contradictions hide (scan these pairs)
- Scope of works vs drawings: quantities, extents and equipment lists
- Specifications vs datasheets: ratings, standards and materials
- Drawings vs the single-line diagram (SLD): equipment count and ratings
- Returnable schedules vs the scope: items priced that are not scoped, or scoped items with no schedule
- Conditions of contract vs scope: who carries which risk and supply
- Addenda vs the base documents: superseded clauses still referenced elsewhere
Before the bid closes
- Every open conflict has a clarification lodged or a qualification stated in the bid
- Assumptions recorded in writing wherever the buyer did not answer in time
- Order-of-precedence clause checked, so you know which document governs a clash
- Register attached or summarised per the instructions to bidders, where permitted
After award: the register becomes your variation baseline
- Re-open entries you priced on an assumption rather than a confirmed answer
- Match each instructed change to the register entry that first flagged it
- Notify variations within the contract's time bar, citing the dated entry as evidence
- 01Set up the register before you read. Create the columns above in one shared log so every reviewer records to the same place, in the same format.
- 02Log as you read, not after. Each time one document disagrees with another, add a row immediately with both references. Do not rely on memory to reconstruct conflicts later.
- 03Classify each entry. Mark whether it is a true conflict, an ambiguity, a gap (silent scope), or a change from a prior revision; the type drives the action.
- 04Decide the action per entry. Turn each open item into a clarification (RFI), a qualification or departure in the bid, or a priced allowance with a stated assumption.
- 05Check the order of precedence. Find the clause that says which document governs when two disagree, and record it against entries you cannot get answered before close.
- 06Carry it past award. Keep the register live. The entries you priced on assumption are the contemporaneous evidence for your first variation claims.
Common questions
What is the difference between a conflict register and a variation register?
A conflict register logs contradictions found between tender documents during a bid. A variation register tracks approved changes to scope after award. In practice they are one log at two stages: a contradiction you record and price on assumption during the bid becomes the evidence for a variation claim once the work is instructed differently. Keeping a single continuous register links the two.
What columns should a variation register have?
At minimum: a unique entry ID, the date raised, the type (conflict, ambiguity, gap or change), references to both documents that disagree, a plain-language description, the commercial and schedule impact, the proposed action, an owner, and a status. The two-document reference is what makes each entry defensible when you later claim a variation against it.
When should I raise a clarification instead of qualifying my bid?
Raise a clarification (RFI) when the contradiction changes your price or risk and the buyer can still answer before close. Qualify the bid, or record a departure, when there is no time for an answer or the buyer declines to clarify; state your assumption explicitly so the basis of your price is on record. Silent assumptions are the ones that get absorbed.
Can building the register be automated?
The finding can be assisted. A tool can read the scope, specifications, drawings and schedules together and surface where they disagree, citing the document and page for each, so a person decides whether it is a real conflict and how to act. Whether to clarify, qualify or price an allowance stays a commercial judgment for your team.