Day Works

Day works is a contract valuation method under which the contractor is paid the actual direct cost of labour, plant, and materials consumed in carrying out varied or unforeseen work, plus an agreed percentage mark-up for overheads and profit, rather than at rates derived from the contract bill of quantities.

What is Day Works?

Day works applies when the nature of additional or varied work makes it impractical to measure and value it using standard contract rates. The contractor records the resources actually deployed each day: the hours of labour and plant, and the quantities and cost of materials, and the engineer verifies and certifies these returns. The contract includes a schedule of day-works rates or mark-up percentages at which the labour, plant, and material costs are reimbursed. Under FIDIC Sub-Clause 13.6, the contractor must give notice and submit daily records for engineer approval before the day works payment is processed.

Day works is a valuation method for specific items of work; it is not a contract type. It sits within a wider works contract alongside a variation-order instruction, which authorises the work to proceed, and may draw on a provisional-sum budget if the employer anticipated the need for this type of work at procurement stage. Because it is cost-based rather than output-based, it gives the employer less cost certainty than a priced variation but more accuracy than a rough estimate when the scope cannot be defined.

Why Day Works matters for bidders

Day works rates are competitive items that bidders fill in at tender stage, and they matter beyond day works itself: evaluation committees sometimes compare bidders on their day-work rate schedules as a proxy for overhead and profit assumptions. Price your day-works schedule consistently with your overhead recovery model, not arbitrarily, because aggressive under-pricing damages recovery when work is actually instructed on day-works terms. On site, maintain meticulous daily records signed by the engineer promptly, because day-works claims are frequently disputed when records are incomplete or submitted late. The engineer's counter-signature on daily records is not guaranteed approval but is strong evidence that resources were deployed as claimed.

FAQ

Who decides whether work is valued as day works or at contract rates?

The engineer determines the appropriate valuation method under the contract. Day works applies when the variation cannot be valued by measurement at contract rates because the work is indeterminate or unlike anything in the priced schedule.

What records must the contractor submit for day works?

The contractor must submit daily statements showing the names, classification, and hours of labour; the plant deployed; and the materials used, all verified and signed by the engineer before payment is certified.

Are day-works rates competitive items in the bid?

Yes. Bidders typically complete a day-works rate schedule as part of their tender. These rates form part of the contract and are used to value all work instructed on day-works terms during execution.