SignAndGoChanging a signed contract with a variation or addendum.
Contracts change. A project scope grows, a lease adds a car park, a supplier moves a delivery day. Re-signing the whole agreement for one change is slow and invites confusion about which version counts. A short variation, signed by the same parties, is usually cleaner.
Write the change as its own short document
A variation names the original agreement and its date, states exactly which clauses change and how, and confirms everything else stays as it was. Keep it to a page or two. Your adviser can supply wording for anything significant, and the document should be agreed between the parties before it is sent for signature.
Some teams call a change that adds new material an addendum and a change that alters existing terms a variation. Use whichever name your agreement itself uses, so the two read consistently.
Check the change against the original
If you have instead marked up the original agreement, run the version compare between the signed version and the marked-up one. It lists what changed, which is a useful cross-check that the variation describes every edit and nothing more.
Send it to the same signatories
In most cases the people who signed the original sign the variation, in the same capacities. Include the signed original in the envelope as a reference document, with no fields on it, so every signer can see what is being changed without hunting through their inbox.
- Document 1: the variation, with fields for each party.
- Document 2: the signed original, for reference only.
- Signers: the same parties, in the same order as the first time.
- Copied in: whoever manages the contract day to day.
Number variations so they stack up clearly
Long-running agreements gather several changes. Title each envelope with the original's name and a variation number, such as Supply Agreement, Variation 3. Anyone reading the file later can then follow the agreement's history in order, each step with its own audit trail and completion certificate.
When a party will not agree
A party who disagrees can decline the variation with a reason. The original agreement is untouched, and you have a clear note of the objection to work from. Redraft the variation to deal with the point and send it as a fresh envelope, keeping the declined one as part of the history.
Common questions
- Should the variation be signed by the same people?
- Usually yes, in the same capacities. Check with your adviser if a signatory has changed.
- Can I show the original agreement in the same envelope?
- Yes. Add it as a second document with no fields so signers can refer to it.
- Can I see what changed between two versions?
- Yes. Compare the two versions and SignAndGo shows the differences.