Schedule of Works

A schedule of works is a document forming part of a construction or trade contract that lists every significant task required to complete the project. Unlike a bill of quantities, it does not include measured quantities - the contractor interprets each line, calculates the materials and labor required, and prices accordingly. The schedule is prepared by the client's design team and issued to tenderers as part of the contract package alongside drawings and a specification.

The schedule of works serves two distinct functions across the project lifecycle. Before contract award, it is the pricing document that tenderers complete and return. After award, the signed and priced schedule becomes part of the contract, defining the agreed scope and forming the basis for valuing completed work, assessing variations, and resolving scope disputes.

Schedule of Works vs. Bill of Quantities

The key distinction is who calculates the quantities. In a bill of quantities, a quantity surveyor measures every work item in advance and provides the same figures to all tenderers. This produces more comparable tenders and reduces the contractor's pricing risk, but takes time and cost to prepare. A schedule of works delegates quantity calculation to each tenderer - faster and cheaper to produce, but it means different contractors may interpret the scope differently, producing a wider spread of tender prices.

For this reason, schedules of works are most common on smaller or refurbishment projects where a full BoQ would be disproportionate. A residential extension, a fit-out alteration, or a specialist trade package is a typical use case. Larger new-build projects with a quantity surveyor already engaged are more likely to use a bill of quantities.

How the Schedule Is Used During Construction

During the build, the priced schedule forms the basis for interim valuations. The contract administrator or client representative reviews completed items against the schedule at each payment interval and certifies the value of work done to date. Partly completed items are assessed pro-rata or excluded from that valuation depending on the contract terms.

Variations - work instructed by the client that was not included in the original schedule - are managed through a separate change control process. A variation order documents the additional work, agrees a price, and adjusts the contract sum. Keeping variations clearly distinct from the original schedule is important for producing a clean final account at project close. Where variations are absorbed into the schedule informally, disputes over what was agreed and what was additional become difficult to resolve.