Signed daywork sheet: what it proves and what it does not

By CertKeep Team · Reviewed 20 September 2026

A signed daywork sheet can be useful evidence of what happened on site. It is not automatically proof that the work was a variation, that the rates were agreed, or that payment is due. The effect of a signature depends on the contract, the wording on the sheet, the authority of the person signing and the surrounding facts.

What a signed daywork can help evidence

The strongest use of a signed daywork is usually as a contemporaneous site record. It can help show what was recorded at the time rather than reconstructed weeks later when the valuation is being prepared.

• the project, date and location of the work
• the instruction or reference that led to the work
• what work was carried out
• the labour names or trades and the time recorded
• the plant and materials recorded as used
• who reviewed or acknowledged the sheet on site

That distinction appears in real UK project documents. One recent public specification says daywork sheets serve only as a record of the work involved and that signing them is not an instruction or an indication that the work is a variation. Another says the signature indicates acceptance of the time worked and materials used, while the basis for payment is a separate matter for the quantity surveyor. See the first Contracts Finder example and the second example.

Those are examples, not universal rules. Your own subcontract may use different wording, procedures and timescales.

What the signature does not automatically establish

A signed sheet can still leave important commercial questions open. Depending on the contract and circumstances, the signature may not establish:

• that the person who requested the work had authority to instruct it
• that the work is a contractual variation
• that daywork is the correct valuation method
• that the labour, plant or material rates are accepted
• that percentage additions apply
• that the amount is agreed
• that an application, notice or other contractual requirement has been satisfied
• that payment is legally due

Another public specification makes the same practical distinction: the site signature certifies the recorded time, materials and plant, but does not justify a claim that the work must be charged on a daywork basis. Read that Contracts Finder example.

Before asking someone to sign

Make the sheet easy to understand before it reaches the person acknowledging it. A vague total with no supporting detail is much harder to rely on later than a clear record of what happened.

1. Reference the instruction. Add the email, site instruction, drawing change, verbal-instruction note or other reference you actually have.
2. Describe the work clearly. Record what changed, where the work happened and any useful context.
3. Break down the resources. Keep labour, plant and materials visible rather than recording only a single total.
4. Show additions separately. If your contract allows percentage additions, record the percentages separately from the underlying resource values.
5. Identify the people involved. Record the contractor representative and the site or client representative by name where appropriate.
6. Leave room for a comment. If the person signing disagrees with part of the record, capturing that comment can be more useful than forcing an all-or-nothing signature.
7. State what the acknowledgement means. CertKeep's free sheet makes clear that an acknowledgement records what is shown on the sheet and does not itself decide entitlement, rates or payment.

Keep the supporting evidence with the record

The signed sheet is stronger when the surrounding evidence tells the same story. Depending on the job and your process, useful records can include the original instruction, site photos, delivery records, supplier references, emails, drawings and site diary entries. Keep only the information you actually need and follow your own data-protection and document-retention procedures.

RICS guidance on subcontract particulars also highlights that payment terms and daywork rates or fee percentages are matters normally set out in the subcontract data. That is another reason not to assume a signature settles the commercial basis by itself. See the RICS subcontracting guidance material.

If the sheet is not signed

An unsigned sheet does not mean you should abandon the record. Keep a clear note of what was submitted, when it was sent and any reason given for not signing. Preserve the supporting instruction, photos, delivery information and correspondence. Then follow the notice, valuation and submission procedure in your own contract rather than assuming the missing signature decides the issue.

Do not let a signed sheet disappear into a folder

The commercial value of the daywork is easier to lose after the site record is complete. The next question is whether the extra has moved into the variation and payment process.

A practical trail is:

1. Daywork: record the work, resources, instruction reference and acknowledgement.
2. Variation: link the supporting dayworks to the change and keep the quoted, submitted and agreed position visible.
3. Payment application: record what was applied for and what was later certified or assessed.
4. Difference and follow-up: keep any gap, retention, paid value and next action visible until the record is closed.

Some public specifications expressly require signed daywork sheets to be submitted with the payment application for that work. Again, the exact requirement depends on the contract, but the practical lesson is useful: a signed sheet that never reaches the commercial process can still become forgotten money. See the Contracts Finder example.

Sources and examples

• Contracts Finder specification: daywork records and variation wording
• Contracts Finder employer's requirements: signature and payment-basis wording
• Contracts Finder specification: signed vouchers and recorded resources
• RICS subcontracting guidance material