Construction Glossary
Dayworks
Definition
Dayworks is a way of pricing work based on the actual labour, plant and materials used, rather than on measured quantities. It is used for extra or unforeseen work that does not fit the agreed rates. Time and resources are recorded on signed sheets and charged at agreed daywork rates plus a percentage for overheads and profit. It is a fallback for valuing work that cannot be measured.
When something crops up that the contract did not foresee, and there is no suitable rate to value it, the work can be done on dayworks. The contractor records the hours worked, the plant on site and the materials used, usually on a daywork sheet signed by the client or their representative.
Those records are then priced at agreed rates, with set percentages added for overheads and profit. It is normally a last resort, used only when measurement is not practical.
Why it matters
Dayworks protects your money on genuine extras, but only if the paperwork is right. Unsigned sheets and vague records are how builders end up unpaid for real work. Knowing when dayworks applies, and keeping clean records, is the difference between getting paid and arguing about it.
We set out daywork rates and percentages in your estimate so extra work has an agreed basis before it ever happens on site.
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