Record agreed contract changes in a formal deed

It creates a formal written record of agreed changes to an existing contract. That matters because project changes are often discussed in meetings, texts or marked-up scopes, but those records may not clearly show what was finally agreed, when it takes effect or how it interacts with the original contract. A variation deed is commonly used where the parties want the amendment documented in a more complete way, especially if the changes affect price, timing, responsibilities, deliverables or risk allocation under the original deal.

A variation deed can cover changes to scope, deliverables, pricing, payment timing, programme dates, access arrangements, site responsibilities, reporting obligations and other agreed contract terms. In some matters it may also be used to update schedules, technical descriptions or special conditions attached to the original agreement. The exact wording depends on the existing contract and the nature of the change. Part of the legal work is making sure the amendment fits with the original document instead of creating contradictions between old and new clauses.

Yes. If a principal, contractor or consultant has already produced a variation deed, we can review the wording and flag issues such as unintended waivers, broad releases, unclear payment consequences, inconsistent dates or changes that affect liability more than expected. That can be particularly important where the deed appears short but has a wide legal effect on the original contract. We can also suggest amendments so the revised document better reflects the commercial change that was actually agreed on site or during project discussions.

The most useful starting point is the original contract, plus a clear summary of what has changed and any supporting material such as revised scopes, pricing notes, correspondence or meeting records. If there are multiple amendments, it also helps to know whether they should be consolidated into one deed or handled separately. We use that information to prepare or review the document and identify any knock-on effects in the underlying contract. If wider negotiations or ongoing representation are needed, that would sit outside this fixed-fee service.

No. This service is centred on the legal document used to record the agreed change. It does not include running the commercial negotiation, administering project notices, managing payment claims, or acting for you on an ongoing basis after the deed is completed unless we include it in your quote. If the original contract has procedural steps for approving variations, those steps still matter in practice. We can reflect the agreed outcome in the deed, but broader project process support would need separate scope.

Just submit an enquiry via this page or click the 'get started' button on our website to submit an enquiry. After you've submitted an enquiry, one of our legal consultants will review your enquiry within 1 business day and get in touch to get a better idea of exactly what you are looking for.

Then your legal consultant will send through an email with a bit more information about the services you need, along with a fixed fee quote setting out costs, scope of the service and timing. Have a read through it, and if you're happy with the scope, you can accept and sign our engagement letter online - easy!

Once you've formally accepted, we'll connect you with a specialist lawyer and they will work with you to complete your project. They will contact you by email or phone if they need to get in touch.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the Variation Deed service, pricing starts from $900.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We operate completely online, which means we can help you wherever you are in New Zealand. We have office spaces in Sydney, and in Melbourne, but our use of technology allows our team members to work remotely from around the world. Our legal team are mostly based in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. We also have a London office for Sprintlaw UK.

Our legal team is made up of experienced lawyers, who are specialists in various areas of law and hold an Australian legal practising certificate. None of our Sprintlaw lawyers are New Zealand qualified lawyers and they do not currently hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

They provide legal services working remotely from Australia via our 'legal consultancy' model, through which (under section 6 and section 35 of the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006) our Australian legal team are permitted to provide legal services to New Zealand businesses provided they do not provide services in certain 'reserved' areas of law. You can read our FAQ page to learn a bit more about our 'legal consultancy' model.

Given the strong similarities between Australian and New Zealand law, and the areas of law in which we practice (being small business and startup law), we do not view the fact that our lawyers have not qualified in New Zealand as having any substantive impact on the quality of our service. We are committed to ensuring that we provide high quality, affordable legal services to all our New Zealand clients.

Our legal team have all trained at leading firms, but have left the traditional corporate law world to join us on our mission to create a new and better way of delivering legal services. They have specialist expertise in technology law, intellectual property law, contract drafting and review, corporate law and commercial law.