The claim requires that the work was outside the original scope, that the owner directed or accepted it, and that compensation was expected. Written authorization requirements govern recovery.
Quantum meruit may apply where no contract governs.
Alternative Names:
Additional Work Claim|Out-of-Scope Work
Why it Matters?
Scope interpretation determines whether work was extra or included, and contractors frequently lose because the specifications arguably encompassed the work under a general performance clause. Documenting the scope basis for treating work as extra at the time it arose is stronger than reconstructing the argument later. Where written authorization was required and not obtained, waiver through course of dealing is the fallback argument.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Why do contractors lose extra work claims?
What is the fallback where authorization was required?
