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Key definition

Provisional sum definition

What does Provisional sum mean? A provisional sum is an allowance within the contract sum for work that cannot be sufficiently described, designed or quantified at tender stage. It is usually inserted in the bill of quantities or contract sum analysis and priced within the tender. If the employer later instructs the related work, the provisional sum is omitted and the actual work is valued under the contract (for example as a variation or by remeasurement), producing an upward or downward adjustment to the Contract Sum, including preliminaries, overheads and profit as the contract provides. The term is not defined by statute; it is a contractual...

Provisional Sums in Construction Contracts: Definitions, Valuation, Programming and Risk; Instructions, Omissions and Loss of Profit; JCT, NEC and FIDIC Approaches

Published by a LexisNexis Construction expert

Practice notes

What are Provisional sums?

There is no exact, universally accepted definition of a provisional sum, but it is commonly taken to mean an amount included within a Bill of quantities, or a Contract sum analysis, to make allowance for particular elements of work that cannot be clearly specified, described, or priced when the employer issues the tender documents. This may arise because the work might prove unnecessary, or because its extent or scope is not yet known—for instance, where the contract works involve excavation or below‑ground operations that cannot be reliably investigated until the project is underway. It is termed a ‘provisional’ sum as neither party is bound by the allowance—the eventual cost may come in above or below the stated provisional amount...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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