Field Notes · 2026-01-08

Three cost variance flags that appear before overruns feel real

Committed purchase orders, provisional sum burn, and silent rework are early signals worth watching on Mekong Delta projects.

Paid invoices trail reality. By the time a payment clears, the commitment may already be months old. Track purchase orders and approved variations as soon as they leave your desk.

Provisional sums for ground works and utilities often erode quietly. Set a percentage threshold—many of our clients use fifteen percent—and require a written note when spend crosses it.

Rework is the silent third flag. Labour hours logged against ‘snagging’ while structure is still open usually means earlier defects are being absorbed without a formal change order.

A Cost Variance Review from our Long An desk maps these three signals by work package. The goal is not to embarrass a contractor; it is to give the owner a decision window while options remain.

If your ledger lives in several spreadsheets, we still begin. Clean exports help, but incomplete books are common on mid-size builds—clarity grows with each cycle.