'We found more damage once we opened it' should trigger a phone call, not a bigger invoice
The oldest trick in the marine repair playbook is the scope-creep invoice. Here is what a good contractor does instead.
Every superintendent has seen the email: work started, "we found more damage than expected once we opened it", scope doubled, invoice doubled. Sometimes it is genuine. Sometimes it is not. Here is how a serious contractor handles the moment and how to spot the ones who do not.
What actually happens when a repair opens up more than expected
Sometimes wastage extends further than initial NDT suggested. Sometimes an adjacent stiffener has a crack that only becomes visible after the plate is removed. Sometimes a valve seat is damaged in a way that only inspection reveals. These are real. They happen.
The right response
Stop work. Not "keep going and we will invoice you later". Physically stop, document the new finding, photograph it in place before any further work.
Call the office. The Chief Engineer or superintendent gets a call — not an email at the end of shift, and not a note on the invoice. On the phone, so the scope decision is made by the owner, not by the contractor.
Present the options. Not one number. Options: minimum viable close-out to make the vessel safe and defer the extension, full extension while opened up, temporary close-out with plan to revisit at next port. Each with a price and a time.
Wait for authorisation. Nothing further gets done until the extension is authorised in writing. Verbal is not enough for anything above a small threshold.
What the wrong contractor does
Carries on working, finishes the job, presents an invoice that is double what was quoted, and argues afterwards. This is not a scoping mistake — it is a business model.
What to check on your next repair
Ask the contractor, at RFQ stage, what their scope-change protocol is. If the answer is anything other than "stop, photograph, call, wait" — you have a risk you have not priced.
Ours is exactly that protocol, written into every job card. Send us a scope and the protocol goes into the quote.