Instructed additional scope removed

We had some additional scope instructed into our contract which affected time and cost and as such there was the ‘scope’ costs of doing the work and the additional prelim cost for the extended completion date. This was agreed. The additional scope was then removed before any of the work had commenced. The ‘scope’ costs is a simple one to work out and credit back. Am I right that the completion date doesn’t move back as it is not an instruction to accelerate, but the prelim costs previously agreed will also be credited back?

You are broadly correct in your assumptions. The Completion Date would not move ‘backwards’ although ‘planned’ Completion would move ‘backwards’ with the difference used as the basis for any corresponding preliminaries assessment.

Although the instructed scope was ‘removed before any of the work had commenced’, consider whether any associated tasks were undertaken such as Method Statements, documentation or drawing revisions, etc which may have incurred additional ‘cost’, as well as the cost of preparing the quotation, for specific main options. There will also be some planning resource time to update the programme to reflect the omission of this ‘scope’.