Download the deviation list template
XLSX
Technical deviation list (Excel)
Header block, 16 columns, drop-downs, colour-coded status, frozen header row, filters, print setup and a How to use sheet.
CSV
Technical deviation list (CSV)
The example rows as plain CSV (UTF-8), for Google Sheets or any other tool.
Both files are free under CC BY 4.0, with no form to fill in. The XLSX opens in Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers. To open the CSV in Google Sheets, choose File, then Import, then Upload. The CSV carries the table only; the header block is in the XLSX.
What it is for and who uses it
A technical deviation list tells the buyer, clause by clause, where your offer does not match the specification, why, and what it would cost to comply instead. The EPC or owner's evaluator uses it to accept, reject or query each point during technical bid evaluation. Anything you leave off the list is usually taken as fully compliant.
- Proposal, application and bid engineers who prepare the technical offer.
- Project managers at smaller manufacturers who answer RFQs themselves.
- Lead engineers who check the list before it goes out.
Example rows: 6-inch Class 600 trunnion ball valve
The example sheet in the XLSX, and the CSV, contain these rows. They follow the worked example in the deviation list guide, with the customer's response filled in for some rows to show the list after one round of questions.
| Item | Spec clause | Requirement (verbatim) | Offered (datasheet line) | Status | Deviation / clarification | Impact | Cost of withdrawal | Customer response |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EX-01 | PS-VAL-001 Rev 2, 3.4 | The design minimum temperature shall be −46 °C. | DS-BV-0600 line 9: design temperature −46 °C to +121 °C | Clarification | Customer datasheet DS-VAL-001 line 14 gives −29 °C; the specification gives −46 °C. | None | No cost | Accepted |
| EX-02 | PS-VAL-001 Rev 2, 4.2 | Body and closures shall be forged ASTM A350 LF2 Class 1. | DS-BV-0600 line 14: body cast ASTM A352 LCC; closures forged ASTM A350 LF2 Cl.1 | Deviation | Cast body offered instead of forged. | Cost and schedule | Forged body: +9% unit price, +5 weeks | Query raised |
| EX-03 | PS-VAL-001 Rev 2, 4.5 | Seat inserts shall be PEEK. | DS-BV-0600 line 18: seat inserts reinforced PTFE (RPTFE) | Deviation | RPTFE seat inserts offered instead of PEEK. | Schedule | PEEK seats: no price change, +2 weeks | Open |
| EX-04 | PS-VAL-001 Rev 2, 5.1 | Valves shall be fire tested in accordance with API 607. | Certificate FT-118: API 607 fire-type test to an earlier edition, valve family BV-T | Clarification | Qualification is to an earlier edition of API 607. | None | Requalification to the current edition: not offered within the bid lead time | Open |
| EX-05 | PS-VAL-001 Rev 2, 6.3 | Stem seals shall be qualified to ISO 15848-1, tightness class BH, endurance class CO1. | Type test report TR-0932: ISO 15848-1 class BH, CO1, on a 4 in valve of the same design family | Clarification | Qualified by design family, not on this valve size. | Cost and schedule | Size-specific test: +USD 14,000 one-off, +6 weeks | Open |
| EX-06 | PS-VAL-001 Rev 2, 7.2 | Pressure-containing parts shall be supplied with EN 10204 type 3.2 inspection certificates. | Quality plan QP-01 section 4: EN 10204 type 3.1 certificates | Deviation | 3.1 certificates offered instead of 3.2. | Cost and schedule | 3.2 certificates: +3%, +2 weeks; inspector fees by buyer | Rejected |
| EX-07 | PS-PNT-002 Rev 0, 5.3 | External surfaces shall be painted to coating system C-3 of this specification. | DS-BV-0600 line 31: manufacturer's standard two-coat epoxy, 200 µm total dry film thickness | Deviation | Standard coating system offered instead of system C-3. | Cost | System C-3: +2% unit price, no change to delivery | Open |
| EX-08 | PS-VAL-001 Rev 2, 9.4 | Valves shall be pressure tested in accordance with API 598. | ITP-BV-01 steps 6–8: shell and seat tests to API 6D | Clarification | Tested to the product standard, API 6D, instead of API 598. | Schedule | Additional API 598 test: no cost, +1 week | Accepted |
| EX-09 | PS-VAL-001 Rev 2, 10.2 | Gear operators shall be sized for 1.5 times the maximum breakaway torque of the valve. | DS-BV-0600 line 40: gear operator sized for 1.3 times the maximum breakaway torque | Deviation | Sizing factor 1.3 instead of 1.5. | Cost | Larger gear operator: +1.5% unit price, no change to delivery | Open |
| EX-10 | MR-VAL-001 Rev 1, 6.1 | Vendor shall supply two-year operating spares. | Commissioning spares only | Not offered | Two-year operating spares are excluded from this price. | Cost | Two-year spares: priced separately | Open |
The file also has columns for tag or line item, proposed alternative, technical justification, evidence reference and status date. Every example value is invented: specification PS-VAL-001, the requisition, the datasheets and every certificate and report number do not exist. Standards such as API 6D, API 607, ISO 15848-1 and EN 10204 are named but not quoted, so check each clause against your own licensed copy.
Header block
The top of each sheet identifies the offer, so a printed or PDF copy still makes sense on its own.
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Project | Example Gas Compression Station, Phase 2 (fictional) |
| Customer | Example EPC Contractor Ltd (fictional) |
| RFQ / enquiry no. | RFQ-EX-0417 |
| Material requisition | MR-VAL-001 Rev 1 |
| Equipment / package | Trunnion-mounted ball valves, 6 in, ASME Class 600 |
| Offer no. | OF-EX-2291 |
| Revision | A |
| Date | 2026-10-15 |
| Prepared by | Proposal engineer |
| Checked by | Lead application engineer |
Columns and what to write
| Column | What to write |
|---|---|
| Item | Running number. Quote it in the cover sheet and in technical queries. |
| Tag / line item | Requisition line items or tag numbers the row applies to, or "All". |
| Spec document | Number of the customer document: requisition, specification, datasheet or owner standard. |
| Rev | Revision of that document, after any addenda. |
| Clause | Clause or datasheet line. One clause per row. |
| Requirement (verbatim) | The requirement copied word for word from the clause, so the evaluator sees exactly what you read. |
| Offered (datasheet line) | What you offer, in the same units and terms, with your datasheet line or page. |
| Status | Complies, Clarification, Deviation, Not offered or Not applicable (drop-down). |
| Deviation / clarification | The difference, stated once in one or two sentences. Leave blank for Complies. |
| Proposed alternative | What you offer instead, or the option you can supply if the buyer insists. |
| Technical justification | Why the offer is technically acceptable: equivalence, service conditions, qualification evidence. Not commercial reasons. |
| Impact | Effect on price or delivery if the buyer asks you to comply: None, Cost, Schedule, or Cost and schedule (drop-down). |
| Cost of withdrawal | Price and lead-time change if you must comply instead, or "No cost". |
| Evidence reference | Datasheet, certificate, ITP or test report that supports the row, with page. |
| Customer response | Filled in after the buyer replies: Open, Accepted, Accepted with comment, Rejected or Query raised (drop-down). |
| Status date | Date of the last change to status or customer response (YYYY-MM-DD). |
Status values
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Complies | The offer meets the requirement as written. Point to the datasheet line or certificate that shows it. |
| Clarification | The offer meets the intent, but a reference, method or wording differs, or the requirement is unclear or conflicts with another document. |
| Deviation | The offer does not meet the requirement as written: a different material, rating, test, certificate type or scope. |
| Not offered | The item is excluded from the scope of supply, for example spares, site services or documents you are not quoting. |
| Not applicable | The clause does not apply to the equipment offered, for example a sour-service clause on a non-sour duty. Say why in the remarks. |
A deviation list normally carries only Clarification, Deviation and Not offered rows. Complies and Not applicable are in the drop-down so the same values work in the compliance matrix template, and for rows that change status after a technical query.
How to use the template
- Fill in the header block: project, customer, RFQ or enquiry number, requisition, offer number and revision, and who prepared and checked the list.
- List every governing document and revision you reviewed (requisition, project specification, owner standards, datasheets, addenda). Put them on the cover sheet.
- Go through the specification clause by clause. Add a row for every clause where your offer is not a plain Complies. If you need every clause, use the compliance matrix template and filter it.
- Copy the requirement word for word, then state what you offer in the same units, with your datasheet line or page.
- Pick one status from the drop-down. Deviation rows turn red and Clarification rows turn amber.
- For every Deviation or Clarification, write the difference once, a proposed alternative, a technical justification, the impact and the cost of withdrawal.
- Have a second engineer check every non-compliant row and every row about materials, tests and certificates.
- If the tender has its own deviation form, copy your rows into that form. Make sure the priced and unpriced copies carry the same list.
- When the buyer replies, record the customer response and status date, and issue a new revision of the list rather than answering only by email.
Related guides, terms and tools
- Technical deviation list guide: the format, the columns and the worked valve example.
- Datasheet vs specification checklist: 25 checks to run before you fill in the list.
- Glossary: deviations and clarifications, technical query and governing-document precedence.
- Spec requirement extractor: a free in-browser tool that lists the requirements in pasted specification text, as a starting point for the rows.
- Clarifications and deviations summary template: the cover sheet that goes on top of this list.
Have OdysseyGPT draft it
Want OdysseyGPT to fill this in from your tender package?
OdysseyGPT reads the tender package, checks each customer requirement against your own datasheets, and drafts the compliance matrix and deviations & clarifications list, each row with a quote from the source page, sheet or cell. Your engineers decide every open item. Managed plans start from $999/month.