Free change order form

What a change order is, and why it matters

A change order is a written agreement to change the work, the price or the schedule in your contract. Outside North America it is called a variation. Most fights over extra work come down to one question: did the owner ask for it and agree to pay? A signed change order answers it.

• Getting paid. It shows the owner asked for the work and agreed the price, before you spent the money.
• Avoiding disputes. The scope is written down, so “I thought that was included” has nowhere to go.
• Protecting the schedule. Extra work takes extra time. Adding the days now means you aren’t blamed for finishing late.
• Keeping the contract sum straight. Each change order moves the contract sum, so the final invoice holds no surprises for either side.

What to fill out, field by field

Change order number

CO-001, CO-002 and so on, one series per project. Keep rejected and withdrawn ones in the log so the numbers have no gaps.

Project details

The project, owner or client, address, and the contract or job number.

Who requested it, when and how

The name and title of the person who asked for the change, the date and time, and whether it was in person, by phone, by email or text, or on a drawing or RFI response. Make sure they can order changes under your contract: an owner can, while a project manager or the architect may or may not.

Where, the reference and the reason

The room, floor or grid line; any drawing, RFI or bulletin number; and why: an owner request, a hidden or unforeseen condition, a design change, a code or inspector requirement, or something else.

The work

Exactly what is included, and what isn’t. “Add two duplex outlets on the kitchen island, on the existing circuit, with boxes and cover plates; patching and painting by others” leaves little to argue about.

Cost breakdown

Labor, materials, equipment, subcontractors, and overhead and profit, with the total for this change order.

Contract sum

The original contract sum, the net change from previous change orders, the sum before this change, this change (plus or minus), and the new contract sum.

Contract time

How many days the change adds or takes off, and the new completion date. Leave this blank and you may lose the time.

Payment

Whether it is paid with the next progress payment, when the change is finished, or on other terms you agree.

Approval

The owner or client signs under the words “I confirm I asked for this extra work.” Then they print their name and title, and add the date and time. You sign for the contractor, give them a copy, and check the box to say you did.

A worked example: the contract sum

Say your contract was for $48,000, and two earlier change orders added $2,350. The owner now asks for a wider window opening in the back bedroom, which you price at $1,180, with one extra day. The contract sum block on the form then reads:

• Original contract sum: $48,000.00
• Previous change orders: + $2,350.00
• Contract sum before this change: $50,350.00
• This change order: + $1,180.00
• New contract sum: $51,530.00
• Contract time: + 1 day, with the new completion date written beside it.

Each change order carries the running total forward, so the owner always knows where the price stands, and the final invoice holds no surprises.

Good practice

• Get it signed before the work starts. If the work truly can’t wait, write it in your daily report, confirm it by email or text the same day, and get the change order signed as soon as you can.
• One change per change order. Bundled changes are hard to price and easy to dispute.
• Price it first wherever you can. If not, agree time and materials with the rates in writing, and get daily tickets signed.
• Take photos before and after, with the date and time on them, especially of hidden conditions and anything that will be covered up.
• Keep the log up to date, so you always know which changes are still waiting for a signature.
• Keep copies, and send the owner a photo or scan of the signed change order the same day.

Common mistakes

• Starting on a verbal “go ahead” and meaning to do the paperwork later.
• Vague scopes like “extra electrical” or “kitchen changes.”
• No price, or no days, on the change order.
• Forgetting the contract sum, so nobody knows the running total.
• The wrong person signing: someone without authority to order changes.
• Leaving unsigned change orders to chase at the end of the job.
• Ignoring changes that remove work, so the credit is argued over instead of agreed.

Notes for the US and Canada

Your contract’s change procedure comes first: who can order a change, how it must be given, and how quickly you must price it and claim time.

• AIA contractsUnder AIA A201, changes are made by change order (agreed by the owner, contractor and architect), by construction change directive (the owner and architect, before the price and time are agreed), or as a minor change ordered by the architect. The AIA’s own change order form is G701.
• ConsensusDocsConsensusDocs 202 is its change order form, signed by both parties. ConsensusDocs 203 is an interim directive for when the work has to go ahead before a change order is agreed.
• California home improvementA change order is not enforceable against the homeowner unless it sets out the scope of the work, the amount added or taken off, and the effect on progress payments or the completion date, and the homeowner cannot require extra work without written authorization (Business and Professions Code section 7159.6). Other states have their own rules.
• CanadaCCDC 2, the standard stipulated price contract, makes changes by change order when the price and time are agreed, or by change directive when the owner needs the work to go ahead first. A change directive is then valued on your costs plus overhead and profit, so keep daily records of the work.

General guidance, not legal advice. Check your contract.