What is a construction change order?
A change order records an agreed change to an existing contract: work added, removed, or revised, along with any adjustment to the price and completion time. For a subcontractor, it connects the extra work in the field to the subcontract with the general contractor.
A request for a price is not the same as an approved change order. Keep proposed work separate from authorized work so your crew and office know what has actually been agreed.
1. Check the subcontract before you write
Look for the change procedure, written-notice deadline, required form, pricing rules, and who can authorize a change. Follow the required delivery method and recipients. A signature from someone on site may not satisfy the contract if that person lacks authority.
If the GC directs you to proceed before the price is agreed, follow the contract’s directive and notice process. Record the instruction and track labor, materials, equipment, and time as the work happens. Do not assume that a casual “go ahead” settles payment.
2. Write the change order in six parts
A. Identify the job and document
Include the project name and location, GC and subcontractor names, date, subcontract reference, and a unique change order number. Name the person who requested the change and reference the relevant instruction, RFI, or revised drawing.
B. Explain the changed condition
State what was originally included and what is different now. Be specific about where the change occurs and why the work falls outside the original scope. Attach the relevant photos, drawing revision, or written request.
C. Define the added or deleted work
Use measurable quantities, locations, materials, and tasks. “Additional electrical work” is vague; “Install two additional duplex receptacles on the east office wall, including conduit, conductors, connections, and testing” gives the reviewer something concrete to approve. List exclusions and assumptions, too.
D. State the price clearly
Say whether the change is an addition or a credit and identify the agreed pricing basis. For a lump-sum request, show the total and keep the labor, material, equipment, and contract-permitted markup backup. If the required form asks for the original subcontract amount, previous approved changes, and revised total, include those figures.
E. Record the schedule impact
State the requested increase or decrease in contract time and any affected completion date. Write “no adjustment requested” only when that is accurate. If the impact is still being evaluated, say so and follow the contract’s process for addressing it; do not guess at zero days.
F. Provide approval fields
Include the names, titles, signatures, and dates of the authorized parties required by the subcontract. Make sure the approval refers to the same scope, price, and time adjustment you submitted.
3. Worked example: two added receptacles
- Reference
- Sample CD-0001 · Electrical · East office wall
- Changed condition
- The GC requests two duplex receptacles on the east office wall beyond the receptacles included in the original electrical scope.
- Scope
- Furnish and install two additional duplex receptacles, boxes, conduit, and conductors; connect to the existing designated circuit and test. Assumes the circuit has adequate capacity and the wall remains accessible. Drywall repair and painting are excluded.
- Lump-sum addition
- $1,850.00
- Schedule
- No adjustment requested in this fictional example; assumes access during the planned electrical rough-in.
- Backup and approval
- Attach the condition photo, written GC request, and price breakdown. Obtain the authorized approvals required by the subcontract before treating it as an agreed change.
4. Get approval and keep the backup together
Send the scope, price, schedule request, and attachments as one clear package. If the reviewer changes a term, update the document and confirm agreement on the revised version. Keep a log of the number, submission date, amount, and approval status.
For billing, retain the approved document, signatures, dates, photos, and cost backup. Reference the change order number on the pay application and follow the GC’s required billing format. A signed field record can support that process, but it does not replace additional contract-required approvals or forms.
Before you send it
- Can the reviewer tell exactly what is included and excluded?
- Does the price match the scope and attached backup?
- Is the time impact addressed without unsupported assumptions?
- Are the required notice, recipients, and authorized signers covered?
- Will the office be able to match this record to the job and billing?
Common questions
Is a change directive the same as a change order?
Not necessarily. Depending on the contract, a directive can instruct work to proceed while price or time remains unresolved; a change order records agreed terms. FieldCO calls its field records “change directives.” Whether a signed record meets your project’s change order requirements depends on the contract and the signer’s authority.
Can I write a change order after the work is done?
You can document work already performed, but late documentation does not cure missed notice or authorization requirements. Submit notices promptly and preserve contemporaneous records. For disputed work or missed deadlines, seek advice specific to your contract.
Do I need an AIA form?
Use the form your contract requires. Some projects require a particular AIA document or a GC-specific form; others accept a simpler record. FieldCO’s free form is not an AIA document and is not a substitute where a specific form is required.
Sources and contract note
This guide draws on AIA’s G701S–2017 change order instructions, which address scope, subcontract sum, time adjustments, and execution. The example above is original, not a reproduction of an AIA form.
General information, not legal advice. Your subcontract, project requirements, and applicable law control; a form or signature alone does not guarantee payment.