Construction change orders and client approvals

Construction jobs evolve as work progresses, but undocumented additions create avoidable disputes. A change order should make the difference between the original agreement and revised work visible to everyone who needs to approve or deliver it.

Describe the starting agreement

Retain the accepted estimate, original drawings where applicable, exclusions, assumptions and milestone dates. Refer to that source rather than relying on memories of a conversation. Capture the document version if a plan has been revised more than once.

Record why a change is necessary

Explain whether the trigger is site conditions, an owner request, material substitution or a corrected measurement. Keep supporting photos and site notes tied to the correct job. Never mark an estimate as approved just because an internal technician recommended it.

State cost and schedule effects

Show the additional labour, materials, disposal or subcontractor costs and identify whether there is a credit for removed work. Explain how the change affects the schedule, access or dependencies. Local contract law may impose specific notice and approval requirements.

Wait for authorisation

Give the correct customer representative a clear description and time to review. Keep evidence of their response, but use appropriate signed or formal documentation where required. An emailed acceptance link may support workflow tracking without being a legally sufficient signature.

Change-order controls

• Link every change request to a specific project and original scope.
• Verify the customer has authority to approve variations.
• Record the revised value and revised milestone dates.
• Update dispatch instructions only after approval.
• Keep the accepted record and changes separately accessible.

Reconcile at invoicing

Bill the agreed work and authorised changes; do not double-charge line items already included in a base invoice. Keep status, payment and scope histories available for final closeout and post-project questions.