A construction change order should state, in writing, exactly what work changes, how the contract price changes, and how the contract time changes. Start with the project and original contract, describe every added, revised, or deleted item, identify the affected drawings and specifications, attach the proposal and supporting records, show the price adjustment and revised contract sum, state any schedule adjustment and new milestone or completion date, and obtain every approval and signature required by the contract.
The signed agreement and applicable law control the required fields. AIA forms are useful examples, not universal rules. Before treating changed work as authorized, follow the contract’s notice, pricing, and approval procedure; otherwise, the parties can disagree about scope, payment, or entitlement to extra time.
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What a change order is
A change order is a written modification to an existing construction contract. It records an agreed alteration to the work and the resulting adjustment to money, time, or both. The document should be understandable to someone who was not in the room when the change was negotiated, including a future owner, auditor, lender, claims consultant, or court.
The exact document name and required signatures vary by contract, project delivery method, jurisdiction, and authority structure. Some agreements use a prescribed form; others require a written amendment, supplemental agreement, or electronic workflow. Read the change clause, notice clause, pricing provisions, and signature-authority provisions before drafting.
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The three elements in the AIA definition
AIA’s A201-2017 definition, reproduced in an AIA Contract Documents article, describes a change order as:
“A written instrument prepared by the Architect and signed by the Owner, Contractor, and Architect stating their agreement upon all of the following: 1) the change in the Work; 2) the amount of the adjustment, if any, in the Contract Sum; and 3) the extent of the adjustment, if any, in the Contract Time.”
That wording is a useful test for completeness: a document that identifies only the revised work but omits the price or time effect leaves a material contract term unresolved.
Start with the project and original contract
Put identifying information at the top of the form so the change cannot be confused with another job or a previous revision. Use the project’s own numbering convention and preserve the numbering in the change log.
- Project name and site address.
- Owner, contractor, and other parties named in the agreement.
- Original contract number or identifier and contract date.
- Change-order number, revision number if applicable, and issue date.
- The original contract sum or guaranteed maximum price (GMP), when the form calls for it.
If the change relates to a particular bid package, phase, or subcontract, identify that scope as well. A precise header prevents a later reviewer from applying the price or schedule adjustment to the wrong agreement.
Explain who requested the change and why
Identify the requesting party and give a concise factual reason. Examples include an owner-directed design revision, a code-required modification, an unforeseen site condition, a coordination correction, or a requested material substitution. The reason should provide context without replacing the operative scope description.
Record the relevant request date, meeting minute, request-for-information number, architect’s supplemental instruction, field report, or other originating record when one exists. Do not imply that a request itself authorized the work; authorization depends on the contract’s procedure and the required approval.
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Describe the changed work in enough detail to price and build it
The scope section is the heart of the change order. Write it so a third party can determine what is added, revised, deleted, and left unchanged.
Separate additions, revisions, and deletions
- Added work: list new labor, materials, equipment, testing, permits, protection, and restoration included in the change.
- Revised work: describe the original requirement and the replacement requirement, including quantities, locations, performance criteria, and finish or quality level.
- Deleted work: identify the base-contract item being removed and the credit or other treatment associated with it.
- Exclusions: state work that is specifically not included so that a price is not mistaken for a promise to perform adjacent tasks.
- Interfaces: identify tie-ins with existing construction, separate trades, owner-furnished items, utilities, access, testing, commissioning, and protection of completed work.
Use measurable descriptions where possible: room or grid location, drawing detail, specification section, quantity, unit, material, and required performance. If the change affects only part of a drawing or specification, identify the exact portion instead of saying “revise plans.”
State what remains in the base scope
Ambiguity often arises at the boundary between changed and unchanged work. Say whether demolition, patching, temporary protection, layout, cleanup, disposal, inspections, startup, and closeout remain included in the original contract. If another contractor or the owner performs an interface task, identify that responsibility and the dependency.
Reference contract documents and attach the supporting record
Cross-reference every document needed to understand the change. AIA guidance recommends referencing affected contract documents and design documents and listing each attachment with its date.
- Drawing number, revision or bulletin identifier, and date.
- Specification section and revision date.
- Relevant article, section, exhibit, allowance, or schedule line in the original contract.
- Architect’s instruction, request for information, field report, code comment, or owner directive.
- Contractor’s proposal, estimate, quotation, takeoff, schedule analysis, and assumptions, each with its date.
- Photographs, test results, survey information, or other records that establish the condition giving rise to the change.
Use an attachment index in the change order itself. If an attachment is revised, identify the superseded version and the version that controls. The operative document should also say whether an attachment is incorporated into the contract or provided for background only.
Show the price adjustment and revised contract sum
State the pricing basis permitted by the contract and show the arithmetic from the prior contract value to the new value. A complete price section normally includes:
| Price item | What to record |
|---|---|
| Prior contract sum or GMP | The amount in effect immediately before this change. |
| Change amount | An increase, decrease, or zero-dollar adjustment, with a clear sign and description of the work producing it. |
| Pricing basis | Fixed amount, agreed unit prices with quantities, time-and-materials rules, allowance adjustment, or another method authorized by the contract. |
| Contractual markups and adjustments | Overhead, profit, insurance, bonds, taxes, allowances, or other components only as the contract permits, applied consistently. |
| Revised contract sum or GMP | The prior amount plus or minus the agreed adjustment. |
Show credits as well as additions. If a deletion offsets new work, identify both amounts instead of presenting only the net figure. For unit-price work, state the unit, estimated quantity, unit rate, and how final measured quantities will be reconciled. For a time-and-materials change, identify the labor, equipment, material, documentation, and markup rules that apply.
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Check whether the contract requires a breakdown by trade, labor classification, material, equipment, subcontractor quote, or cost code. A proposal can be attached as backup, but the signed change order should still state the agreed adjustment and revised contract sum rather than incorporating an unpriced estimate by reference.
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A change order should state whether contract time changes and, if so, by how much. Include the contract’s defined measure, such as calendar days, working days, or a milestone date.
- Number of days added or deducted.
- Original milestone or substantial-completion date.
- Adjusted milestone or substantial-completion date.
- Any required sequencing, access, shutdown, procurement, or owner-decision assumptions.
- Whether the adjustment is limited to the identified milestone or affects interim milestones and final completion.
If the change has no time effect, say so expressly rather than leaving the field blank. If the effect cannot yet be determined under the contract, use the mechanism the agreement provides for preserving and evaluating the time claim; do not label an unresolved estimate as a final extension.
Obtain the required approvals and signatures
List each approval required by the agreement and identify the signer’s authority. The AIA G701-2017 instructions describe a form implemented by the owner and contractor in concurrence with the architect and capture the prior sum, adjustment, adjusted sum, contract-time change, and adjusted substantial-completion date. That signature pattern applies to the AIA form’s contractual context, not automatically to every project.
- Owner or owner’s authorized representative.
- Contractor or contractor’s authorized representative.
- Architect, engineer, construction manager, or design professional when the contract requires concurrence.
- Lender, public agency, board, or other approving body when the agreement or funding rules require it.
- Subcontractor or supplier acknowledgment when pass-through approval is part of the prime contract’s process.
Include signature, printed name, title, date, and any electronic-signature identification required by the contract. Confirm that the person signing has authority for the amount and type of change. If owner approval is a prerequisite to issuance, document that approval before directing the contractor to proceed.
Follow notice and authorization procedures before work starts
A change order is not a substitute for the contract’s notice process. Check deadlines for written notice, pricing submissions, requests for direction, differing-site-condition notices, and claims. Deliver the notice through the method the contract recognizes and keep proof of delivery.
- Identify the potential change and review the contract clauses governing notice, pricing, time, and authority.
- Issue the required notice or request for direction, preserving the date and supporting facts.
- Develop the scope, price, and schedule proposal with assumptions and backup.
- Negotiate or verify the adjustment with the parties and design professional where required.
- Prepare the change order, index its attachments, and confirm the arithmetic and dates.
- Obtain all required approvals and signatures.
- Distribute the executed document and update project controls before treating the changed work as contractually settled.
Urgent work may require a different contractual instrument. Do not rely on a field conversation, email, or meeting minute as a final change order unless the agreement recognizes that form of authorization.
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Change order versus change directive
An agreed change order and a directed change are not interchangeable. AIA’s G714-2017 instructions describe a construction change directive as a mechanism for directing a change when the parties have not agreed on the cost or time adjustment. It allows the project to address the work while the adjustment is determined under the contract’s process.
| Feature | Agreed change order | Change directive |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | States the agreed added, revised, or deleted work. | Directs the work under the contract’s directive mechanism. |
| Price and time | Records the agreed adjustment and revised contract values or dates. | Allows work to proceed before final agreement on the adjustment, with valuation handled as the contract provides. |
| Approval | Signed by the parties and other required approvers. | Issued by the person or entity authorized to direct changes, followed by the required pricing and documentation process. |
| Use | When scope and its cost/time effects have been agreed. | When prompt direction is needed but cost or time remains unresolved. |
The project’s own contract controls whether a directive is available, who may issue it, and how the eventual adjustment is calculated. Calling an unresolved directive a “change order” can create confusion about whether price and time were accepted.
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For U.S. federal contracts, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 43 generally provides a changes clause allowing contracting officers to make unilateral changes in designated areas within the general scope of the contract. Only a contracting officer acting within delegated authority may execute a federal contract modification.
FAR distinguishes non-forward-priced change orders, where the change order is followed by a supplemental agreement reflecting the eventual equitable adjustment, from adjustments agreed in advance. Those procedures are specific to federal procurement and should not be presented as a universal private-project rule. A federal contractor should follow the applicable FAR clause, agency procedures, and contract officer’s written direction.
Distribute the executed change and update project records
After signature, send the complete package—not just the first page—to every party entitled to receive it. Retain the signed change order and the dated attachments in the contract file.
- Update the change log with number, date, status, amount, and time effect.
- Update the cost forecast, commitment report, GMP or contract-sum ledger, and contingency tracking as appropriate.
- Update the baseline schedule, affected activities, milestones, and completion date.
- Notify estimating, project management, site supervision, accounting, and affected subcontractors of the operative scope.
- Link pay applications, purchase orders, subcontracts, field directives, and closeout records to the change number.
Record whether the change is fully executed, pending pricing, pending approval, or superseded. A clear status prevents a pending proposal from being mistaken for an approved contract modification.
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“Per discussion” scope language
Replace shorthand with a measurable description and document references. A later reviewer should not need to reconstruct the agreement from memory.
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A net price with no backup
Show additions, deletions, quantities, rates, markups, taxes, allowances, and the resulting revised sum according to the contract’s pricing rules.
A price change with no schedule decision
State the added or deducted days and adjusted milestone, or expressly state that the change has no time effect under the contract.
Unsigned work treated as approved
Check the authorization clause and obtain the required signature or written directive. A contractor’s performance alone does not establish that every contract treats the work as an agreed change.
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Attachments that cannot be identified later
List each attachment’s title, revision or proposal number, and date. Keep the exact version that was part of the executed package.
Using the wrong mechanism
If cost or time is unresolved, determine whether the contract provides a change directive or another interim process. Do not use an agreed-change form to disguise an unresolved adjustment.
Practical pre-signature checklist
- The project, site, original contract, change number, and date are correct.
- The requester and reason are identified without treating the request as authorization.
- Added, revised, deleted, excluded, and interface work are separately described.
- Affected drawings, specifications, contract sections, and dated attachments are listed.
- The proposal and supporting cost and schedule records are attached or clearly referenced.
- The pricing basis follows the contract and shows increases, credits, markups, taxes, and allowances as applicable.
- The prior contract sum or GMP, change amount, and revised sum are shown.
- Added or deducted days, milestone effects, and adjusted completion date are stated.
- Required notices were timely and delivered through the contract’s stated method.
- Every required approver has authority and has signed and dated the document.
- The executed package will be distributed and entered in the change, cost, and schedule records.
Use this checklist as a drafting aid, then reconcile it with the signed agreement and the law governing the project. AIA forms illustrate a disciplined way to record scope, money, time, documents, and concurrence; they do not replace project-specific contract review or legal advice.
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