Change Order Generator

A free change order template that does the arithmetic

Itemise what changed, and this produces the change order with the new contract sum and the revised completion date worked out. It runs in your browser — no signup, no email.

The two things a change order has to settle

Every change order answers exactly two questions, and a change order that answers only the first is the reason schedule disputes happen months later.

What does it do to the money?

Original contract sum, plus every previously approved change, plus this one. Stating all three is what lets the other side reconcile it against their own records in a few seconds rather than an afternoon.

What does it do to the time?

If the change adds days, they belong here. Time not claimed in the change order is time you have given away — signing a change order that is silent on schedule is generally taken as agreeing the change had no schedule impact.

Why deductive change orders are entered as negatives

A change order that removes scope is still a change order and still needs signing. Entering the credit as a negative keeps the arithmetic honest: the new contract sum falls, and the document shows exactly why. Splitting a change into separate "add" and "deduct" documents is how a contract sum stops matching anyone's records.

Approved, and the word that matters

A priced change order is not an approved change order. Until it is signed by both parties it is not part of the contract sum, cannot be billed on an application for payment, and will be removed from one if it appears there. If you are proceeding on a verbal instruction because the work cannot wait, get it in writing as soon as you can and keep your own record of when the instruction was given and by whom.

What it does not do

This produces one change order at a time. It does not track a change order log across a project, tie a change to the requisition that bills it, or tell you when the cumulative change on a contract has crossed a threshold that needs someone else's approval. That is the paid product.

Frequently asked

When is a change order required?

Whenever the scope of work, the contract sum, or the completion date changes and the contract requires the change to be in writing and signed.

What belongs in a change order?

A description of the change, the price and how it was built up, any schedule impact, and signatures from the parties authorized to approve it.

Is a verbal change enforceable?

Sometimes, but it is the argument nobody wants to have. Record the direction in writing while you proceed, then price it as a change order.

Does an unsigned change order bill?

No. Only approved change orders belong in the contract sum; billing an unapproved change is the fastest way to have a pay application rejected.