Your crew is on site, and someone asks for work beyond the priced scope. Write down what changes, how it affects price and schedule, and who can approve it. AIA’s subcontract change-order instructions describe a document that records the agreed change between contractor and sub, including scope, subcontract sum, and time.
Do not rely on “the super said OK.” Follow the change process in your agreement. If the request must proceed before full agreement, ask your company contact and attorney what the contract requires for direction, notice, and pricing records.
What a change order needs to state
AIA’s G701S instructions call for a detailed change description, supporting exhibits where needed, cost adjustments, and time adjustments. They also describe signatures by the contractor and subcontractor. That is an example of documented agreement, not a form requirement for every residential job.
Use the following worksheet to prepare your own change proposal. Follow the actual contract’s required form and approval procedure.
Scroll to read all columns.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Identification | Job, lot, subcontract, and change reference |
| Original scope | The included work the request changes |
| Added or deleted scope | Locations, quantities, details, and exclusions |
| Basis | Revised plan, owner selection, field condition, or other documented request |
| Price | Proposed price change and how you calculated it |
| Time | Proposed effect on your work and affected handoffs |
| Dependencies | Materials, access, approvals, or preceding work needed |
| Authorization | Parties and approvals required by the agreement |
Include a credit when scope is deleted rather than describing only additions. Identify costs or commitments already made and ask how the proposed credit treats them. Keep the original proposal and later revisions so unresolved issues stay on record.
Check who can approve changes
Check the contract for who can approve changes. Ask the builder to identify the current authorized contact and backup. Give that information to the crew lead before work begins.
A request from a homeowner, designer, or site worker should go through the agreed channel. Ask your company contact whether that person can approve the change. The person pointing to a wall may not have authority to approve payment for extra work.
Give the crew a clear rule: identify the request, notify the office, and obtain direction through the required process. Tell the crew which existing work can continue while the change is reviewed. Do not make the crew negotiate contract language beside an open trench.
Check what a text approves
Avoid the blanket claim that a text message can never matter legally. North Carolina’s G.S. 66-317 says a record or signature cannot be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic. The statute also recognizes electronic records and signatures subject to its provisions.
That does not mean every text is a complete, authorized change order. G.S. 66-315 addresses agreement to transact electronically and the relationship to other applicable law. Ask the attorney how those provisions and your contract apply to the messages you received.
“Go ahead” leaves questions if it does not identify the scope, price, timing, and approver. Save the entire conversation. Ask for the missing terms through the approved process. Do not select one favorable message and discard the surrounding disagreement.
Follow up on a verbal request too. Write down what was requested and send a proposal or confirmation through the contractual channel. Ask the responsible party to respond. Do not mark your recap as an approved agreement without the required acceptance.
Record the field request while it is fresh
Record the location and how the request differs from the base scope. Reference the drawing or detail revision if one exists. Photograph the relevant condition where permitted, without exposing private household or contact information.
Describe what the crew would do differently. A note saying “extra framing” is less useful than identifying the affected opening and requested revision. Attach a marked detail or scope description if the contract process allows it.
Keep proposed and approved work separate in your log. Mark pending prices, disputed schedule changes, and instructions awaiting company confirmation. Assign one person to follow up so the proposal does not disappear between the crew, estimator, and project manager.
Price the whole change you are proposing
Build the proposed price from the actual scope and commitments. Consider added and deleted labor, material, equipment, procurement, and repeat visits as applicable. Check any markup or pricing method against the subcontract. Have the contracting parties and attorney resolve disputed pricing or entitlement.
Ask whether the request changes an already placed order. Identify return or cancellation questions with the supplier before assuming a credit is available. Keep the supplier’s confirmed response with the proposal.
State the schedule effect even when you propose no change in time. Record the crew date, material dependency, and affected handoff. Ask who will update the broader schedule. State any requested extension separately from the price change.
Follow the contract for urgent extra work
Contact the designated company representative and identify the contract procedure for work directed before full price agreement. Have the attorney review unclear directive or notice language before setting a crew procedure.
Keep records required by that procedure. Identify the direction, scope, dates, labor and material records, and unresolved price or time terms. Ask who confirms the records and when the parties will reconcile them. Do not assume a daily ticket alone changes the subcontract sum.
If a safety concern is present, follow the site’s safety and emergency procedures first. Separate immediate protection from authorization for permanent changed work. Refer unresolved engineering, permitting, or code questions to the responsible professional and jurisdiction.
Connect approval to billing and the next handoff
After the required approval, save the executed change with the subcontract. Update the scope record, price reconciliation, and work schedule through your company’s process. Tell the crew which version is approved.
Compare the invoice checklist with the agreement’s approval terms when deciding how to record the approved change.
Identify the change in the payment request so the office can match it to the approval. AIA distinguishes subcontract modifications from prime-contract changes in its A401 summary.
Track billing, acceptance, and payment separately. Keep an unresolved proposal out of the approved-total column. If the GC rejects part of the request, record which part and obtain its explanation.
Before the next trade starts, communicate the approved detail and any readiness condition. Check that old drawings are not still driving the work. Keep the request, approval, and bill together. Mark any unresolved disagreements.
Keep the billing reference and receipt in your accounting record. The IRS explains the purpose of business records in its recordkeeping guidance.
Keep sensitive records private
Keep payroll and banking backup private. Give the crew only the approved scope and schedule. FTC document handling.
For year-end reporting after the payment records are reconciled, follow the subcontractor 1099 workflow.
Where Cercha fits
Cercha Messages lets you start a direct conversation with another member. Profiles and portfolios help you understand the work that person presents. Agree on change authority and approvals through the contracting business’s documented process.