A change order form that gets signed.
Change orders get rejected when the reason is vague, the price has no breakdown, or the schedule impact is missing. This form covers all three, and the log tracks every change from submitted to approved against the contract amount.
- Word change order form
- Cost breakdown
- Schedule impact
- Excel CO log
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Example values are placeholders. Replace them with your own rates, units and company details.
| CO # | Description | Reason | Reference | Amount | Days | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO-001 | Add 4 floor boxes (example) | Owner request | ASI-03 | $6,850 | 0 | Approved |
| CO-002 | Reroute duct around beam (example) | Field condition | RFI-12 | $3,200 | 2 | Pending |
Files open in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, Word or Google Docs.
Five fields owners look for.
Reason
Owner request, design change or field condition. Tie it to the RFI or ASI that triggered it.
Description with references
Which sheets and spec sections change.
Cost breakdown
Labor hours, material, equipment, subs and markup, not just a total.
Contract summary
Original amount, previous changes, this change, revised amount.
Schedule impact
Days added, even when it is zero.
Change order best practices.
- Price from the same unit costs as the bid. It is easier to defend.
- Submit fast. Most contracts set a notice deadline for changes.
- Do not proceed on a verbal OK. Get written direction, even if pricing follows.
- Track pending changes. The log shows potential contract value, not just approved.
Price changes from the revision delta.
Changes usually arrive as revised sheets. RenderDraw keeps the source sheet on every row, so you can recheck the rows a revised sheet touches and price the change order from them.
- Source on every row. Each proposed quantity keeps the sheet and location it came from.
- Estimator approval before pricing. Your estimator accepts, corrects or rejects proposals; nothing is priced until it is approved.
- Addenda through the same review. Changed sheets go back through takeoff and estimator review.
- Your assemblies, your rates. Approved rows hand off to your assemblies, labor units and pricing inputs.
Change order form, answered.
What should a change order form include?
Change order number, date, contract reference, reason, a description with drawing references, a cost breakdown, the contract summary (original, previous, this change, revised), schedule impact, and signatures.
Who signs a change order?
The contractor submitting it and the party authorized under the contract to approve changes, usually the owner or the GC for subcontract changes.
How do you price a change order?
Use the same unit costs and labor rates as the original bid where possible. Show labor hours, material, equipment, subcontract costs and the contract's allowed markup.
What is the difference between a change order and a change directive?
A change order is agreed by both parties on scope, price and time. A construction change directive orders the work before price or time is agreed.
Why keep a change order log?
It shows approved and pending changes against the contract amount, so nothing is forgotten at billing or closeout.
Send one plan set. Judge the result yourself.
A focused, no-obligation evaluation on your own drawings. Your sample files remain private while we assess the request.
- Upload one representative plan set (a legible PDF set is the most reliable starting point), plus an addendum if you have one.
- RenderDraw reviews the set and the scope you want tested.
- We follow up with what was extracted, what was flagged for review, and the most useful next step.