Project Delivery
Change Order
A written, priced amendment to contracted scope, schedule, or cost — the formal mechanism for anything not in the original agreement.
Change orders are normal on construction projects; verbal ones are the problem. Written and approved before work proceeds, they protect both sides, and they capture schedule impact as well as cost — the part most often omitted and most often disputed later.
Frequent change orders usually indicate an under-specified scope rather than a difficult client. Investing in a detailed scope and a coordinated design is the cheapest way to reduce them.
Related terms
- Scope of Work
- The document defining exactly what is included, excluded, and assumed on a project — deliverables, quantities, responsibilities, and acceptance criteria.
- Punch List
- The itemised list of incomplete or defective work identified at walkthrough that must be corrected before final acceptance and payment.
- Submittal
- Documentation — product data, shop drawings, samples — submitted to the architect or engineer for approval before equipment is ordered or installed.
More Project Delivery terms
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