The bid was priced under competition. The change order is priced by one contractor, mid-project, when firing them is unthinkable. This worksheet takes any change order from "sign here" to a defensible yes, no, or not-yet, in under an hour.
Fillable PDF · instant download after checkout · run it on every change order, on every project.
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Buying more than one? The Construction Document Bundle is all three review worksheets for $225.
Not sure yet? Read the free guide first: it teaches the method; the worksheet runs it.
You supply your contract and the contractor's paperwork. The worksheet supplies the discipline.
Is this even a reviewable change order? Seven checks on the paperwork itself: written form, real price, cost breakdown, schedule impact, stated reason, notice window, and whether the work already happened. Defective paperwork goes back before you evaluate anything.
Does the contract make you pay for this at all? Every claim sorts into one of four buckets, from owner-directed changes (you owe a fair price) to contractor error dressed up as a concealed condition (you owe nothing). The bucket decides everything downstream.
The five places money hides: labor rates that drifted from the bid, unsupported material pricing, stacked overhead and profit across tiers, unit-price math, and the credit for deleted work that owners forget to ask for. Printed thresholds where honest industry norms exist.
Approve as submitted, approve with corrections, or request substantiation. Fill in the blanks, send the same day, keep the record. Silence is the one response the worksheet never allows.
A six-step script that reconciles their paperwork to the contract you both signed, the counters to the three standard pressure moves, and the lever that beats every argument: changed work does not start until the change order is signed or you have issued a written directive. Your review speed is what keeps that gate credible; the worksheet is built to run in under an hour for exactly that reason.
The Change-Order Review Worksheet is a diligence tool, not legal advice. Markup ranges and thresholds reflect customary practice for small commercial work; your signed contract always governs where it differs.
Rather have us run the review? Change-order review is core owner's representation work, and it is literally our job. Contact us →