Change Orders
Change Orders record scope and price changes after the original quote or contract. The simple register is the launch path. A full contract workflow (routes, stages, line items) is coming soon.
Job finances → Change Orders register
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When to use this
Use this when the agreed work changes: extras, omissions, instructed work, or a verbal Field Directive that needs a paper trail.
Do not use it to set the original price. That is Quotes. The closing position is Final Account.
Before you start
- Settings → Features has the change-order module on.
- Workspace default register: Settings → Quotes & invoices (Variation register in settings copy). Override per job on Overview → Details.
- On a phone, Change order on My Work opens the same register.
Simple vs full
| Register | Best for | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | Additions and straightforward extras | Proposal / Change Order / Field Directive create paths; Draft → Sent to client → Approved / Withdrawn; add/omit; price and time certainty; valuation methods; client PDF + public sign-off |
| Full | Formal contracts | Coming soon. Request types, stages, and multi-line pricing stay sandboxed for launch. |
The job default is the simple register. You cannot turn on the full workflow from Features yet.
New Register Item
Job finances → Change Orders → New Register Item. Choose Builder's Proposed Change Order, a received Change Order, or Field Directive Confirmation. Give it a title someone will understand in six months (not "Extra 3").
Set commercial position and send
Enter description, add/omit values, and mark price and time as fixed, estimated, indicative, no change, or not assessed. For indicative pricing, pick valuation methods (quote, contract rates, T&M, cost plus).
Status is Draft, Sent to client, Approved, or Withdrawn (plus Quote requested when the owner asks for a formal price). Send the public approval link when the client must sign. Approved proposals and Field Directive confirmations convert to an instruction on the register. Agreed values feed Final Account and can be invoiced.
The register shows pending and agreed totals against the baseline. Tie a record to a daily log entry when you can.
What done looks like
- The item is on the register with a status and commercial position.
- Approved changes feed Final Account and can be invoiced.
Common mistakes
- Logging weeks later with no date or evidence. Tie it to a daily log entry when you can. See Daily log.
- Editing the original quote instead of raising a change order.
- Treating Final Account as a second register.