CONTRACTOR GLOSSARY · FIELD & PAPERWORK
What is a Change order?
A change order is a documented, approved change to the contract — scope, price, or schedule — signed before (ideally) the changed work is performed.
Contracts describe the job everyone expected; change orders describe the job that actually happened. Added scope, changed materials, differing conditions, owner requests — each becomes a change order stating the work and the price delta, approved by whoever holds contract authority.
The subcontractor failure mode is doing the work first and paperwork never: verbal directives performed on trust, then disputed at closeout when memories differ and leverage is gone. The working rule: no signature, no extra work — or where the schedule forces it, a signed T&M tag the same day and a change order right behind it.
Change orders can go up (additions) or down (credits), and on GC-run jobs they flow up the chain: the sub's CO to the GC, the GC's CO to the owner. A sub waiting on "the owner hasn't approved it yet" is financing the change in the meantime — which is why tracking outstanding COs is tracking your own money.
Common questions
When should a change order be signed?
Before the changed work is performed, whenever possible. If the schedule can't wait, document the directive with a same-day signed T&M tag and follow with the priced change order immediately.
What makes a change order enforceable?
Clear scope description, a stated price (or T&M basis), and approval by someone with authority under the contract — in writing. Most contracts explicitly require written change orders.
RevnuPros tracks the thing, not just the word
Permits to sign-off, T&M tags to signature, materials to billed through, retainage to released — built for subcontractors. Browse the full contractor glossary or the Massachusetts permit guide.
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