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Follow a scope change from initial capture through owner-approved change order and budget update.

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Overview

Every change to the project’s scope, cost, or schedule starts as a Change Event and ends as an approved Change Order. The workflow has four stages:
  1. Capture — create a Change Event and price the work
  2. Review — get internal and owner approval on the Change Event
  3. Convert — generate a Change Order from the approved Change Event
  4. Close — obtain owner signature and watch the budget update

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Stage 1 — Capture the Change Event

  1. Open Change Events from the project sidebar.
  2. Select Create Change Event.
  3. Enter a Title and Description that clearly identifies the scope change.
  4. Set the Type:
    • Owner-Initiated — the owner is requesting additional work
    • Field Condition — unforeseen site condition
    • Design Change — modification from the architect or engineer
    • Subcontractor PCO — subcontractor-submitted potential change order
  5. Set the Originator, Date, and any RFI or Drawing references.
  6. Add cost line items: select the Cost Code, Cost Type, quantity, and unit cost.
  7. Attach supporting documents (photos, RFIs, markup drawings).
  8. Save the Change Event. Status is now Open.
If the change involves subcontractor pricing, collect their PCO before entering cost line items. The total on the Change Event should reflect your cost-to-owner estimate, not the sub’s raw number.

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Stage 2 — Price and Internal Review

  1. Open the Change Event and review all line items.
  2. Add markup, overhead, and profit as separate line items if your contract requires it.
  3. When pricing is complete, change the status to Pending.
  4. Route internally for review. When your PM or project executive has signed off, advance to In Review.
In Review means the Change Event is ready to present to the owner. No further cost edits should happen after this point without resetting to Pending.

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Stage 3 — Owner Approval

  1. Present the Change Event to the owner (share the PDF or direct link).
  2. If the owner approves verbally or in writing, set the status to Approved.
  3. If the owner requests revisions, set to Pending, revise pricing, and re-route.
  4. If the owner declines, set to Rejected or Void.
Only Approved Change Events can be included in a Change Order.

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Stage 4 — Generate the Change Order

  1. Open Change Orders from the sidebar.
  2. Select Create Change Order.
  3. Select the Approved Change Events to bundle into this Change Order.
    • Multiple Change Events can be grouped into a single CO.
    • Each Change Event can only be used in one Change Order.
  4. Enter the CO Number, Title, Description, and Effective Date.
  5. Review the line items and total value pulled from the selected Change Events.
  6. Save as Draft.

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Stage 5 — Approve and Close the Change Order

  1. Open the Change Order draft.
  2. Select Generate PDF to produce the formatted change order with cover sheet, line items, and signature block.
  3. Send the PDF to the owner for countersignature.
  4. When signed, advance the status to Approved.
Once the Change Order is Approved:
  • The amount flows into the Approved Changes column on the budget
  • The Revised Budget updates automatically on all affected cost codes
  • The prime contract total updates on the Prime Contracts page

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Status Reference

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Common Questions

Can I create a Change Order without a Change Event? No. Change Orders must be generated from one or more Approved Change Events. This ensures every dollar in a CO is traceable to a specific scope item. Can I edit a Change Event after it’s Approved? No. Reset the status to Pending, make your edits, then re-route through In Review and back to Approved. What if the owner approves a partial amount? Split the Change Event into two: one for the approved scope and one for the disputed scope. Approve only the first, and leave the second in review. When does the budget update? The budget updates when the Change Order reaches Approved status — not when the Change Event is approved.