Contractor Change Order Form
A practical form for recording changed scope, labor and material costs, schedule impact, and the client action needed before changed work continues.
When to use this form
Use this form when a client request, field condition, material substitution, or scope clarification changes the work a contractor expected to perform.
It is meant to organize the operational details before work continues: what changed, why it changed, what it costs, how the schedule is affected, and what client action is required.
Required form fields
- Project name, client name, job address, contractor contact, form date, and change order number.
- Original scope item, requested change, reason for change, and exclusions or assumptions.
- Labor, material, equipment, subcontractor, markup, tax if applicable to your workflow, and total price impact.
- Schedule impact, added working days, lead-time notes, and revised milestone or completion date.
- Client action required before the change is treated as approved.
Printable contractor change order form
Print this form artifact or copy the fields into your own contractor paperwork.
Project and client
Scope change
Price impact
Schedule impact
Client action
Approval boundary
A form is not an approval record. Approval requires explicit client action before the change is treated as approved.
Filled example
- Project
- Bathroom remodel at 720 Mason Street for the Patel residence.
- Changed scope
- Replace the standard vanity light with two owner-selected wall sconces and add blocking, wiring adjustment, and drywall patching at both fixture locations.
- Reason
- Client selected a different fixture layout after wall framing was complete and before electrical trim-out.
- Price impact
- $740 added for electrical labor, blocking, drywall patch materials, fixture mounting, cleanup, and contractor markup.
- Schedule impact
- Adds one working day and moves paint touchups after sconce rough-in is complete.
- Client action
- Changed work does not continue until the client takes the stated approval action.
Pricing and schedule notes
- Break out labor and materials so the client can see what changed instead of seeing only a lump sum.
- Include assumptions, exclusions, and lead-time notes when they affect price or timing.
- State whether the change adds working days, changes a milestone, or moves the expected completion date.
- Keep pricing notes operational. This form does not finalize payment, invoicing, bookkeeping, or accounting records.
How StackQuotes supports the workflow
StackQuotes helps contractors organize job scope, pricing notes, schedule impact, and client-facing change-order artifacts in one workflow.
The software can help generate a change-order artifact, but it does not turn a form, draft, note, or conversation into approval.
Approval boundary
A form is not an approval record. Approval requires explicit client action before the change is treated as approved.
Use this form to prepare the artifact and keep the details clear, then rely only on the separate client action that records approval.
Common mistakes this form helps avoid
- Leaving the original scope item unclear.
- Recording a change without the reason for the change.
- Combining labor, materials, and markup without enough detail for review.
- Forgetting schedule impact or material lead-time notes.
- Treating a filled form, email, text message, or conversation as approval without explicit client action.
FAQ
Is this contractor change order form legal advice?
No. This is an operational form for organizing change-order details. It is not legal advice and does not replace project-specific review.
Is a completed form the same as approval?
No. A completed form is not an approval record. Approval requires explicit client action before the change is treated as approved.
What should I include in the price section?
Include labor, materials, equipment, subcontractor costs, markup or overhead, assumptions, exclusions, and the total price change.
What schedule detail should the form capture?
Capture added working days, lead-time impact, revised milestone dates, revised completion date, and any schedule assumptions.
How does this differ from the change order template?
This page provides a form-style artifact for field and office use. The construction change order template page gives a broader template structure for preparing a complete change-order artifact.