Change orders are commonly used construction when there is a modification in the initially agreed-upon scope between a Homeowner/Client and a Builder/Contractor. A change order document serves as an amendment to the original contract, addressing additional work, substitutions, adjustments, or any other variations to the initial agreement.
Table of Contents:
- Starting a Change Order
- View the Pending Changes & Start the Change Order
- Creating a Change Order
- Edit & Review the Change Order Document
- Release the Change Order for Homeowner Approval
- Approve a Change Order (Alternate Option)
- Viewing an Existing Change Order
1. Starting a Change Order
To start a change order, edit any portion of the estimate. For this example, let's start by editing the unit cost for the portable toilet.
Note: Before you start the process of making a change order, the estimate must be locked to create a change order. To lock an estimate, click on the lock icon located in the top right of the page. If you would like further information about locking estimates, navigate to Locking/Unlocking the Estimate.
2. View the Pending Changes & Start the Change Order
Once the changes are made in the estimate, you will notice the cost items that were changed are highlighted yellow and have a "Pending" tag. A change order can be started by clinking "Begin change order".
3. Create the Change Order
Select the cost items you would like to include in the Change Order and click "Continue".
4. Edit & Review the Change Order Document
5. Release the Change Order for Homeowner Approval
At the top right of the screen, click the "Release" button, followed by the "Confirm" button. The change order is now awaiting a decision from the Homeowner.
Note: A Homeowner will need to be invited to the Ressio platform for them to receive notification that their approval is needed. To invite a Homeowner, navigate to the "Adding a Homeowner" help document.
For more information on what happens once the change order is released to a Homeowner, check out the knowledge base document for Homeowners - Viewing & Approving a Change Order [A Homeowners View].
6. Approve a Change Order (Alternate Option)
If desired, a change order can be approved without sending the change order document for Homeowner approval. Instead of clicking "Release", click "Approve" and enter any notes that go along with this approval.
Note: All approvals (whether Homeowner approved, or Builder approved are viewable my Homeowners & Builders. The "Approve" button should only be used in the event the Homeowner has already provided their approval on the change(s) captured in the change order document
7. Viewing an Existing Change Order
All approval documents can be viewed in the "Approvals" page. To view a list of all the change orders, click on the "Change Orders" tab. You can now see a list of all the change orders and their current status.
Note: Budget impact from change orders is captured in the change order document & in the "Budget" page. More information can be found on this in the "Actual vs Revised Budget" help document.
