MyBuildTracks
FREE TEMPLATE

Free Construction Change Order Template

Unpriced, unsigned changes are where margin disappears. This free change order template captures the scope, the cost breakdown and the client’s signature — so extra work gets paid and the contract sum stays accurate.

Download the free template

Free — pick your format.

Google Docs Word PDF

Free to download and use — or build and share it live in MyBuildTracks, no spreadsheet required.

WHAT TO INCLUDE

What goes on the template

Change order number

A sequential ID tied to the project for a clean contract record.

Project & date

The job and the date the change was raised.

Description & reason

What’s changing and why — owner request, unforeseen condition, design revision.

Cost breakdown

Labor, material, equipment and markup, so the price is defensible.

Schedule impact

Added or recovered days — the impact people forget to capture.

Original vs revised contract sum

The running effect on the contract value, updated with each CO.

Approval signatures

Owner and contractor sign-off — the field that makes it enforceable.

HOW TO USE IT

Fill it out right

  1. 1

    Document the change and its reason before any work starts.

  2. 2

    Price it properly: labor, material, equipment and markup — not a round guess.

  3. 3

    State the schedule impact in days, up or down.

  4. 4

    Get written owner sign-off before proceeding — verbal approvals don’t get paid.

  5. 5

    Update the revised contract sum so the running total stays accurate.

AVOID THESE

Common mistakes

  • Doing the work on a verbal "go ahead" and chasing the paperwork later.
  • No schedule-impact line, so time is given away for free.
  • A single lump sum with no cost breakdown to defend.
  • Not updating the contract sum, so nobody knows the real number.

Send change orders for client sign-off, digitally

MyBuildTracks lets you build a change order, send it to the client for a documented decision, and roll the approved amount into the project budget automatically. Free for your first two projects.

Read the guide
Guide: Construction change orders
TEMPLATE FAQ

Questions, answered

What to include, how to use it, and the mistakes to avoid.

A change order is a written amendment to the contract that documents a change in scope, its cost and its schedule impact, signed by the owner and contractor. It’s how extra work gets authorized and paid.

A number, project and date, a description and reason, a labor/material/markup cost breakdown, the schedule impact, the original vs revised contract sum, and owner + contractor signatures. The template covers all of these.

Because a verbal approval is nearly impossible to collect on. Written, signed authorization before work starts is what turns extra scope into paid work instead of a dispute.

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