A change order is a formal, priced change to the items on a construction project. It records which items change, by how much, and how the change affects the project's total value and end date, then routes the document for signature to the parties who approve it.
Oversite handles change orders as a three-party process between the Contractor, the CEI (the managing engineering and inspection firm), and the project Owner. A change order can adjust the quantity or price of items already on the project, add brand-new items, and shift the project's construction timeline. Its changes take effect on the project only after it is approved.
To build a change order, see Creating a Change Order. To route one for signature and approve it, see Routing and Approving a Change Order.
Who can work with change orders
What you can do with a change order depends on your company's role on the project and your user role in Oversite.
Action | Contractor | CEI / Agency | Owner |
View change orders | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Request a change order | Yes | Yes | No |
Create a change order | No | Yes | No |
Edit a draft change order | No | Yes | No |
Promote or reject a request | No | Yes | No |
Send for signature | No | Yes | No |
Sign as contractor | Yes | No | No |
Sign as owner | No | No | Yes |
Approve a change order | No | Yes | No |
Delete a draft change order | No | Yes | No |
Export (PDF or CSV) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Within a CEI or agency company, creating, editing, and deleting change orders is limited to manager roles: Administrator, Super Admin, and Project Manager. The Inspector role does not see the Change Orders menu. Administrators and Project Managers see all of the company's change orders. Other users see only the change orders tied to them.
How to find your change orders
In the left sidebar, click Change Orders to open the All Change Orders list, which shows change orders across your projects.
To work within one project, open the project and click Change Orders in the project's navigation.
Click any change order in the list to open it. Contractors open the Review screen. Other users open a read-only Preview.
Note: The Change Orders menu is not available to the Inspector role.
What the change order list shows
The All Change Orders list has these columns:
Project: the project the change order belongs to, shown in the company-wide and group views
#: the change order's name, or its number if it has no name
Ball in Court: who currently needs to act, highlighted when it is your turn
Type: the change order type
Summary: the short summary
Amount: the net dollar effect on the project
Activity: recent activity on the change order
Created Date: when the change order was created
Status: the current status
To search, type in the Search box at the top of the list. Results filter as you type.
To filter by status, use the tabs above the table: All, Draft, Pending Approval, Approved, and Archived. The list starts on All.
To sort, click a column header such as Created Date or Amount.
What each change order status means
A change order moves through a series of statuses as each party acts. The Status and the Ball in Court together tell you where the document is and whose turn it is.
Status | What it means | Who acts next |
Requested | A contractor has proposed a change order for the CEI to review | CEI |
Draft | A working change order the CEI is still preparing | CEI |
Sent to Contractor | The change order is waiting for the contractor's signature | Contractor |
Contractor Signed | The contractor has signed | CEI |
Sent to Owner | The change order is waiting for the owner's signature | Owner |
Owner Signed | The owner has signed | CEI |
Completed | The change order is approved and its changes are applied to the project | No one (view only) |
Declined | A contractor or owner declined the change order and gave a reason | CEI |
Archived | A rejected request, or a change order that has been archived | No one (view only) |
Every change order shows a Ball in Court pill for who needs to act next: the CEI, the contractor, or the owner. When the ball is in your court, the pill is highlighted.
How to export change orders
You can export change orders for reporting, meetings, or records. Contractors, CEI and agency users, and owners can all export.
To export the whole list:
Open the All Change Orders list.
Click Export.
Choose Export PDF Overview or Export CSV Overview.
Open a CSV export in Excel or another spreadsheet application.
To export a single change order:
Open the change order.
In the action bar, click PDF to download the document, or CSV where available.
A change order PDF includes the project information, the item and timeline changes, and the captured signatures.
When Oversite sends change order emails
Oversite emails the relevant party at each hand-off:
When a contractor requests a change order, the CEI is notified.
When the CEI sends a change order to the contractor, the contractor is notified.
When the CEI sends a change order to the owner, the owner is notified.
When the CEI approves a change order, the CEI, contractor, and owner are all notified.
Signing, declining, promoting, and rejecting do not send emails. When someone declines, the CEI sees the reason on the change order's approval trail.
Troubleshooting
I cannot see the Change Orders menu
The Inspector role does not have access to change orders. Contact your administrator if you believe you should have access.
A change order is read-only when I open it
It is not your turn. Check the Ball in Court pill to see who needs to act. A change order is editable or signable only by the party whose court the ball is in.
Frequently asked questions
Who can create a change order?
CEI and agency users with a manager role create working change orders. Contractors cannot create one, but they can submit a request for the CEI to review.
What happens when a change order is approved?
Its item and timeline changes are applied to the project, the adjusted end date is locked in, the status becomes Completed, and the CEI, contractor, and owner all receive a confirmation email.
Can I use change orders on a mobile device?
Yes. Change orders work in a mobile web browser, and the description field supports voice-to-text entry.