CHANGE ORDER DOCUMENTATION.
Most change order losses are the result of work starting before any documentation exists. A verbal direction from a superintendent, a quick email from a project manager, or a sketch on a napkin aren't change orders. Every scope change gets a written potential change order before work starts, and if the GC directs you to proceed before he approves it, you proceed under written protest.
The paperwork is the difference between a receivable and a donation. A dispute over a change order with full documentation is winnable, and a dispute without it's not. The trouble is that the documentation has to exist before the work does, because once the crew has poured the extra footing you're negotiating from weakness and the superintendent who told you to do it may be off the job. Two minutes of writing on the day it happens protects the whole number.
WHAT IT MEANS.
A potential change order, or PCO, is a written document created before extra work starts that describes the added scope, the estimated cost, the schedule impact, and the basis for the change.
HOW THE MONEY GETS GIVEN AWAY.
Work starts before documentation exists
This is the most common change order failure. The field crew responds to a GC direction, the work gets done, and the paperwork starts after the fact. By then the GC may not remember giving the direction, the superintendent who gave it may be off the project, and the documentation that supports a claim has to be rebuilt from memory. Documentation rebuilt from memory loses disputes.
You're using email as your change order system
Email threads aren't change orders. They're evidence that a conversation happened, but they don't include the pricing, the scope definition, or the formal approval that makes a change order billable. GCs regularly use a we will sort it out email chain to delay formal approval while the work gets done, then argue the pricing once the crew is gone.
You don't know what the change order is worth until it's done
Starting change order work without a price puts you on a T&M rate or in an argument about value. The time to price a change order is before the work starts, while you still have something to trade. Once the work is done, you're negotiating from weakness and the GC knows it.
THE DOCUMENTATION STANDARD.
Every scope change, regardless of size, gets a written potential change order before work starts. The PCO includes a description of the added scope, the estimated cost, the schedule impact, and the basis for the change, whether that's owner direction, a design change, or an unforeseen condition. It goes to the GC for approval.
If the GC directs the work to proceed before the PCO is approved, a written notice goes out the same day. It states that you're proceeding with the described scope per verbal direction from the individual who gave it, on the date it was given, pending formal change order approval, with the estimated cost stated in dollars.
If a GC refuses to sign a change order for work he directed, escalate in writing that day rather than after the work is complete. Document the direction, the refusal, and your intent to proceed under protest. That's the paper trail lien enforcement and dispute resolution depend on. A dispute over a change order with full documentation is winnable, and one without documentation isn't.
We track every open PCO and every approved change order in ControlQore job costing: dollar value, approval status, billing status, and collections status. When an approved change order goes unpaid past 30 days, it enters the same AR process as any other invoice, with follow-up at 30 days, escalation at 45 days, and a lien service and outside counsel at day 60 if it's still unresolved.
FLAT MONTHLY FEE. NO SURPRISES.
Three tiers, priced by your trailing twelve month revenue. Which one you're in depends on how much of the work you want off your desk. No hourly billing. No payroll. The one-time onboarding fee is right here in the table.
| Last 12 months revenue | Monthly fee | One-time onboarding |
|---|---|---|
| Under $1M | $1,900 to $3,300 | $1,000 |
| $1M to $3.5M | $2,600 to $5,300 | $1,500 |
| $3.5M to $6.5M | $3,800 to $8,300 | $3,000 |
| $6.5M to $9.5M | $5,100 to $11,800 | $4,500 |
| $9.5M to $12.5M | $6,100 to $14,900 | $6,000 |
| $12.5M to $15.5M | $7,400 to $17,650 | $7,500 |
| $15.5M to $18.5M | $9,400 to $22,400 | $9,000 |
| $18.5M+ | Quoted individually | Quoted individually |
The onboarding fee covers migrating your books back to the start of your last taxable year and getting you fully operational in 60 days. It's billed once, with your first invoice. It's the same for all three tiers. Your first month is prorated, and your monthly engagement starts on the first of the first full month.
Range reflects the three tiers below. Which one you're in depends on how much of the work you want off your desk. No payroll. No hidden line items. The onboarding fee is right here in the table.
You stop guessing.
You get the CFO work. Job costing built against the way you estimate, a 13 week cash forecast, monthly WIP, and a meeting every month that ends in decisions and never in a report.
Your bookkeeper still does the books.
Every job shows its margin while it is still open.
Everything in Core, plus the bookkeeping and bank reconciliations done for you, and the job costing and WIP software set up, loaded with your cost codes, and managed every month. Use your own online software, or move to ours and we cover it.
A bookkeeper we choose does the books and reconciliations. No payroll.
You approve, and the money side gets handled.
Everything in Strategic, plus a controller we choose who handles your bills and receivables for you the way an in-house controller would. They call vendors, pay the bills and keep the accounting current. We plan the cash flow first, and you approve every payment because it is your money.
A controller we choose does the payables and receivables. No payroll, no pay applications, no collections.
FREQUENTLY ASKED.
