Change Order Memo

Describe the change in plain language. Get a formal written CO memo ready to send for approval — scope, cost, schedule impact, and a signature block.

Good at:
Turning a verbal change into a written record fast — before the GC denies it ever happened.
Not for:
Creating legally binding contract amendments or calculating bid-day costs.

Documents field changes for record and approval. Not a contract modification. Review your subcontract terms before submission.

Leave blank to use a placeholder.

Tell it like you would on the phone. What was asked, what was done, why it's outside original scope.

Paste your numbers if you have them. Leave blank and the memo will flag cost as TBD.

Field photos, marked-up plans, emails. PDF, image, Word. Up to 3 files, 10 MB each.

Formatted change order memo will appear here once the tool runs.

Get this result as a PDF

Run the tool above first — then we can email you a PDF of the result.

Questions people ask first

What does the Change Order Memo tool produce?

A formal written change order memo from a plain-language description of the change. Scope, cost impact, schedule impact, signature block — the structure a GC expects to see before approving and the structure a customer recognises as a real change order rather than a text message.

Will this hold up legally?

The memo gives you the structure courts and contracts treat as a written change order. Whether your specific contract requires additional formalities (signatures from both parties, prime-contract notice provisions, lien-waiver attachments) is contract-specific. The memo is the minimum upgrade from a text-message approval; a contract attorney should review your standard form before you adopt it firm-wide.

What if the change was already verbally approved?

Exactly the use case. The memo turns the verbal into a written record before the GC denies the approval ever happened. Send the memo within 24 hours of the verbal — speed matters more than perfection. The pattern that loses disputes is approval-by-text-with-no-follow-up-paper.

What inputs do I need?

What changed, why it changed (RFI response, field condition, GC direction), the cost impact, the schedule impact, and the parties involved. The tool fills in the boilerplate — the substance is what you bring.

Is this the same as a Pending Change Order (PCO)?

Close. The output is a written CO ready to send for approval. Whether you label it PCO, COR, or CO depends on your GC's terminology and your contract; the structure is the same. Edit the header to match the convention your GC uses.