At the weekly cost review, the drywall change shows $15,000 in the request log and $12,000 on an executed order. Your construction change order log needs to tell you how much amended the contract and whether anyone is still pursuing the difference. Keep a stable event ID and separate the current requested amount, the executed amount, and any portion still open.
Track a change across its documents, then add the amounts that belong in each reporting column at a stated cutoff. The Federal Highway Administration’s construction inspection checklist calls for a list of approved and pending change orders. A portfolio ledger gives each project the same reporting categories while keeping the evidence and authority for each decision with its contract.
Copyable fields for the current change and its history
Current event row. Project and contract ID [ ]; stable change ID [ ]; scope and cost code [ ]; owner-facing or supplier-facing side [ ]; original opened date [ ]; current request and revision [ ]; requested amount and currency [ ]; submitted date [ ]; status and status-since date [ ]; unresolved amount or unknown [ ]; next action, owner, and due date [ ].
Linked decision row. Project, contract, and change ID [ ]; affected scope slice [ ]; requested amount for the slice [ ]; decision type [executed / rejected / withdrawn]; signed adjustment [ ]; amount closed without execution [ ]; execution or closure date [ ]; signed order or decision reference [ ]; signed time adjustment and affected milestone [ ]; posted contract record and date [ ]. Repeat this row for a separate authorized decision on the same event. A combined order can have allocations to several events, with the order amount recorded only once for the contract tie-out.
Keep a dated history of request versions, approvals, and voids. Count the current unresolved scope once, even when a new quote replaces an old one. Keep a prior quote visible for reference and preserve any closed amount with the reason it dropped out. The construction change order template supplies the fields for documenting and supporting one request.
Keep contract changes and open exposure on separate bases
Decide what evidence moves an amount into the executed contract column. For the AIA G701 example, AIA Contract Documents describes agreement on scope and adjustments to contract sum and time. Apply your project’s required execution process. Track an internal approval awaiting a required signature as its own state if it has yet to meet that basis.
Reconcile signed owner changes to the prime contract and signed supplier changes to the affected subcontract or purchase order. Keep both sides linked to the event because the same changed work can affect what you bill and what you owe. A shared change ID gives you the relationship without turning two sides of a transaction into a single contract total.
Read the status of the linked document before treating an event-level status as a financial decision. Procore documents that voiding a change event leaves linked items unchanged. If a voided event still points to an executed order, assign the exception for review and retain the order in the contract reconciliation until an authorized correction changes it.
Reconcile and age a sample weekly ledger
Assume a November 5 cutoff and a $400,000 original prime contract. The drywall request includes $12,000 that was executed and $3,000 on a second scope slice still in review. A lift relocation is an executed deductive change (a reduction in contract value). The latest sprinkler quote replaces an earlier one, and a proposed signage change was withdrawn with no linked executed order.
| Change | Requested basis | Executed adjustment | Unresolved amount | Current action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drywall extension | $15,000 | +$12,000 | $3,000 | Resolve the remaining scope in review since October 27 |
| Lift relocation | −$2,000 credit | −$2,000 | $0 | Match executed credit to the contract record |
| Sprinkler head relocation | $4,500 current, replaces $5,000 | $0 | $4,500 | Get response on the current quote, in review since November 2 |
| Withdrawn signage request | $800 historical | $0 | $0 | Preserve withdrawal evidence and close |
The log shows a $10,000 net executed increase and a $410,000 revised contract sum. Open priced exposure totals $7,500. If the contract system shows $412,000, use the $2,000 difference to investigate whether the lift credit has posted. Keep the signed record and posting discrepancy visible until someone checks the transaction reference.
Using elapsed calendar days from the start of the current review, drywall has aged nine days and the sprinkler quote three. Record the original opened date as well so moving a request back into review does not hide how long the event has been unresolved. If the $3,000 drywall balance had been closed by agreement instead, the amount would drop out of open exposure and the decision would stay in history.
Where Permute fits in the change review
Permute sells connected business data, custom applications, and governed analysis. We can match permitted change registers, executed order references, and accounting exports by project and contract. Keep each source identifier and leave unmatched orders visible for review.
We can reuse your reporting definitions for executed adjustments, open exposure, and review aging at each cutoff. A project controls lead can publish a consistent weekly review and open the decision and posting records behind a variance, within their access permissions.
Compare the change ledger with posted contract balances
Start with permitted exports and the identifiers your team already uses to match orders.
Keep authorization in the contract workflow
We read from connected systems and leave authorization, signature, and posting with your designated workflows. The ledger records the evidence at its cutoff. If a source changes afterward, preserve the dated snapshot and reconcile the update in the next review. For the tools that produce the field tickets and approval records, see construction change order software.
Close the weekly review with named exceptions
Flag unsigned documents marked executed, missing source IDs, discrepancies against contract totals, and aged rows with no next owner. Include a separate count of unpriced events so the $7,500 priced example could never be read as the full exposure when estimates are missing. Summarize by project, contract side, and currency so unlike amounts stay distinguishable.
Use the log to explain the executed contract balance and the work that still needs a decision. Carry the drywall event as $12,000 executed and $3,000 in review, with each amount linked to the scope it represents. Reconcile signed orders to posted contract changes at the same cutoff. Give the remaining exceptions a due date and a person who can resolve them.
Review where change records disagree
Bring a redacted ledger and contract balance report to discuss which records should support each total.
Questions about reporting changes across projects
Should the log age an event from opening or submission?
Keep the opened and submitted dates plus the date the current state began. Label the resulting age for the review it supports, such as days in current review or total elapsed age.
How should I record an executed change with no price adjustment?
Carry the executed reference and affected milestone with the authorized time adjustment. Show zero in the price column when the record confirms zero so the row remains distinct from an unpriced request.
What if one signed order settles several events?
Store the order reference once in the contract tie-out and link the event allocations to it. Confirm that the signed allocations add back to the order total before using the event-level rollup.