Finding scope gaps before they cost you
Review trade quotes against the drawings and specifications to find work nobody priced, and close each scope gap before the subcontracts are awarded.
Scope clarity, change orders and T&M records
Extra work is only paid when it is recorded, noticed and priced the way the contract expects. These lessons cover the commercial records a project team keeps from the first scope review to the last change order.
What makes a change order request get approved
Write a change order request a reviewer can approve: the cause, the contract basis, evidence of the impact, an itemized price and the time impact.
Notice: why the first written message matters in a change
Give written notice of a change or delay within the time your contract sets, with the facts a notice needs, instead of waiting until the price is ready.
Writing a T&M ticket the client will sign
Write a time and material ticket on the day of the work — description, direction, labour, equipment, materials and photos — so the client signs it.
T&M records that support the price
Keep the labour, equipment, material and markup records that let a time and material ticket be priced, checked against payroll and invoices, and audited.
Verbal instructions: confirming them in writing before you proceed
Confirm a verbal site instruction in writing the same day — what was asked, by whom, and the effect on cost and time — before your crew proceeds.
A change order log that keeps the commercial picture current
Keep one change order log with every potential and approved change, its value, status and time impact, so the job's commercial picture stays current.
Delay and disruption records to keep while it is happening
Record each day of a delay or disruption as it happens — the event, the work affected, crews, lost output and notices — so the facts hold up months later.
Back charges: issuing one fairly and answering one
Issue a back charge with written notice, evidence and a real chance to correct, as your contract requires, and answer one with facts when it arrives.
Holdback and retainage basics for project teams
Explain holdback and retainage, find the rules for your job in Ontario, British Columbia or US federal work, and plan the dates and documents that release it.
