Features
Change Order Software for Subcontractors
Document every scope change before the work starts. Price it as line items, move it through a clear approval workflow, and let the approved amount adjust your contract value — so changed work gets billed instead of forgotten.
A verbal OK is not a change order
It happens on every job. The GC asks for something outside the original scope, your crew does it on a nod, and months later the invoice gets questioned because nothing was written down. BuildWorkPro gives that moment a process: create the change order, price it as line items, send the customer a PDF, and record the approval before the work starts.
Every change order is tied to a project and numbered automatically — CO-001, CO-002 — so there is always a record to point to. Each one carries a reason (customer request, field conditions, design change) and a status from Draft through Submitted to Approved or Rejected. Cost items can reference the line in the original bid they change, and approving a change order adjusts the project's contract value by its net amount.
Approved means billable: the approved total prefills the Change Orders Total on your next pay application. For the wider process — pricing changes, getting sign-off, protecting your margin — read our guide on construction change order management.
Key capabilities
Every change order, one list
See every change order across your projects with its CO number, project, title, reason, amount, and status. Filter by status or reason, or open the Change Orders tab inside any project.
Line-item pricing
Price each change as cost items with a change type — Add, Modify, or Remove — quantity, unit price, labor, and tax. Each line can reference the bid line it affects, and amounts roll into the change order total.
Approval workflow
Change orders move through Draft, Submitted, Approved, Rejected, and Void. A change order can't be submitted without at least one cost item, and only company admins and managers can approve, reject, or void.
Contract value adjustment
Approving a change order adjusts the project's contract value by the net amount of its cost items. Voiding an approved change order reverses the adjustment — the contract always matches what was actually approved.
Deductive change orders
Change order totals can be negative. When scope is removed, a deductive change order lowers the contract value through the same documented workflow — no side agreements.
Ready for billing
Send the change order to your customer as a PDF by email. Once approved, the total prefills the Change Orders Total on your next pay application.
How it works
Document the change
Create a change order against the project with a title, a reason — Customer Request, Field Conditions, Design Change, or Other — and a description. It starts in Draft with an automatic number like CO-001.
Price it as line items
Add cost items with a change type, quantity, unit price, labor, and tax, referencing the original bid line where relevant. The total can be positive or negative — removed scope is documented the same way as added scope.
Submit and approve
Submit the change order to move it to Submitted, and send your customer the PDF. A company admin or manager records the decision — Approve or Reject — and an approval adjusts the contract value by the net amount.
Bill it on the next pay app
When you create your next pay application, the Change Orders Total prefills from the project's approved change orders alongside the original contract sum — the changed work goes on the invoice, not into a dispute.
Full walkthrough in the docs: Creating a change order · Change order approval
Frequently asked questions
What is a change order in construction?
A change order is a written record of a change to a project’s scope and its cost impact — work added, modified, or removed after the contract was signed. Once approved, it adjusts the contract value so the changed work is billable. For subcontractors, it replaces the verbal go-ahead that too often turns into unpaid work.
How are change orders created and priced in BuildWorkPro?
You create a change order against a project with a title, a reason — Customer Request, Field Conditions, Design Change, or Other — and a description. It starts in Draft with an automatic number like CO-001, incrementing per project. Then you price it with cost items: each has a change type (Add, Modify, or Remove), a quantity, unit price, labor, and tax, and can reference the bid line it affects. The line amounts roll into the change order total.
What does the approval workflow look like?
A change order moves through five statuses: Draft, Submitted, Approved, Rejected, and Void. You cannot submit one without at least one cost item, so there is always a priced record behind every approval. Approving, rejecting, or voiding requires a company admin or manager, and approving adjusts the project’s contract value by the change order’s net amount. Voiding an approved change order reverses its effect on the contract.
How do approved change orders affect pay applications?
When you create a pay application, the Change Orders Total prefills from the project’s approved change orders, alongside the Original Contract Sum from the accepted bid. The first pay app on a project also seeds its schedule of values from pending approved change orders. Approved scope changes show up in your billing without re-entering any numbers.
Why document a scope change before doing the work?
Because a verbal OK leaves you with nothing if payment is disputed. A change order written and priced before the work starts records exactly what changed, what it costs, and what it does to the contract value. And if the change is rejected, you find out before your crew spends the hours — not after.
How much does it cost?
Change orders are included in the single BuildWorkPro plan: $79/month (or $790/year) with unlimited users, unlimited projects, and every feature. There is a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
Get paid for every scope change
Change orders are included in the $79/month flat plan — unlimited users, every feature. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
Start free trial