How to review a change order request: a practical checklist
Math, markups, contract caps, rates, quantities: what to check in every change order request.
Why change orders deserve a structured review
Change order requests are where small errors become real money: a quantity that doesn't match the takeoff, a markup applied on top of another markup, a fee charged on sales tax, or a labor rate well above what was approved last month. Most of these aren't intentional, but they add up across dozens of change orders.
The checklist
- Math: quantity × rate for every line, section totals, subtotal and the requested total.
- Markups: are the percentages within the contract limits, and are they applied to the right base (not on top of other markups, not on tax unless the contract allows it)?
- Contract terms: combined overhead and profit caps, markup limits on subcontractor tiers, notice and submission deadlines.
- Labor: rates by trade, overtime multipliers (normally 1.5× or 2×), and whether the hours match the scope.
- Quantities: compare against the takeoff, drawings or the original estimate.
- Assumptions: productivity, crew size, durations, escalation claims and scope already covered elsewhere.
- Backup: are quotes, timesheets and invoices attached for the major items?
How DocuFinds handles it
Open any change order and click Check against benchmarks. DocuFinds copies the numbers off the page, does every calculation itself, and compares each line in a fixed order: your own approved rates, the project's contract (with the clause and page cited), your history of approved change orders, built-in benchmarks (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data by trade and state, producer price indexes for materials, and common markup norms), and, for lines nothing else covers, web research with cited sources. Lines with no grounded benchmark are marked as such rather than guessed.
The COR pushback skill goes further: you point it at the documents it may check, such as a takeoff, drawings or quotes, and it returns flags with quotes from both sides. You check the ones you agree with, and it drafts a pushback letter from those flags only, with citations, ready to edit and send.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check first in a change order request?
Start with the math and the markups: recompute every line and total, then confirm each percentage is within the contract limits and applied to the right base. These catch the most common errors quickly.
Can a contractor charge markup on sales tax?
It depends on the contract. Many contracts apply markup to cost only. DocuFinds shows whether a fee was calculated on the cost alone or on the cost plus tax, so you can check it against your terms.
How do I know if a labor rate is reasonable?
Compare it with your approved rates, past approved change orders, and published wage data for the trade and state plus a reasonable labor burden. DocuFinds does these comparisons and cites the source for each.
Can DocuFinds write the response to the contractor?
Yes. The COR pushback skill drafts a letter from the issues you select, citing the change order and your reference documents. You review and edit it before sending.
Does it replace an estimator?
No. It does the arithmetic and the cross-checking quickly and shows its evidence; the judgment on what to accept stays with you.
Try it on your own documents
Upload a project and ask your first question. Every answer links to the exact page.
Get started with DocuFinds