How to Create Change Orders and Extensions of Time (EOT)

Manage contract change orders quickly and efficiently when cost or time adjustments occur during construction. This guide covers creating change orders with multiple line items, documenting Extensions of Time (EOT), tracking change order statuses from forecast to approval, and attaching supporting documentation to keep your projects accurate.

Before you start:

• Have your contract details and change order amounts ready
• Prepare any supporting documentation you need to attach

Adding a Change Order

Step 1: Access the Change Form

• Click Cost Module in the left navigation bar
• Choose one of three ways to add a change order:
  • From the Overall page, click the blue + Add button in the upper left corner and select + Add Change or;
  • Find your contract, click the Actions button beside it, and select + Add Change
  • Go to the Changes register and click the blue + Add Change button

Result: The Add Change form will open, ready for you to input your change order data.

Note: The Changes Register is the main list view where you can also see all your change orders, add new ones, and manage existing entries.

Step 2: Complete Change Order Details

• Enter a descriptive Change Order Title
• Select the Varying Contract from the dropdown
• Choose the appropriate Change Category
• Select the current Status of your change order

Status	Meaning	Behavior
Forecast	Early estimate or projection; used for planning only.	Does not appear in payments form or overall page - no impact to EAC. Appears only in variation register for planning and tracking.
Pending	Awaiting review, input, or further documentation.	Does not appear in payments form or overall page - no impact to EAC. Appears only in variation register for planning and tracking.
In Principle	Tentatively approved but not yet finalized or signed off.	Appears in payments form and overall page - impacts EAC as committed cost. Also appears in variation register.
Approved	Officially approved and added to the contract.	Appears in payments form and overall page - impacts EAC as committed cost. Also appears in variation register.
Rejected	Reviewed and declined; not progressing further.	Does not appear in payments form or overall page - no impact to EAC. Appears only in variation register for tracking.
Withdrawn	Manually removed from the process (e.g., withdrawn by submitter).	Does not appear in payments form or overall page - no impact to EAC. Appears only in variation register for tracking.

The change register maintains a complete record of all change orders regardless of status for audit and tracking purposes.

Step 3: Add Change Order Description and Background

• Click the Description tab below the Change Order basic details section
• Add your recommendations into the Recommendation box, like background, scope, and justification
• Review the Approval Description box containing pre-filled contractual statements
• Customize the text if required by toggling the edit option

Note: Recommendation text appears only on Change Recommendation PDFs. Approval text appears on Change Approval and Change Order PDFs.

Step 4: Complete Additional Fields

• Click on Additional Fields to add optional reference numbers or identifiers
• Enter any tracking numbers important to your change order management

Note: Information entered here will appear in Change Approval Letters.

Step 5: Add Change Order Line Items

• Scroll down to the Contracts section
• Click the contract header to expand it and view line items
• If you are varying a Contract Line Item, enter the value in the Change Amount Column next to the Line Item
  • If there is a difference between the amount initially requested and the approved amount, you can enter the initial amount into the Preliminary Amount field
• If you are entering new Line Items to the contract, enter the Change Name under New Line Items
  • Pre-existing Contract Changes are named "Other Commitments", but this can be renamed
• Input the Change Amount and Preliminary Amount (if applicable) to the new Change line item
• Click + Add Contract Change to add multiple line items as needed

 

Step 6: Attach Supporting Information

• Scroll down to Notes and add internal notes if needed (these are only visible to project users, and won't appear on change order letters)
• To attach files, click the upload box or drag and drop your documents

Step 7: Finalize Change Order

• Click the Add button in the bottom right corner
• The change saves automatically and updates contract values, budget forecasts, payment schedules, change register, and all related reports

Adding an Extension of Time (EOT)

Extensions of Time (EOT) are independent of Cost Changes

Step 1: Navigate to Time Impact

• Click Cost Module in the left navigation bar
• Choose one of three ways to add a change order:
  • From the Overall page, click the blue + Add button in the upper left corner and select + Add Change or;
  • Find your contract, click the Actions button beside it, and select + Add Change
  • Go to the Changes register and click the blue + Add Change button
• Click the Time Impact tab in the Add Change form

Step 2: Enter Time Extension Details

• Enter Days Requested - number of weekdays being requested for the EOT
• Enter Days Approved - number of weekdays actually approved
• Add relevant comments in the Comments field (visible to project users only)

Step 3: Review and Adjust Completion Date

• Review the Revised Completion Date - Mastt calculates this using weekdays only
• Manually adjust the completion date if needed - this will change the Days Approved if you adjust it to match the approved EOT date
• Verify the date aligns with your project schedule

Important notes about Time Impact (EOT):

• Comments entered here won't appear in change order letters
• To exclude time impact details from letters, leave this tab empty
• Time Extensions can be created without any cost impact to the contract

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: Why isn't my contract appearing in the dropdown?

Ensure the contract is properly set up in the Contracts module first. The contract must be approved before you can add change orders to it.

Q: How do I handle negative change orders?

Enter negative amounts in the change order amount and line item fields. Mastt will automatically reduce the contract value accordingly.

Q: What happens to my payment schedule after adding a change order? Payment applications reflect the contract value at the time they were created. Change orders added afterward will not appear in those payment application letters.