How to Download and Customize Change Order Documents

Change order letters provide formal documentation for changes to your project scope and cost. This guide shows you how to download Recommendation, Approval, and Order letters, add custom text, attach supporting documents, and control who authorizes them.

Before You Start

• Select the appropriate contract standard in the Contract module (not required, but letters won't include proper contractual clauses without it)
• Ensure change orders are created and completed in the Changes register

Downloading a Change Order Letter

1. Navigate to your Cost module from the side navigation menu
2. Click Changes in the top navigation
3. Locate the change order you want to work with
4. Click the Action button next to your change order
5. Select your letter type from the dropdown menu:
   • Change Order Approval PDF
   • Change Order PDF
   • Change Order Recommendation PDF

Adding or Editing Text in Change Order Letters

Open the Description Tab

1. Click the Action button on your change order and select Edit Change
2. Click the Description tab — you will find the Recommendation and Approval Description sections

Add Recommendation Text

The Recommendation text appears on Recommendation letters only.

1. Scroll to the Recommendation section
2. Enter your custom text using the rich text formatting toolbar

Add Custom Approval Text

The Approval Description appears on both Approval and Order letters. The letter includes pre-filled contractual statements from your selected contract standard.

1. Scroll down to the Approval section
2. Click the toggle labeled Customize your letter's text
3. Enter your additional approval text using the rich text formatting toolbar

Edit the Pre-filled Change Order Clause

1. Navigate to the Edit Contract form
2. Click the Terms tab then select Change Order Terms
3. Update the standard change order clause as needed

Attaching Supporting Documents

When you download any change order letter PDF, a pop-up will ask if you would like to add attachments. Only PDF attachments are supported.

1. Select the files you want to include from the Available Attachments list on the left
2. Selected files appear in the Selected Attachments on the right — you can reorder them as needed
3. Click Continue to generate the letter with the selected attachments, or continue without attaching files

Adding Internal Notes

1. In the change order form, scroll to the Notes section
2. Add internal comments explaining the change order or any context for your team

Saving and Downloading Your Letter

1. Click Update and wait for the confirmation message
2. Click the Action button again next to the change order
3. Select the appropriate change order letter PDF to download your completed letter

Changing the "Authorized by" on Letters

1. Click Contracts in the top navigation
2. Click the Action button on the contract you want to edit and select Edit Contract
3. Ensure a Contract Standard is selected (this enables the Roles tab)
4. Click the Roles tab
5. Complete the required role fields with the correct names and details
6. Use the toggle to select which role should display as Authorized by on letters (Superintendent/Authorized Person, Client's Representative, Architect, or Principal, depending on the contract standard selected)
7. Click Update to save your changes

Reassigning Change Order Lines

Change order lines can be reassigned to a different contract line item after creation.

1. Open the change order form by clicking Action > Edit Change
2. Locate the line item you want to reassign
3. Select a different contract line item from the dropdown

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: Can I edit the pre-filled change order clause for just one change order?

No, change order clauses are set at the contract level in the Terms tab. Changes apply to all future change order letters for that contract. Use the custom approval text feature to add change-order-specific content.

Q: What happens if I have multiple roles filled in but no toggle selected?

Change order letters won't show an "Authorized by" person until you toggle on a specific role. Make sure to select the appropriate role and save your contract.

Q: What if the letters don't reflect my recent changes?

Ensure you clicked Update and saw the confirmation message. Refresh the page if changes don't appear immediately.

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