Change order pricing & variation estimating
Change events measured and priced on the same basis as the original bid, so they reconcile against the contract estimate.
What change order pricing covers
A change order is only defensible if it is built the same way the original estimate was. Measuring a variation on a different basis is what invites the owner to argue, because the two documents cannot be compared.
Change events are measured against the revised drawings, priced with the same production rates and wages, and presented alongside the original basis so the delta is visible. Where the change affects sequence or productivity, that impact is stated rather than absorbed.
Turnaround
Same or next working day on most change events
Who it is for
Contractors and subcontractors pricing variations after award, and owners reviewing them.
Change order pricing
- Variation and change-event takeoffs against revised drawings
- Pricing on the same production rates and wages as the bid
- Comparison against the original contract estimate
- Productivity and sequence impact stated where it applies
- Supporting documentation for submission
- Back-charge and credit calculations
The deliverable.
Consistent whatever the engagement, so it drops into how you already work.
Change order pricing workbook
Reconciliation against the contract estimate
Marked drawings showing the changed scope
Common change order pricing mistakes
These are the errors that turn up most often when work of this kind is checked. None of them are exotic, and all of them are cheaper to find before the number goes out than after.
For a longer list with examples, read nine takeoff mistakes that only show up on bid day.
- A change priced on a different basis from the original bid, so the two cannot be reconciled
- Only the added work priced, with the omitted work never credited
- Disruption to sequence and productivity absorbed rather than stated
- Pricing submitted without marked drawings showing exactly what changed
Common questions on change order pricing
Yes. We measure the change against the revised drawings and price it on a stated basis. If you supply the original estimate, the change can also be reconciled against it directly.
Yes. Omitted scope is measured and credited on the same basis, which is what makes a net change order credible.
Work that usually sits alongside this
Most engagements combine more than one of these.
By trade, by sector, and further reading
Trades this applies to
- Concrete estimating & takeoff servicesDivision 03
- Drywall & metal stud estimating servicesDivision 09
- Electrical estimating & takeoff servicesDivision 26
Estimating by sector
- Residential construction estimatingHomes, villas & apartments
- Commercial construction estimatingOffices, retail & warehouses
- Industrial & process estimatingProcess, structural & plant MEP
- Civil & sitework estimatingLand clearing to final grade
Further reading
- Labour: hours, not lump ratesEstimating
- Reading an estimate you did not writeEstimating
Tell us what you need priced.
A fixed fee, a firm delivery date and a written scope statement, usually back the same working day.
Fixed project fees · Written scope before work starts · Unlimited revisions within scope