Extra Work Happens Fast. Your Documentation Should Keep Up.
Field instructions. T&M tickets. Photos. Pricing. Written approvals. Billing.
When those records are scattered, preparing a change-order request takes more work than it should. Start with the free 27-Point Change Order Readiness Checklist, a practical two-page PDF for small commercial trade contractors.
Get the Free ChecklistFree download. Optional contribution. No purchase required.
Where change-order paperwork usually breaks down
The work started with a verbal instruction.
A superintendent asked for additional work, but the details are still in a text message or someone's notebook. Now you need to reconstruct who directed it, when, and what was actually requested.
The paperwork is in five different places.
Daily T&M tickets, material receipts, jobsite photos and pricing notes are scattered across phones, emails and folders. Someone asks for backup, and the search begins.
It was submitted. Then what?
You have the proposed amount, a revised quote, an acknowledgment and an invoice. Are they connected? Was it authorized by the right person? What was actually billed and paid?
Those are different questions, and they deserve separate records.
27 checks across six steps
When the change happens
Who directed the work, what caused it, which contract clauses and deadlines to check, and whether the instruction was confirmed in writing.
Field records, every day
Daily T&M tickets, supporting photos, receipts, acknowledgments and notes about impacts on other work.
Pricing package
A clear scope, itemized costs, markup applied the way your contract allows, and an index of every supporting record.
Submission & follow-up
Proof of submission, a response due date, a follow-up log and numbered revisions.
Approval
A written authorization from someone with authority, with the approved amount tracked separately from what you submitted.
Billing, payment & closeout
Connect the approved change to your schedule of values, invoice, retainage, payments received and archived records.
Download the free checklist
Two printable pages. Use it on your next change order, before you submit, bill or follow up.
Send Me the Free ChecklistYour email is used to deliver the PDF. Tips and product updates are optional.
Meet Ric Rivera
I'm Ric Rivera, a U.S. Army veteran who served from 1984 to 2005.
I have more than 20 years of experience in acquisition logistics and project coordination, most recently as a contractor Project Coordinator supporting an Army acquisition program office.
That work taught me the value of clear records, organized documentation, accountability and tracking work through to completion.
I created Change Orders Nailed Down to build practical organizational tools for small trade contractors who don't want another complicated software subscription. The goal is simple: make it easier to document what happened, find the supporting records, and see where every change stands.
I'm learning from working subcontractors so these tools reflect how real field and office teams operate.
Coming next: the Core Kit
A planned $29 digital kit for small trade contractors who want to go beyond a paper checklist. It's being designed to help organize:
- Project and change-order records
- Daily time-and-material documentation
- Supporting evidence references
- Approval and follow-up status
- Billing and payment records
Final contents are being shaped by contractor interviews and testing. Features and timing may change before launch. No preorder or payment required.
Join the Launch ListHave experience with change orders?
I'm talking with 15 small commercial trade contractors about how they handle extra work, field tickets, written approvals and payment tracking.
If you own or manage an electrical, plumbing, HVAC or drywall subcontracting business, I'd value a 20-minute conversation about your current process. I'm not selling anything on the call.
Share Your ExperienceOr email ric@changeordersnaileddown.com