Change order

EstablishedCO

Also: Contract amendment, Variation order

A written amendment to the construction contract, signed by the owner and contractor, recording an agreed change in the work together with any adjustment to the contract price and time.

Explanation

Under CCDC 2 (2020), a Change Order (GC 6.2) records the owner's and contractor's agreement on a change in the Work, the method of price adjustment and any time adjustment. When the parties cannot yet agree on price or time but the work must proceed, the owner instructs it through a Change directive, which is later converted to a change order once valued. Clarifications with no price or time effect are issued as supplemental instructions. AIA A201 uses the same structure: change order (§7.2), construction change directive (§7.3) and minor changes in the work (§7.4).

Practical example

The owner adds card readers to 14 doors. The contractor prices the change at $46,800 and five working days; the consultant recommends acceptance; owner and contractor sign Change Order 12, adjusting the contract price and Ready-for-Takeover date.

Why it matters

Changes are the main source of cost growth and disputes. A disciplined change-order process keeps the contract price, schedule and records aligned.

Common confusion

Standards and references

  1. CCDC 2 2020 — CCDC 2 – 2020 Stipulated Price Contract. Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC), 2020. Definitions; GC 6.1–6.6.Original VDC Stack.io wording, based on the standard
    Supports: Change Order definition and change provisions (GC 6.2 Change Order, 6.3 Change Directive) · Status: Definitions and GC numbering reviewed from a copy included in a public tender package; confirm against a licensed copy.
  2. Submittals, Shop Drawings and RFIs, Oh My!. Frantz Ward LLP, 2023.Widely accepted professional interpretation
    Supports: A201 Article 7 change mechanisms; changes to cost or time require a proper change document

VDC Stack.io writes its own explanations and does not reproduce copyrighted standards text. Consult the cited standard for normative wording.

Cite this entry

Show citation text

VDC Stack.io. (2026). Change order. In VDC Stack.io Knowledge Dictionary. Retrieved from https://vdcstack.io/dictionary/change-order/