Create a change order on an active project

Use a change order any time the price or the scope of a signed job moves: hidden damage after demo, a niche the homeowner added, a bench they dropped, a tile swap. If you want the "how do I say this without it getting awkward" side, read change orders for tile jobs.

The steps

1. Open the signed proposal and tap Change order

Open the project, tap Bid and go to the Proposal stage. Once the proposal is signed, the button on the proposal bar reads Change order. Tap it.

If you already started one and didn't send it, the button reads Continue change order and opens that draft, so you never end up with two.

You can also start from an edit. If you change a signed proposal directly, a banner explains that your client can't see the change because they signed the earlier version. Tap Create change order and your edits carry over.

2. Say why the job is changing

The builder opens on Create Change Order. In Why are you sending this change?, write one or two plain sentences:

Found rotted subfloor behind the toilet once demo was done. Needs about 32 sq ft replaced before we can tile.

This is the first thing your client reads. Plain and specific beats long and careful.

3. Add, change or remove lines

Under What is changing:

• Tap Add a line item for new work: a description, quantity, unit and price.
• Edit an existing line to change its description, quantity or price. Your client sees the old value next to the new one.
• Tap Mark for removal on work that's coming out. It stays on the original signed proposal, and the change order takes it off the active scope.

As you go, Project total impact shows the Original total, the Change and the New total.

4. Choose what your client sees

Under Homeowner experience:

• Show only what's changing: best for most changes, like discovered repairs or an added niche. Your client sees just the before and after.
• Re-sign the entire proposal: best when the scope has changed a lot and it's cleaner to sign the whole thing again.

5. Pick how it gets billed

Under Payment terms, pick one:

• Roll into remaining schedule (default): the change spreads across the payments that haven't been paid yet. Good for most additions.
• Due on signature: one invoice for the change when your client signs. Good for discovery work you need paid for before you keep going.
• Custom schedule: the change gets its own payments. Good for a big change that's really a small job of its own.

Client already said yes? Tick Client already approved — record it, no signature. Nothing goes to your client. BidCraft adds the work to the job and bills it the way you pick: added to the next invoice, or logged as already paid. Only changes that add money can be recorded. A change that lowers the price needs a signature.

6. Review and send

Tap Continue to Review → and check the before and after, the new total and the billing. Then:

• Send to Homeowner emails your client the change order link.
• Generate Shareable Link makes the link and copies it so you can text it yourself. Nothing gets emailed.
• For a recorded change, tap Record change order instead.

7. Track the signature

Your client opens the link and sees a note that they already signed the original proposal, what's changing, and the new project total. They sign just the change.

On your side, the change order gets its own row in the proposal's history (Open history › under the proposal bar), with its amount, views and signature. Once it's signed, the Signed total on the proposal bar includes it.

Let Biddy draft it

On a signed project, you can skip the builder and just tell Biddy:

"Add a $1,800 subfloor repair line. Found rot under the toilet after demo."

"Remove the niche, the homeowner cancelled it."

Biddy asks how you want it billed, shows you the change on a card, and when you confirm, opens the builder on the new draft so you can review and send it. More on that in edit a proposal by asking Biddy.

What's next

Once the work is done, bill it. If you picked Due on signature, the invoice is created when your client signs. Otherwise the change shows up in the job's remaining payments on the Money tab, under Payments. More in invoice and get paid from the project.

Not on BidCraft yet? Start the 14-day free trial (card required) on the pricing page.