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The directive is in the folder. It does not have a change-order number. You set it next to your half-empty coffee mug, the edges crinkled from where the foreman stuffed it in his work vest for three days before handing it off mid-morning walkthrough. A smudge of concrete dust blots the bottom right corner where he scribbled his initials, no date attached to the note scrawled in the margin about rerouting the second-floor electrical runs to accommodate the wall shift the directive references. You were already aware the work happened, since you signed off on the foreman’s daily time entry last week that listed two framing crew members assigned to “exterior wall adjustment” on the 12th, but you didn’t have the official documentation to tie that work to a specific project request until now.
The page in hand
You flip through both pages of the document slowly, matching the redlined elevations on the second page to the as-built photos you took of the wall last week to confirm the work matches exactly what the directive outlines. The directive lists the reason for the shift as “owner-requested window size adjustment for west-facing second-floor bedrooms”, which aligns with the notes you took during the last progress meeting, when the off-site owner mentioned they wanted larger windows to let in more natural light. You scan the first page twice for any reference to a change order number, any confirmation of cost approval, any note that the owner has signed off on the adjustment, and find nothing beyond the architect’s signature and a line noting that the field directive is issued per the project’s general conditions. You know from past experience that not all field directives turn into approved change orders, especially if the owner claims the work was already included in the original contract scope, so you don’t make any assumptions about compensation for the work until you have all the required documentation in hand. You pull your contract folder from the drawer to cross-reference the language around field directive approval, just to be sure you’re following the process laid out when you signed on to the project.
The one line that matters
You spot the line on your third pass, buried in the fine print below the signature block, easy to miss if you’re rushing to wrap up your pay app before the 2pm submission deadline. The line reads: “This directive does not constitute a change to the contract sum or contract time, and no associated costs will be approved for payment until a formal change order is fully executed by all parties.” You highlight the line in bright yellow, then circle it with a red pen so no one who reviews the document later misses it. This line sets the entire context for how you handle the work in your pay app, how you track the cost, and how you follow up with the project team to get formal approval. You remember a project two years ago where you missed an identical line, added $2,200 in unapproved work to a pay app, and had the entire draw delayed by 10 days while the owner’s accounting team rejected the line item and made you resubmit the entire application, a mistake you don’t plan to repeat here. Illustrative example: if the 12 hours of framing labor and $420 in specialized fasteners you used for the shifted wall would push your current pay app total $1,872 over the original scheduled draw amount for this period, you flag that variance separately instead of lumping it into standard framing costs, so there is no confusion about what portion of your request is tied to approved scope versus pending changes. This line also reminds you to confirm the timeline for submitting change orders after work is completed, so you don’t miss any submission windows that would invalidate your request.
Where you mark it
You have a standard process for documenting unapproved field directives, so you work through each step deliberately to make sure you don’t miss anything:
- First, you write the date you received the physical copy of the directive in the top left margin, directly above the architect’s issued date, in dark blue ink so it stands out against the black print, and add the foreman’s initials next to the date to confirm when the work was first assigned to your crew. You also add a note below that date with the exact date the work was completed, pulled directly from your daily time logs, so you have a clear timeline of when the request was issued, when you received it, and when the work was finished.
- Next, you cross-reference the directive with the line-item tracking you log in Draw Jacket, add a new entry for the pending change order, attach a scanned copy of the field directive, and input the hours, material costs, and 10% overhead markup you would include in the formal change order once it moves forward. You also upload the as-built photos of the completed wall and the foreman’s signed time entry as supporting documentation, so you have everything you need to submit the formal change order as soon as the architect confirms the owner has approved the cost.
- Then, you add a neon green sticky note to the front of the directive that lists the exact work performed, the date the work was completed, and the total pending cost, so you can pull it instantly when the owner’s representative reaches out to discuss change orders for this pay period. You tuck the document into the front of your pending change order folder, which sits on the corner of your desk separate from approved pay app documentation, so you don’t accidentally mix it in with finalized paperwork.
- Finally, you add a one-line note in the comments section of your current pay app that states “Pending change order for exterior wall shift per field directive dated [date of directive] to be submitted for formal approval prior to next draw”, so anyone reviewing the pay app knows the work was completed and a cost request is coming down the line, even if the amount isn’t included in this submission. This note also serves as a paper trail for you, confirming you disclosed the pending change as early as possible to avoid surprises later.
The next time you open this same page
The next time you open this same page, you are either holding the fully executed change order that corresponds with this work, or you are following up on the status of your pending submission to make sure it is moving through the approval chain. If you have the executed change order in hand, you staple it directly to the front of the field directive, cross out the neon green sticky note you added earlier, and write the new change order number in large, bold print in the top right corner of the directive, so you can match the two documents instantly if they are ever separated. You pull up your next pay app, add the change order as a separate line item, attach the combined directive and change order as supporting documentation, and note that all work associated with the line item is 100% complete. If you don’t have the executed change order when you open this page next, you cross-reference the work completion date with the project’s change order submission timeline, send a quick follow-up email to the architect with a copy of the directive and your cost breakdown, and file the document back in your pending change order folder until you receive a formal response. You check in on the status of all pending change orders once a week, so you never let a request sit unaddressed for so long that it falls through the cracks. You also make a point to bring up pending directives at every weekly progress meeting, so the owner’s representative is always aware of outstanding work that needs formal approval, and you can address any questions about scope or cost before they turn into delays. You never add the cost of unapproved work to a pay app before you have the fully executed document in hand, to avoid discrepancies that delay processing of the rest of your draw, and you keep all physical and digital copies of field directives and corresponding change orders stored together for the full length of the project and beyond, for your own records.
