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The front looks clean. The back has a short list. You tilt the page under your desk lamp to make out the hand-scrawled lines, each one scribbled in blue ballpoint next to a typed line item for the current pay app you’re reviewing. A coffee ring bleeds through the edge of the lower corner, partially obscuring the third bullet point. That matches the note your foreman left yesterday about flagging unapproved change orders before you sign off on any draw requests.
What This Pay Document States
The front of the document lays out the standard draw request amount for work completed in the current billing period, with signed sign-off from your site superintendent confirming all listed work on the front matches as-built progress through the end of the last work week. The exceptions on the back are not rejections of completed work, but carve-outs for line items that have not yet met all pre-agreed verification requirements to be included in this specific disbursement. Each entry includes a cross-reference to the original contract clause that justifies the temporary hold, the contact name for the subcontractor team lead assigned to resolve the open item, and a clear list of supporting documentation needed to release the hold, such as a signed change order form, photo evidence of finished work, or a signed inspection slip from the municipal code official. One entry references extra storm drain installation that was added mid-cycle without a fully signed change order; Illustrative example: $14,200 for unplanned concrete patching required after underground utility lines were found at a depth 2 feet shallower than shown on initial civil plans. That specific hold only applies to this pay period, and the line item becomes eligible for inclusion once the fully signed change order is submitted to the billing team.
Line Items You Leave Unmodified
You do not cross out or edit any of the typed exceptions on the back, even if you disagree with the hold on a specific line item. You also leave the dated signature block on the front of the document untouched until you finish your full review of all back-of-page notes. Any pre-printed cross-reference numbers tied to the original project contract stay as they are, since altering those creates confusion for both your accounting team and the third-party billing administrator processing the draw. If you have a correction to request, or additional context to add about a specific hold, you note it on a separate addendum that you attach to this document rather than marking the original page directly. This keeps the original record intact for all future review cycles, and eliminates disputes about what was listed on the document at the time of your initial review.
The 10-Minute Verification Pass
You work through this short, structured check before you add any notes of your own or sign off on the document:
- Cross-reference each back-of-page exception to the corresponding line item on the front of the document to confirm the hold amount matches the line item total, with no math errors between the two pages.
- Match each cross-referenced contract clause to your digital copy of the signed project agreement to confirm the hold criteria align with the terms all parties agreed to before work began.
- Check the date listed next to each exception to confirm the hold was logged within 3 business days of the work in question being completed, per standard project billing protocols.
- Confirm each exception includes a clear, actionable next step for resolution, rather than a vague note that gives no guidance to the team responsible for closing out the open item.
- Flag any exception that is missing the required signature of the project billing coordinator, as unsigned holds are not considered valid for this project’s billing process.
This check catches 90% of common billing errors before the document moves to the next stage of review, so you avoid unnecessary back-and-forth with subcontractor teams later, and reduce delays in disbursement for line items that are already fully approved.
Where This Document Routes Next
After you finish your verification pass and add any required addendum notes, you scan a digital copy to your shared project drive for archive purposes, naming the file with the billing period date and your initials to make it easy to locate later. You then place the original physical document in the Draw Jacket for this billing period, alongside the signed work completion slips and change order requests referenced on the back of the page. Next, you send a short alert to the project billing coordinator to let them know the document is ready for their final review before it is sent to the construction manager’s office for sign-off. You do not forward the document directly to any subcontractor teams, as all communication about hold items goes through the dedicated billing coordinator to keep all records centralized and consistent, and to ensure all questions are routed through the correct point of contact.
Assumptions You Reject Outright
You do not assume that an exception on the back of the page means the work in question is defective or will not be paid out in a future billing period. Holds are often temporary, filed only to wait for additional supporting documentation rather than as a judgment on the quality of completed work. You also do not assume that a listed exception has already been communicated to the relevant subcontractor team, even if the note includes a contact name for their team lead; the billing coordinator handles all official communication about hold items, so you do not reach out directly unless explicitly asked to do so by the coordinator. You reject the assumption that you can add new exceptions to the back of the page yourself during this review, as only the billing coordinator and project manager are authorized to log hold items for this draw period. You also reject the assumption that a missing signature on an exception means the hold is invalid on its face; you flag it for the coordinator to address, rather than crossing the hold off the list entirely.
When You Next Pull Up This Exact Page
You pull this document back up at the start of the next billing period, when you review all open hold items from the prior month to confirm which have been resolved and which will carry over for another cycle. You cross-reference each exception on this page to the new change order submissions and work verification slips submitted by subcontractor teams during the current billing period, to confirm all resolution steps have been completed as outlined. You also cross-check the digital archive copy of this document against the physical copy in the project file to make sure no edits or alterations were made to the original after you submitted it for review. You note any resolved hold items on the first page of the next draw request, so all teams have clear visibility into which line items are now eligible for inclusion in the upcoming disbursement. If any hold items remain unresolved, you add a note to the new draw request’s addendum explaining the delay and listing the updated expected resolution date for each open item. You use this review to flag patterns of repeated hold items, such as consistent missing inspection slips from a specific subcontractor, so you can address those gaps proactively with the relevant team leads before they cause further billing delays.
