Every construction company has felt the sting of a poorly managed change order.
A small adjustment in scope. A last-minute design tweak. A delayed materials delivery. It all seems manageable—until the paperwork gets lost, the field team doesn’t loop in accounting, and the cost goes unbilled.
The result? Lost revenue, eroded margins, and frustration on all sides.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. With automated change order workflows, you can streamline approvals, connect your field and finance teams, and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. It’s one of the simplest, most effective ways to protect your profits.
Change Orders Aren’t the Problem—Manual Processes Are
Change orders are a normal (and expected) part of construction. Scope shifts. Clients revise. Site conditions evolve. That’s the nature of the work. What causes financial damage isn’t the change itself—it’s how it’s handled.
When change orders rely on emails, text threads, or PDFs floating between teams, they slow down or disappear altogether. The field crew might go ahead with the work, but accounting never bills it. PMs may not update the budget, and leadership gets a distorted view of the project’s financial health.
Manual change order processes create:
● Delays in approvals and communication
● Work being performed without proper documentation
● Unbilled or underbilled revenue
● Project budgets that don’t reflect reality
These aren’t just admin issues. They’re margin killers.
What Automation Looks Like in Practice
Automating your change order process doesn’t mean removing oversight. It means creating a clear, fast, and reliable workflow that connects all the right people. With a platform like Sage Intacct Construction, automation lets you:
✅ Standardize Requests: Create a consistent change order submission form that flows from field to office. No more chasing details or missing scope descriptions.
✅ Trigger Approvals Automatically: Route change orders to the right stakeholders based on dollar value, project type, or role. Set thresholds so small changes don’t bottleneck while large ones get reviewed properly.
✅ Link to Budgets and Contracts: Automatically update the project budget and contract value once a change order is approved. Finance stays in sync without manually updating spreadsheets.
✅ Ensure Timely Billing: Approved change orders flow directly into invoicing workflows. That means you get paid for the work you do—without chasing paper trails weeks later.
Real Results, Real Fast
Clients who automate change order management report:
● Fewer billing disputes
● Improved margin tracking
● Faster approval turnaround times
● Tighter alignment between PMs, field, and finance
It’s one of the quickest ways to recover lost revenue and bring consistency to chaotic projects.
Final Thoughts: Small Changes, Big Impact
You don’t need to overhaul your entire tech stack to improve profitability. Sometimes, fixing a single broken workflow can make all the difference.
Change orders don’t have to derail your margin.
When handled through automated systems, they become a predictable, transparent part of your process—not a financial black hole.
Ready to stop losing money on change orders?
Schedule a quick demo to see how we help construction firms automate their change order process and protect every dollar they earn.
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