In any new building project, there are several trades and subcontractors (SCs) subcontracted to a General Contractor (GC). It is important to manage CRs and COs effectively for effective team cooperation and work product accountability as between Owner, GC, and SC.
This is relative to a construction management software (CMS), which is crucial for maintaining control, compliance, and efficiency during the construction life cycle.
Change Order (CO) – A scope of work that arises at any point other than what was agreed upon originally by all the parties. These may be Owner-, GC-, or SC-driven due to design changes, changed work conditions, or client request.
By far the best and most transparent approach in tracking and approving completion orders.
This approach is still applied today, but it is subject to mismanagement, delays, and no centralized tracking.
You know the old adage: “Treat your tools as well as you are treated by them.”
A robust CMS tool should belong in the hands of Owners, GCs, and SCs, who can undertake to submit, approve, review, and track Change Orders in real time. This means there is transparency via fewer disputes.
“This is a time-consuming and complex process. Get it right the first time.”
Owners should engage with a construction management professional to develop a detailed scope of work and schedule before bringing a GC on board to avoid needless COs.
Provide 24/7 cloud access to current construction plans for the Owner, engineers, architects, GC, and SCs through the software.
This also eliminates the need of using obsolete paper versions.
Owners will need to establish a procedure for a formal approval of COs.
Align both GCs and SCs with the approval process, documentation, and compliance.
Owners, GCs, and SCs shall retain electronic records of all signed COs within the CMS.
This is in order to guarantee the fulfillment of legal and contractual obligations.
Change Orders are a reality in every construction project — but mishandling them is not.
If you don’t have in place a well-managed Change Order approval process, your projects will run late, over budget, and carry the potential for litigation.
By deploying integrated BIM-enabled construction management software, not only is work collaborative and simple to track, but all parties are insulated from much of that risk.
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