Change Order Approval Workflow

How change orders flow from request to approval to budget update.

Before you start

Know which budget line the change belongs to, the amount, and whether your lender is funding it. If the amount is not final yet, record it as a **Draft** and update it later.

Step 1: Create it

1. On the **Budget** page, select **New CO**.
2. **Budget Item** — search and pick the line the change applies to.
3. **Description** — short and specific, for example "Material price increase — framing lumber".
4. **Amount ($)** — the amount of the change, greater than zero.
5. **Funding Type** — leave on bank funded if your lender is covering it, or switch to out of pocket.
6. **Status** — **Draft**, **Pending** or **Approved**. It defaults to Approved.
7. Select **Create Change Order**.

**What happens next:** if you saved it as Approved, the line's **Changes** and **Revised** amounts update straight away and the summary cards recalculate. Saved as Draft or Pending, nothing in your budget moves yet.

Step 2: Open the change order log

Select **Change Orders** in the Budget toolbar. The log lists every change order with its line, amount, funding type (**Bank** or **OOP**) and status, and you can filter by **All**, **Draft**, **Pending** or **Approved**.

Step 3: Send it for signature (optional)

For anything you want signed off — by a contractor, a partner, or for your own records — select **Send** on the row. Rows already **Approved** have nothing to send.

**What happens next:**

  • A signing link is created and copied to your clipboard. Share it however you like; there is no automatic email.
  • The link expires after 7 days.
  • A Draft change order becomes **Pending**.
  • The request appears under **Change Order Approval Requests** at the bottom of the log.

When the recipient signs, the change order becomes **Approved** automatically, and the line's Changes and Revised amounts update.

Step 4: Approve it yourself

If no signature is needed, set the status to **Approved** when you create it. Only approved change orders affect your budget.

Step 5: Keep the log accurate

  • **Delete** (the bin icon) removes a change order. Deleting an approved one removes its amount from Changes and lowers Revised again, so only delete mistakes — not history.
  • Update the agreed price on the budget line yourself if the contractor's agreement changed too. Approving a change order does not touch **Agreed Cost** or **Remaining Commitment**.

Common questions

**Nothing changed on my budget after I created it.** Check the status. Draft and Pending change orders have no effect; only Approved ones do.

**Can I email the signing link from OwnerDraw?** Not from the change order log — the link is copied for you to send yourself.

**The link expired before it was signed.** Select **Send** again to create a new link.

**Can I attach a quote to it?** Not to the change order itself. Store supporting documents on the **Files** page and reference them in the description.

For professional builders

Signature approval sets the status only; it does not generate a formal contract amendment. If your subcontract requires an executed change order, keep the signed document alongside it and update the line's agreed cost so contract balance to complete stays correct.

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**Verification note:** Every step, button name, status transition, the 7-day link expiry and the clipboard behaviour were confirmed by inspecting the current app code, including the signing callback that sets an approved status. No change order was created, sent, signed or deleted on a live project during this documentation pass.