Construction Law
How to Reduce Change Orders in Construction, Part 2
Let’s face it, change orders happen in construction. With so many moving parts on the construction site and stakeholders offsite, it’s hard to ensure that everything will be planned perfectly the first time. However, managing the change order process is critical to the success of any project. Excessive change orders or ones that don’t follow any sort of process can throw projects off timelines and, ultimately, cost them a great deal of money.
In order to reduce change orders, it’s important to know some of the causes. Over the years, our Fort Lauderdale construction attorneys have seen change orders submitted due to the following reasons:
- Miscommunication between the design team and the general contractor
- Differing site conditions
- Scope changes
- Inaccurate design plans
In the first part of this series, we offered several best practices for reducing the number of change orders that are filed. In this part, we will provide a few more best practices to help guide your process.
Ensure That Project Information Is Available to All Parties
It’s critical that all design and construction site information is available to all parties. Construction and design personnel must be able to make notes and addresses concerns on all documents. By being able to make notes on a shop drawing, a daily report, or a request for information, issues can be addresses at the point of attack and potentially resolved without conflict.
Allocate a Portion of Your Budget for Change Orders
Since change orders are likely to be filed during the course of a construction project, why not be proactive in your approach to them. By allocating a portion of your budget towards change orders, you ensure that it will not completely catch you off guard from a financial standpoint.
Do A Site Walk-Through
To prevent change orders due to differing site conditions, do a walk through with stakeholders to see if anything needs to be addressed prior to the start of construction.
To request a consultation with an experienced Fort Lauderdale construction attorney, please call us today at 954.210.8735 or submit our contact request form.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.