The GC Changed the Scope Decision Tree

Why this matters

Scope creep on a GC job is how subs lose their margin one "small favor" at a time. The GC asks you to move a line, add a fixture, redo a rough because the plans changed, and each request sounds minor. But work performed without a written change order is work you may never get paid for, and a stack of unbilled extras is how a profitable job ends up a loss. The skill is not refusing changes; it is capturing every change before you do the work. This tree keeps you from doing free work and keeps the GC relationship intact at the same time.

Start here: stop and recognize it as a change

The trap is doing the work first and sorting the money later. Reverse that instinct.

• A change is anything outside your written scope. Added work, moved work, a different spec, a redo caused by someone else, or extra trips. If it was not in the signed scope, it is a change.
• Catch it before you do it, not after. The moment to handle a change is when it is requested, while you still have leverage. After the work is done, you are asking for money for something already delivered, and your position is weak.
• Do not let "we will square up at the end" slide. End-of-job reconciliation is where extras get forgotten, disputed, or buried in a final-payment squeeze.

Branch one: who caused the change?

The cause decides who pays, so establish it before you proceed.

• If the owner or GC wants something added or different, that is a straightforward extra. Price it and get a change order.
• If the plans or the spec changed, that is a design change, also billable, and the GC should expect it. Document what the original called for versus the new requirement.
• If another trade's error forces you to redo work, that is a backcharge situation. Document that your work was correct and the redo is caused by others, so the cost lands on the responsible party, not you.
• If it is your own error, own it and fix it on your dime. Trying to bill a change for your own mistake destroys trust fast.

Branch two: get it in writing before the work

This is the core discipline. No signed change, no work, with rare exceptions.

• Write the change order: what changed, why, the added cost, and any schedule impact. Keep it short but specific.
• Get the GC's sign-off before you start whenever possible. A signature before the work is your protection. A request after is a negotiation.
• If the GC pressures you to "just do it, I am good for it," at minimum confirm in writing (an email) that you are proceeding on their verbal authorization at the stated price. A timestamped email is far better than nothing.

Branch three: handle the schedule and the urgency

Real sites move fast and sometimes the change cannot wait for paperwork.

• If the change is genuinely urgent and stopping would stall the whole site, you may have to proceed before the formal change order is signed. In that case, send the written confirmation of price and authorization immediately, before the work, even if it is just a quick email.
• If the change blows your schedule, state the schedule impact in the change order. A change that adds days is not just a cost change; the GC needs to know so they can re-sequence the trades behind you.
• Never let urgency become a habit. A GC who learns that "urgent" gets free, undocumented work will keep using it. Hold the line on paper even when you move fast.

Branch four: when the GC refuses to pay for the change

Sometimes the GC denies a change after the fact. Your documentation is everything here.

• If you have a signed change order, you are in a strong position. Invoice it and pursue it like any other payment dispute (see the related decision tree on a GC who will not pay).
• If you only have a verbal authorization, produce your timestamped email or notes. Contemporaneous documentation, even informal, beats memory.
• If you have nothing in writing, this is the painful lesson. You may have to negotiate or eat it, and you tighten your process so it never happens again. One unpaid extra is cheaper than learning to document is.

Tie it back to the relationship

Capturing changes is not adversarial when you do it cleanly and consistently.

• Be matter-of-fact, not accusatory. "Sure, I can do that, here is the change order" treats extras as normal business. GCs respect a sub who runs a tight, predictable process.
• A GC who never wants to pay for any change is a warning sign about the whole account. If every change becomes a fight, the relationship is not as valuable as the volume suggests.

Ordered recap

1. Recognize anything outside the signed scope as a change, and catch it before you do the work.
2. Establish who caused it: owner, design, another trade, or yourself.
3. Write the change order and get sign-off before starting; confirm verbal authorization in writing.
4. For genuine emergencies, proceed only after sending written price-and-authorization confirmation.
5. If they refuse to pay, lean on your documentation; if you have none, negotiate and fix your process.

References

• American Institute of Architects (AIA) change-order concepts
• Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America change-management practices
• See related: Working Under a General Contractor: The Pecking Order; The GC Who Won't Pay Decision Tree