In a perfect world, you’d get a construction plan, come up with a cost estimate, and deliver it under budget and within the deadline every single time. Unfortunately, the one thing you can expect in construction is the unexpected. Change orders are part and parcel of the job, impacting the schedule, scope, and budget of your project.
While change can be difficult to deal with, it doesn’t have to throw your entire operation into disarray. A robust change order management software solution will make it much easier to track them, reconcile them with your budget, and forecast their impact, so you can avoid any nasty surprises down the line.
Plus, not only will it help you manage change orders for a single project, but across all your projects, subcontractors, and clients.
Ready for real change? Here is the best construction change order management software today:
5 Best Construction Change Order Management software
1. Bauwise
Bauwise takes a finance-first approach to managing construction change orders, so you can track their impact where you feel it most. Unlike many other construction management software platforms, Bauwise treats change orders as a core aspect of your financial management, not just a bolted-on feature.
The entire Bauwise experience is tailored to make tracking and changing your budget, cost codes, and forecasts in real-time as seamless as possible.
Every single change is meticulously tracked, so you have full visibility to help your team avoid billing delays, auditing issues, or overlooking scope adjustments. The bonus is a clean interface and purpose-built workflows, minimizing the headache of getting to grips with the platform.
Built with general contractors, developers, and construction finance teams in mind, Bauwise simplifies the process of creating, tracking, and approving change orders. So, you can consolidate changes across your project(s) without the complexity of most traditional ERP systems.
Features
- Well-suited to the European market — Bauwise originated in Estonia, offering localized tax handling, multi-currency support, and compliance with EU accounting standards.
- Direct cost code integration — You can add change orders directly to existing budget work codes. This eliminates a lot of double work related to tracking links between scope items and cost changes.
- Change order breakdown & categorization — Get a comprehensive overview snapshot of each change order with essential data, like a description, supplier or subcontractor assignment, expected costs, markup percentages, and VAT handling.
- Budget impact preview — Allows you to preview how a change order affects your total budget as part of the approval process, so stakeholders are clear on the financial implications.
- Automated document generation — Directly generate formal change order documents from within the platform from customizable templates and with complete audit trails.
- Approval workflows — Easily set up customizable approval chains, keeping your entire team in the loop with status flags, such as “In Review,” “Approved,” “Rejected,” etc.
- Full forecast integration — Bauwise immediately reflects approved changes in budget forecasts, reducing the risk of cost overruns or payment delays.
Pros
- Purpose-built for budget and financial control
- Transparent, real-time tracking of change order impacts on budget
- Fast implementation and minimal training needed
- Responsive support across various channels (live chat, email, phone, etc.)
- Includes localized tax and markup configuration for EU and global markets
Cons
- Not a full project management suite
User Reviews
“What I like most about Bauwise is the flexibility. Both Bauwise as a system and as a team has been very flexible in relation to fit the use of Bauwise to our specific needs. The Bauwise team has been an excellent sparring partner in the setup and implementation of Bauwise.”
“Bauwise software helps us to track and compare our construction budget with actual costs from accounting in real time. The easy to use online cost allocation and approval workflow has made us more efficient. Our team now has only one “Excel spreadsheet,” and that’s Bauwise.com
— Toomas ToompuuToomas Toompuu, CEO of Bauest
2. Procore
Procore is one of the most widely used construction management platforms, having facilitated over one million projects, encompassing more than $1 trillion USD in construction volume. It’s a comprehensive construction management platform, so its change orders tool is only on a small subset of its entire ecosystem.
However, it does have some exciting features, like its Change Events tool that helps to proactively capture potential changes before they escalate to formal change orders. This encourages a forward-thinking approach so that cost implications are identified early and crucial approvals can be fast-tracked.
A built-in variety of change order types, a coding system, and robust reporting make getting a quick yet comprehensive overview of your project a breeze.
Features
- Change Events Tool — This makes it possible to log potential changes and assess their impact before seamlessly converting them into formal change orders.
- Integrated Change Orders — Supports various change order types, including Prime Contract Change Orders, Commitment Change Orders, and Funding Change Orders, all with robust reporting and within a unified system.
- Real-time budget integration — Get up-to-date financial insights thanks to approved change orders being automatically synced to your project’s budget.
- Mobile accessibility — Robust mobile support for field teams to remotely initiate and manage change orders on-site.
- Customizable workflows — Offers configurable approval processes and tiered change order structures to align with organizational requirements.
Pros
- Advanced, all-in-one construction management platform for even the most complex projects
- Makes it easy to proactively manage and asses change order impact
- Wide-ranging and seamless integration with popular budgeting tools
- A highly scalable platform suitable for projects of all sizes
Cons
- Interface and design is somewhat dated in appearance
- Might be too complex for new users or those managing smaller projects
User Reviews
“Procore is crafted and tailored for the complex stuff. Having multiple sites running at the same time, we have been able to keep up with all of them without any issues. Monitoring them in every step of the cycle upto completion.”
“Sometimes the tools can be overwhelming and difficult to understand where different parties’ responsibilities lie.”
3. CMiC
CMiC full-fledged ERP solution with a comprehensive suite of construction financials and project management solutions. So, while its change order capabilities do take somewhat of a backseat, it’s designed to meet most critical needs for most construction teams: minimizing risk through real-time synchronization and maximizing agility.
The experience is tailored to project managers, centralizing data to give them clear visibility so that they can rapidly react to change requests and adjust the scope of work as needed. Ultimately, hoping to help project managers be better equipped to adhere to their agreements and balance change proposals across all stakeholders.
Features
- Integrated change management — Easily manage PCIs, OCOs, SCCOs, and all other kinds of change orders via the Change Management module’s centralized hub.
- Automated workflow queues: Have the platform automatically route documents and approvals to relevant parties with alerts and notifications to keep things ticking over smoothly.
- Real-time data synchronization — Any additions or alterations to change orders will immediately reflect across all CMiC’s modules, fostering cross-team collaboration.
- Deep Clearstory integration — This allows project managers to easily align out-of-contract work with internal workflows to minimize data duplication and communicate clearly with stakeholders.
Pros
- Effortlessly unifies financials, project management, and change orders.
- Real-time data sync and mobile accessibility for clear remote communication.
- Well-suited for large contractors managing complex, multi-phase projects.
Cons
- Time-consuming and difficult to implement initially
- Many complaints about its complexity and ease of use
User Reviews
“The main thing I like most about this software is its wide breadth of abilities, and how it handles the finances of the projects.”
“Way too complicated for simple procedures. Same info has to be manually entered on every line on the same project. Way too many drop downs to enter a simple value Not remotely use friendly.”
4. RedTeam
Keep your projects on budget with powerful change management tools to streamline approvals and maintain complete documentation. Aimed at both commercial general and specialty contractors, RedTeam’s goal, in its own words, is to ensure that “no financial impact goes untracked.”
It does this by offering strong interconnectedness between budget, job costs, and WIP report updates. Plus, making it easy to cross-reference this information across your project’s existing documentation. Of course, it goes without saying that you’ll also benefit from real-time updates and forecasting tools that help assess the risk and impact of change orders.
Features
- Guided change order workflows — Supports systematically processing change orders from originating request to final approval with a minimal risk of errors or omissions.
- Integrated financial controls — Facilitates fast financial oversight and management by linking change orders to budgets, job costs, and IP reports.
- Vendor quote management — Makes it simple to collect and compare vendor quotes for potential change orders for more accurate and faster decision-making.
- Document management — Creates a clear audit trail with all change-related documents automatically organized within appropriate project folders.
Pros
- Seamless integration with popular tools, like QuickBooks, DocuSign, and Autodesk.
- All-inclusive pricing model with unlimited users, projects, etc.
- Efficient vendor collaboration via quotes and proposals.
Cons
- Limited mobile capabilities compared to other platforms.
- Financial reporting is not as robust
User Reviews
“The program is well tuned to help eliminate the pitfalls of being so busy and missing a step or piece of information. The process forces you to not shoot from the hip, as we all have done and been bitten by it.”
“The detail of some reports is lacking. I would like to open and see a complete snapshot of money in/out including vendors and suppliers.”
5. Buildertrend
The final entry on this list, Buildertrend is a cloud-based construction management platform built with the challenges of residential builders, remodelers, and other specialty contractors in mind.
To cater to this highly customer-centric space, Buildertrend offers a Client Portal that acts as a touchpoint between construction companies and their customers. Subcontractors are handled via completely different subportals to maintain a separation of concerns and simplify communications.
What’s more, the platform is very modern and intuitive, making it extremely accessible to those that don’t have the budget or time for intensive training.
Features
- Client Portal — Provides clients with real-time access to project updates, allowing them to review and approve change orders electronically.
- Automated schedule and budget updates — Approved change orders automatically cascade into your project schedule and budget, so you’ve always got your eye on the latest project scope forecast.
- Ready-made template library — Pre-built templates designed for real-world applications that allow for easy implementation and quick deployment.
- Online payment integration — Clients can directly make change order payments via the online platforms, lowering friction and helping to maintain positive cash flow.
Pros
- Excellent customer support
- Efficient and easy-to-use client communication tools
- Dedicated portals to manage clients and subcontractors
Cons
- Despite overall ease of use, the initial learning curve can be steep
User Reviews
“Proposals, job costing, scheduling. Excellent tool to communicate with clients and track jobs. We have sold jobs because we had BT!”
“The bulky nature of the system; it looks initially very easy to cross-contaminate information through to areas you don’t want information stored. They also don’t give you any time to learn the system before you have to pay the subscription. I would have been more likely to sign up longer if they gave me time to learn it properly.”
How to Choose the Best Construction Change Order Software for Your Needs?
No construction project is the same. None will face exactly the same chain of challenges or unforeseen circumstances. While change order software should be flexible enough to be used across all your commissions, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
Still, there are important differences between different change order solutions that make them better or less suited, depending on what type of construction you specialize in. For example, what works for a large-scale general contractor might not be ideal for a subcontractor managing fewer projects on a tighter budget.
Before you start shopping around, ask yourself:
- Do you want a lightweight change order tool that plugs into your existing system or an all-in-one construction management system?
- Are there specific pain points you want to solve (slow approvals, poor visibility, or inconsistent documentation), or are you looking for a general solution to future-proof your change management process?
- Are there any budgetary, technological, or expertise-based restrictions that will impact your final decision?
- Do you have any special operational or functional requirements, such as a mobile-first system or one that offers client-facing access?
Once you’ve identified your key challenges and needs, you can start considering and eliminating options based on their merits. While we’ve done a lot of the work for you above, here are the most important things to consider:
- Integrated budget control and cost tracking: Reconciling your finances is one of the most challenging aspects of change order management, so the ability to easily link your project budget to cost impacts is vital.
- Customizable approval workflows: This allows you to automate approvals in a way that aligns with your unique internal hierarchy and client relationships.
- Document management: Audit trails, automatic version control, change logs, and sharing tools facilitate easier collaboration, dispute resolution, and compliance.
- Mobile accessibility: How easy it makes it for your field teams to modify, view, or initiate change orders while on site or on the go, with instant synchronization with your HQ.
- Real-time notifications and alerts: Not only does this help avoid bottlenecks by keeping workflows ticking over smoothly, but it also keeps key stakeholders updated and in the loop.
- Client and subcontractor collaboration: Customizable client or subcontractor portals with role-based access controls to streamline communications and approvals.
- Reporting and forecasting tools: Gives your finance and management teams a quick, holistic overview of how pending or approved change orders or scope creep will impact your cashflow, project timeline, and budget.
- Third-party integrations: You may already be invested in multiple tools and cloud services, so seamless integration is important to minimize friction and delays.
FAQs
What is construction change order management software?
Construction change order management software is a digital system that helps contractors and teams track, document, and manage changes to the original scope, cost, or timeline of a project throughout its lifespan.
Examples include a client requesting plan changes or upgraded materials mid-project, unforeseen site conditions causing delays, building code changes, or failures by subcontractors.
Another important aspect is the ability to quickly synchronize information across the organization so that everyone is on the same page. It may also automatically consolidate change orders to provide dynamic budgetary and deadline forecasts.
Construction change order vs accounting vs project management software: What’s the difference?
Change order software focuses specifically on change orders, which is just one facet of both accounting and project management in a construction project.
Project management software, on the other hand, covers broader functions like scheduling, task management, resource allocation, and communication across the entire project lifecycle, ensuring that everything goes smoothly; change orders included.
Meanwhile, accounting software focuses on tracking all financial matters, including invoicing, payroll, ledgers, tax compliance, etc. So, while it may record the financial impact of change orders, it doesn’t extend to its management, approval, or documentation.
Why do you need construction change order management software?
Construction change order management software makes it easier to avoid cost overruns, delays, and miscommunication by helping you keep track of them and measure their impact. It keeps all project changes organized, approved, and reflected in your budget and schedule, and makes it accessible to all decision-makers and stakeholders.
Conclusion
That’s it.
Not only do you know exactly how to choose the best change order management software for your company, but you’ve also been introduced to some of the best solutions currently available.
You’re one step closer to being able to mitigate risk and manage scope creep by taking control of your change orders instead of letting them control you.
Due to their complexity, change orders tend to take a backseat in many construction management software platforms. What’s more, most tend to add to your frustrations instead of eliminating them with bloated software that’s difficult to implement and take full advantage of.
Bauwise’s finance-first approach puts change order management front and center of your construction project management so that you’re never caught off guard by unexpected events.
Purpose-built workflows and an intuitive interface put you firmly in the driver’s seat, helping you keep your project on-time and in-budget no matter what.
