Change Requests - Overview

Updated 4 hours ago by Customer Service

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Contracts - Overview

Change Requests - Overview

A Change Request is a proposal to the Client/Owner for a change to the original contract. It is an estimate, is not legally binding and serves to notify the Client/Owner of an impending change, but also to get preliminary approval for that change.

A Change Request could be initiated by the Client/Owner themselves (Owner Change), but it could also be a change request initiated by the Project Manager to the Client/Owner as a result of circumstances changing on the project (Internal). This can be tracked on the Change Request.

Note* A Change Request is sent to whomever is responsible for paying for this project, which in most cases is the Owner or Client however, it could be a General Contractor if the Organization running JobPlanner is a Specialty Contractor or Sub Contractor. Throughout the help it will be referred to Client/Owner.

The Change Request can be managed throughout its life cycle with different Statuses.

A Change Request has a Schedule of Values. The Schedule of Values is specific to the Change Request and must be created for each Change Request.

The scope of work on the Change Request (i.e. the Line Items from the Schedule of Values) can be:

• Managed with Client/Owners via Contract Change Orders
• Managed with Vendors/Subcontractors via Commitments and/or Commitment Change Orders

Managing the work with Clients/Owners via Contract Change Orders

Once a Change Request is Approved, a Contract Change Order is initiated which is the formal authorization from the Client/Owner to proceed with the change. The Contract Change Order is usually legally binding and has the final approved costs. (See Contract Change Orders - Overview for more information).

JobPlanner has processes and functions to ensure all Line Items on an Approved Change Request Schedule of Values are created on a Contract Change Order. This is to ensure that the entire scope of change work on the Change Request is being managed to a Contract Change Order and that there is the formal approval and management of the change with the Client/Owner.

There are multiple ways to create Line Items on Contract Change Orders, choose the appropriate help for the view applicable to the organization (see Change Requests - Multiple Lists and Views):

• For the Grouped List View, see Create Change Request Line Items on Contract Change Orders (Grouped List View)
• For the Simple List View, see Create Change Request Line Items on Contract Change Orders (Simple List View)

To view the Change Request Schedule of Values Line Items and whether or not the Line Item has been created on a Contract Change Order, see Change Request - Schedule of Values - Line Item - Contract CO.

Managing the work with Vendor or Subcontractors via Commitments or Commitment Change Orders

There are various functions available to manage the work with Vendors or Subcontractors.

RFQs

Requests for Quotes (RFQs) can be sent to Vendors or Subcontractors for the work outlined on the Change Request Schedule of Values to get preliminary quotes and information on the change. Requests for Quotes (RFQs) can be sent for Change Requests that are in any status except Void or Rejected. See RFQs - Overview for more information.

The RFQs can be managed through the life cycle and if Approved, the RFQ will update the estimated costs (and optionally the Revenue) on the Change Request Line Item that the RQF was initiated for. As well, the Change Request Line Item Company will be updated with Company from the RFQ.

RFQs are created through the Bulk Actions function. From either view (Simple or Grouped), RFQs can be created and send when creating or maintaining the Change Request Schedule of Values, see Change Request - Schedule of Values - Bulk Actions - Send RFQs. With this function, RFQs can be created for one or more Line Items from an individual Change Request.

In addition, if the Grouped List View is applicable, the Bulk Actions function can be initiated from the Change Requests List or the Contracts - List of all Change Requests, see All Change Request Lists - Bulk Actions - Send RFQs. With this function, RFQs can be created for a for one or more Line Items from one or more Change Requests.

Once an RFQ is created, it can be managed (viewed, edited, deleted, the Status changed etc.) from different places:

• The RFQ component on the Change Request View/Edit form, to manage RFQs just for that specific Change Request, see Change Request Specific RFQs - View/Edit
• The RFQ component on the Change Requests List, where RFQs from any Change Request can be managed, see Change Requests - List of all RFQs - View/Edit

Associate a Change Request Line Item to a Company or Commitment

There is functionality to associate a Change Request Line Item to a Company or Commitment.

Associate means it is not yet created on a Commitment or Commitment Change Order, so it is a reference only. It is used to preliminary relate a Line Item to a Company and/or Commitment (but not actually create the Line Item on the Commitment).

A Company can be entered without a Commitment, but choosing a Commitment automatically populates the Company.

The Company and Commitment can be left as just a reference OR the Company or Commitment can be used as defaults for creating the Line Item on a Commitment or Commitment Change Order. What information is used (the Company or the Commitment) and how it is used depends on the function.

The only way to associate a Change Request Line Item to a Company and/or a Commitment is via the Change Request Schedule of Values component. See Associate Change Request Line Items to Commitments and/or Companies (Grouped List View) OR Associate Change Request Line Items to Commitments and/or Companies (Simple List View).

For more information, see Change Request - Schedule of Values - Line Item - Company and Commitment.

Create Change Request Line Item on a Commitment or Commitment Change Order

The Line Items on a Change Request Schedule of Values can be automatically created on a Commitment or Commitment Change Order to manage the change with Vendors or Subcontractors hired to perform the work or deliver the service. This is usually done after RFQs or preliminary costs are received. An association to a Company or Commitment (as described above) may be done before (but is not required).

Once a Change Request Line Item is created on a Commitment or Commitment Change Order Schedule of Values, it can not be changed or associated with another Commitment or Commitment Change Order.

JobPlanner has processes and functions to ensure all Line Items on a Change Request Schedule of Values are created on a Commitment or Commitment Change Order. This is to ensure that the entire scope of change work on the Change Request is being managed to a Commitment or Commitment Change Order and that there is the formal approval and management of the change with the Vendor/Subcontractor.

There are multiple ways to associate Line Items to Commitments or Commitment Change Orders, choose the appropriate help for the view applicable to the organization (see Change Requests - Multiple Lists and Views):

For the Grouped List View, see Create Change Requests Line Items on Commitments (Grouped List View):

For the Simple List View, see Create Change Requests Line Items on Commitments (Simple List View).

To view the Change Request Schedule of Values Line Items and whether or not the Line Item has been created on a Commitment or Commitment Change Order, see Change Request - Schedule of Values - Line Item - Company or Change Request - Schedule of Values - Line Item - Commitment.

Remove a Contract Change Order or Commitment/Commitment Change Order from a Line Item

If a Change Request Line Item, is created on a Contract Change Order or Commitment/Commitment Change Order, that can't be changed on the Change Request Schedule of Values.

The only way to remove it, is to delete the Line Item from the Contract Change Order or Commitment/Commitment Change Order Schedule of Values. Then it will be automatically removed from the Change Request Line Item columns.

Change Request Financial Markups

The Financial Markups for the Change Request are automatically copied from the Contract. See Change Request - Financial Markups - Overview.

There is an option the Administrator can set that dictates whether or not the Financial Markups copied from the Contract, can be changed on the Change Request (see Settings - Change Requests - Change Request Settings).

If this is set to Yes, the Change Request Financial Markups can changed; including deleting or changing the Financial Markup(s) copied from the Contract or adding new ones.

If this is set to No, the Change Request Financial Markups can not be changed.

Regardless of the setting, if Line Items from the Change Request Schedule of Values are created on a new Contract Change Order, there is an option to copy the Financial Markups from the Contract. This is the Contract Financial Markups, not the Change Request Financial Markups. If this option is on, and Financial Markups on the Change Request are changed from what is on the Contract, those changes would have to be manually entered on the Contract Change Order

Budget

Change Requests do not appear on or impact the Budget.

Accessing Change Requests

Change Requests for a Project can be accessed multiple ways and there is slightly different functionality available, depending on where its accessed.

• From the Change Request List (accessed directly via the Project Navigation Menu Option).
  • RFQs can also be accessed from this list (via the The Form List Navigation Menu Options)
• From the Contracts List (accessed from the Contracts List Navigation Menu).
  • The Form List Navigation Menu Options are to easily navigate to Contracts, Change Orders, Receivable Invoices and Change Requests.

Multiple Views

There are two different views available for the two Change Requests Lists. The Change Request Administrator sets which view applies for the entire organization (this can't be changed by individual users).

All the Change Requests help will refer to the view to which it is applicable. See Change Requests - Multiple Lists and Views for more information.

Next Steps

Determine which view is applicable to the organization, (see Change Requests - Multiple Lists and Views) then select the appropriate help.

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