Work Order Quote and Change Order Controls Playbook

Reactive work is where spend runs away.

This playbook installs a tight workflow so:

• every job has an owner and a not-to-exceed cap
• after-hours and emergency work uses explicit approvals
• scope creep requires a documented change order
• invoices match the work order and acceptance evidence

What you will produce

1. Work order intake form and required fields
2. Quote request and approval workflow
3. Not-to-exceed rules and exception handling
4. Change order governance rules
5. Invoice matching checklist

Step-by-step implementation

Step 1: Standardize work order intake

Work order intake form (copy and paste)

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Work Order Intake

Request date:
Site:
Location detail:
Work type:
Issue description:
Safety or risk flag: [yes/no]
Requested completion date:
Vendor (if known):
Owner:
Not-to-exceed cap:
After-hours approved: [yes/no]
Approval reference:

Step 2: Require quotes above a threshold

Quote request template (copy and paste)

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Quote Request

Work order ID:
Scope summary:
Requested schedule:
Pricing format required:
- Labor by role and hours
- Materials list with unit pricing
- Any trip charge or after-hours premium separately stated
Not-to-exceed requested:
Proof requirements:

Step 3: Set not-to-exceed rules

Not-to-exceed policy (copy and paste)

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Not-to-Exceed Rules

- All work orders must have an NTE cap unless exempted.
- Any work expected to exceed the NTE requires a documented change order before proceeding.
- After-hours or emergency premiums require explicit approval and must reference the approval on the invoice.
- Work performed without approvals may be disputed or denied.

Step 4: Change order governance

Change order template (copy and paste)

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Change Order

Work order ID:
Reason for change:
New scope:
Incremental cost:
Updated not-to-exceed:
Schedule impact:
Approved by:
Approval date:

Step 5: Invoice matching checklist

Invoice matching checklist (copy and paste)

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Invoice Matching Checklist

- Work order ID present on invoice
- Scope aligns to approved quote or rate card
- Not-to-exceed not exceeded without approved change order
- After-hours premiums documented and approved
- Parts and materials markup complies with policy
- Proof of work attached (photos, logs, completion notes)
- Acceptance recorded (inspection or sign-off)

Common failure modes

• no NTE cap, so scope expands without friction
• emergency work becomes a loophole for premium pricing
• change orders happen verbally, so Finance cannot enforce
• invoices do not reference work order IDs, so matching fails