Free Change Order Log Template (Excel)
Track every change order on the project in one sheet: CO number, date, description, status, and amount, with a revised contract total that calculates itself. Download the Excel workbook below. No signup. No watermark.
What the change order log tracks
A change order log is the running index of every change on the project. The form documents one change; the log answers the question the owner and the GC actually ask: where does the contract stand right now?
- CO number. Sequential. The log is what keeps the numbering honest across the project.
- Date. The date the change order was written, so the log reads as a project timeline.
- Description. One line per change. Enough to know which CO is which without opening the form.
- Status. Pending, Approved, Rejected, or Void. Only approved changes belong in the total you bill against.
- Amount. The cost impact of the change. Negative amounts for credits and deductive change orders.
- Revised contract total. Calculated. Original contract amount plus every change above, running row by row.
How to keep the log
Enter the original contract amount at the top of the sheet once. Every time a change order is written, add a row while it is still pending, then update the status when it is signed or rejected. The running total column fills in as soon as an amount is entered, so keep unapproved changes at the bottom or leave the amount blank until they are approved. At any point, the last row shows the current revised contract value, which is the number that prevents the closeout argument.
Keep one log per contract, not per project phase. If a job has separate contracts for sitework and utilities, each contract gets its own log with its own CO numbering.
Change order log vs change order form
A change order form documents one change: what changed, why, what it costs, and the signatures that make it binding. The log is the index of all of them. You need both on any project with more than one or two changes: the form is what gets signed, the log is what tells you the revised contract total at a glance.
This page is the log. For the form, the free change order template has blank PDF and Word downloads plus an online generator that builds a filled-in, signable change order PDF with an itemized cost breakdown.
Frequently asked questions
What is a change order log?
A change order log, sometimes called a change order register, is the running index of every change order on a project: CO number, date, description, status, and amount, with a revised contract total that updates as changes are added. The individual change order form documents one change; the log shows where the whole contract stands.
How does the running revised contract total work?
Enter the original contract amount once at the top of the sheet. Each row adds its amount to the running total, so the last filled row always shows the current revised contract value. The formula fills in as soon as an amount is entered, so leave the amount blank on unapproved changes or keep them at the bottom until they are signed.
Does the log template work in Google Sheets?
Yes. The download is a standard .xlsx workbook. It opens in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc with the running total formulas intact.
Is the change order form included too?
Yes. The workbook has two sheets: the change order log and a blank change order form with an itemized cost table and contract summary. If you want the form as a fill-in PDF or Word document, or want to generate a completed change order PDF online, use the change order template page.
What statuses should I track in the log?
Pending, Approved, Rejected, and Void cover almost every project. The important discipline is billing only against approved changes. A log full of pending COs with amounts already counted in the total is how contractors end up arguing about the contract value at closeout.
Is this really free?
Yes. Download the workbook with no signup, no email, and no watermark. Anything you enter stays in your own copy of the file.
Related free tools
- Change Order Template. Blank PDF and Word forms, plus an online change order PDF generator.
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