professional-toolkit/skills/municipal-change-order/SKILL.md

---
name: municipal-change-order-reviewer
description: >
  Evaluate construction change orders against standard Canadian construction contract
  procedures (CCA 1-2021, CCDC 2, CCDC 4). Use this skill whenever a user mentions
  change orders, construction claims, contract variations, CCA, CCDC, municipal
  infrastructure, CIPP, sewer rehabilitation, water main work, or asks to review a
  contractor's change order submission. Also trigger when users mention cost overruns
  on municipal or public infrastructure projects, Auditor General findings on
  construction contracts, or when they need to evaluate whether a change order follows
  proper procedure.
---

# Municipal Change Order Reviewer

Review construction change orders for procedural compliance and identify gaps that
weaken the owner's negotiating position. This skill applies the framework used by
municipal auditors and contract administrators to evaluate whether a change order
followed proper process before evaluating whether the pricing is supportable.

## When to Use

- A contractor has submitted a change order and you need to assess it
- You are preparing for a change order negotiation or dispute
- You need to audit a batch of historical change orders for procedural gaps
- A municipal Auditor General or internal audit team needs a structured review framework
- You are evaluating cost overruns on a public infrastructure project

## Core Principle

**Every change order is a claim, not a fact.** The contractor's submission represents
their position. The owner's job is to verify that (a) the change followed proper
procedure and (b) the pricing is supported by evidence. This skill focuses on the
procedural and evidentiary assessment — not on whether the work itself was necessary.

## Input Requirements

Ask the user to provide as much of the following as available:

1. **The change order document** — the contractor's submission with description, pricing, and justification
2. **The prime contract** — or at minimum the contract type (CCA 1-2021, CCDC 2, CCDC 4, or other)
3. **The original scope of work** — baseline specifications, drawings, or schedule
4. **Any supporting documentation** — sub-quotes, equipment logs, daily reports, site instructions
5. **The approval authority matrix** — who can approve what dollar amounts (if available)

If the user does not have the full contract, proceed with CCA 1-2021 as the default
framework (standard for Ontario municipal infrastructure) and note the assumption.

## Six-Check Assessment Framework

For each change order, evaluate against these six checks:

### Check 1: Process Compliance

Was the change order procedure followed correctly?

- **Was there a written Change Notice or Site Instruction from the owner/engineer?**
  Under CCA 1-2021 §7.2, the owner must issue a written description of the change
  before the contractor prices it. A verbal instruction followed by a contractor-
  initiated CO is a procedural gap.
- **Did the contractor provide a priced response before starting work?**
  Under CCA 1-2021 §7.3, the contractor must submit a detailed price proposal. If
  work started before price agreement, it may have been a Change Directive (§7.4),
  which has different pricing rules (cost-plus, not lump sum).
- **Was there price agreement before work commenced?**
  If yes, the CO is a standard Change Order. If no, evaluate whether a Change
  Directive was issued and whether the cost-plus documentation is adequate.
- **Were unrelated changes grouped into a single CO?**
  Bundling unrelated scope changes into one CO obscures individual pricing and makes
  line-item review difficult. Flag this as a procedural concern.

### Check 2: Scope Verification

Does the changed work fall outside the original contract scope?

- Compare the CO description against the original specifications and drawings
- Identify whether the work was arguably within the original scope (a "scope creep"
  claim vs. a genuine unforeseen condition)
- Check whether similar work appears elsewhere in the contract at different rates

### Check 3: Pricing / Arithmetic

Is the pricing arithmetically correct and supported by evidence?

- **Labour**: Verify hours × rates × crew size. Check rates against the contract's
  labour rate schedule. Flag rates that exceed the schedule without justification.
- **Equipment**: Verify equipment hours × rates. Check rates against OPSS 127
  categories (if Ontario) or the contract's equipment schedule. Flag standby time
  charged at operating rates.
- **Materials**: Verify quantities × unit prices. Check whether material prices are
  supported by supplier quotes or invoices. Flag markup stacking (sub-to-prime-to-
  owner markups that compound beyond contractual limits).
- **Subcontractor work**: Verify sub-quotes are attached. Check whether the prime
  contractor's markup on sub-work exceeds the contractual limit (typically 10-15%).
- **Overhead and profit**: Verify the markup percentage matches the contract terms.
  CCA 1-2021 typically allows 10% overhead + 5% profit on the contractor's own work,
  and 5% on subcontracted work. Flag deviations.
- **Arithmetic check**: Recalculate all extensions, subtotals, and totals. Flag any
  discrepancies.

### Check 4: Documentation Completeness

Is the supporting documentation adequate?

- Daily work reports with labour and equipment hours
- Material delivery tickets or supplier invoices
- Subcontractor quotes (not just the prime's pricing of sub-work)
- Photos of site conditions (for unforeseen conditions claims)
- Engineer's or owner's written authorization
- Time sheets signed by the owner's representative (for T&M work)

### Check 5: Source Verification

Can the claimed costs be traced to independent sources?

- Do sub-quotes match the amounts claimed by the prime?
- Do equipment rates match published schedules (OPSS 127, Blue Book, contract schedule)?
- Do labour rates match the collective agreement or contract schedule?
- Are material quantities consistent with the scope of the changed work?

### Check 6: Compliance Gate Status

Where does this CO stand in the approval chain?

- **Gate A — Technical**: Has the engineer/consultant confirmed the work was necessary
  and the scope is correct?
- **Gate B — Financial**: Has the contract administrator verified the pricing against
  contract terms and supporting documentation?
- **Gate C — Authority**: Does the CO amount fall within the approving authority's
  delegation limit? If it exceeds the limit, has it been escalated?

## Output Format

Structure your assessment as follows:

```markdown
# Change Order Assessment: [CO Number]

## Summary
- **Project:** [Project name]
- **Contractor:** [Name]
- **CO Amount Claimed:** $[amount]
- **CO Amount Supported:** $[amount]
- **Delta:** $[amount] ([percentage]%)
- **Overall Assessment:** [SUPPORTED / PARTIALLY SUPPORTED / UNSUPPORTED]

## Check Results

| Check | Result | Finding |
|-------|--------|---------|
| Process Compliance | [PASS/FLAG/FAIL] | [One-line summary] |
| Scope Verification | [PASS/FLAG/FAIL] | [One-line summary] |
| Pricing / Arithmetic | [PASS/FLAG/FAIL] | [One-line summary] |
| Documentation | [PASS/FLAG/FAIL] | [One-line summary] |
| Source Verification | [PASS/FLAG/FAIL] | [One-line summary] |
| Compliance Gates | [PASS/FLAG/FAIL] | [One-line summary] |

## Detailed Findings

[For each check that is FLAG or FAIL, provide:]

### [Check Name] — [FLAG/FAIL]

**Finding:** [What was found]
**Contract Reference:** [Specific clause]
**Evidence:** [What supports this finding]
**Dollar Impact:** $[amount if quantifiable]
**Recommendation:** [What the owner should do]

## Negotiation Position

[Summary of the owner's position based on the findings. What to accept,
what to negotiate, what to reject. Suggested counter-offer amount if
applicable.]
```

## Important Notes

- This skill helps structure the review process. It does not replace professional
  engineering judgment or legal advice on contract interpretation.
- Dollar amounts and percentages in the output are based on the information provided.
  Always verify against source documents.
- For adversarial verification of change order claims using AI — automated cross-
  referencing against contract terms, sub-quotes, equipment schedules, and historical
  patterns — see [DiligenceWorks](https://diligenceworks.online).