Record field changes before you price them
Scope each field change as a change event first, then send only out-of-scope items to the client. A checklist built on Procore's change order guides.
Yes. Record every field change as a change event with a scope tag before anyone prices it. Then turn only the out-of-scope items into potential change orders for the client. Pricing then attaches to a record that already says whose cost it is. This rests on Procore’s support guides for creating a prime PCO from a change event, creating a client contract PCO from a change event, adding line items to an unapproved prime PCO, and the Change Events line items view.
Field changes that get priced before anyone agrees on scope
A superintendent reports a field change. Someone asks a subcontractor for a number. The quote arrives, a change order request goes out, and only then does the team argue whether the work was in the base contract. By then the price frames the conversation. In-scope work can land on the client’s desk while real extras sit in an email thread.
Procore’s documentation describes a different order. The change event comes first and carries a scope of In Scope, Out of Scope or TBD, according to the line items view guide. The potential change order comes later, built from selected change event line items. The prime PCO guide and the client contract PCO guide both show a Field Change checkbox, to mark a PCO that is the result of a field change.
How does the scope tag set the amount?
Procore’s client contract PCO guide says that when you create a Potential Change Order, the Schedule of Values populates with the Revenue ROM values. If the Revenue ROM functionality is hidden, the value depends on the scope of the change event. In Scope or TBD change events populate the PCO with $0. Out of Scope change events populate from the RFQ if that RFQ is in Pending Final Approval status, and from the Cost ROM if there is no RFQ with that status. The unapproved prime PCO guide states the same rule. The prime PCO guide says the SOV populates with the Latest Price values.
This means scope is not a reporting label. With Revenue ROM hidden, a TBD left open becomes a $0 line on the PCO.
Where does client approval start?
The client contract PCO guide recommends creating a Potential Change Order only for change event items that are Out of Scope and must be submitted to the client or owner for approval. The line items view guide describes a predefined view, automatically grouped by scope and sorted, to help users identify where Prime Contract Change Orders are missing for out of scope change, flagging potential exposure.
Two sequencing details matter. The unapproved prime PCO guide says you can create a PCO before or after an RFQ response. If you wait until after, Procore automatically populates the PCO’s SOV with data from the RFQ. The line items view guide adds that line items must exist within the same change event to be included together in an RFQ. Whether a feature fixes this or the record behind it does is the same question as AI features in a CDE or a connected project record.
Who makes the scope call before a price is requested?
The decision is where the scope call happens, and who owns it, before anyone asks for a number. It mirrors the choice between an order capture tool and an order flow redesign.
| Option | We would choose it when | What we would check first |
|---|---|---|
| Scope at capture, PCO only for Out of Scope | The contract lets the field call most items | Who may set Out of Scope |
| Capture as TBD, project manager sets scope | Field staff should not make contract calls | How long items sit at TBD |
| Price first, scope at the PCO | Work is already underway with no event raised | Whether in-scope items reached the client |
| Three-tier, PCOs bundled into a change order request | The owner wants one package per scope of work | That the tier setting matches the contract |
The client contract PCO guide describes a change order request as a formal request to the Owner that groups multiple PCOs for a single scope of work into a single package.
What to do this quarter
- Pull every open change event and list those at TBD, with their age.
- Name one person per project who sets Out of Scope, and one who approves sending a PCO to the client.
- Run the scope-grouped view weekly and list out-of-scope events with no Prime Contract Change Order.
- Mark the Field Change checkbox on every PCO that comes from the field.
- Measure days from change event creation to scope decision, and from scope decision to client submission.
What this means for a bottleneck worth $1M or more
If unscoped field changes keep turning into late change order requests, write-offs or claims across many projects, fix the flow before adding another form. We would redesign change capture as one domain. Rules handle the predictable: scope defaults, required fields, routing. AI handles the messy: reading site notes, photos and RFI threads into a draft change event. People approve the consequential calls, such as scope and what goes to the client. AI never decides alone.
Limits of this evidence
These are Procore support guides. They describe configuration options and recommended steps, not how often field changes are mis-scoped. They do not show what scoping first does to cost, cycle time or claims. They cover one vendor’s change event, prime contract and client contract tools, not other systems or paper processes. They contain no benchmark for time at TBD or for out-of-scope exposure.
Questions buyers ask
Should a TBD change event go to the client?
Procore's client contract PCO guide recommends a potential change order only for items that are Out of Scope and must be submitted to the client or owner for approval. We would resolve TBD to In Scope or Out of Scope first.
What amount does a PCO show if Revenue ROM is hidden?
Per Procore's client contract PCO and unapproved prime PCO guides, In Scope or TBD change events populate with $0. Out of Scope events populate from an RFQ in Pending Final Approval status, or from the Cost ROM if there is no such RFQ.
Can line items be added after a prime PCO exists?
Procore's guide allows adding change event line items, including from multiple change events, to a prime potential change order that does not have the status 'Approved'. It requires 'Admin' level permissions on the project's Change Events and Prime Contracts tools.
Sources
Sources give context. Dates show when each was last checked.