# Change Order Log and RFI Log Templates (Excel)

> Free construction change order log and RFI log templates in Excel, the columns to track, filled-in examples, and how RFIs turn into change orders and cost.

Canonical: https://origindatapartners.com/guides/change-order-log-template
By: Origin Data Partners
Status: Published
Published: 2026-11-13
Updated: 2026-11-14
Sources checked: 2026-11-13

## Quick answer

An RFI log tracks every question the contractor asks the architect about the contract documents, and a change order log tracks every change to the contract sum or time, from potential change order to signed change order. Track them together: under the AIA RFI form, an answer is not an authorization to spend more time or money, so any RFI that changes the work has to be followed by a change order, construction change directive or minor change. Download both free templates below.

## Key points

- Under A201-2017, the work can change only by change order, construction change directive or order for a minor change.
- A change order needs the agreement of owner, contractor and architect; a construction change directive does not need the contractor's.
- An RFI answer is not an authorization for extra cost or time.
- Number RFIs and potential change orders once, and carry the numbers across both logs and the pay application.

## Why track RFIs and change orders together

Many changes start as a question. A conflict between drawings, a field condition or a missing detail becomes an RFI; the answer adds work; the added work becomes a change order. The AIA RFI form says so on its face: "This reply is not an authorization to proceed with work involving additional cost, time or both", and if a reply changes the contract documents, "a Change Order, Construction Change Directive or a Minor Change in the work must be executed in accordance with the Contract Documents" ([AIA G716](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_G716-2004.pdf)).

Two linked logs let a project manager answer the questions owners and auditors ask at the end: which changes came from design gaps, which from owner requests, and how much each cost and delayed the job.

Clause numbers on this page refer to AIA A201-2017, the most widely used general conditions. Your contract may use a different form or amend these clauses: follow the contract you signed. This page is general information, not legal advice.


## RFI log columns and template download

Under A201-2017 "the Architect will review and respond to requests for information about the Contract Documents". Responses come "in writing within any time limits agreed upon or otherwise with reasonable promptness", and if appropriate the architect issues supplemental drawings and specifications ([AIA A201-2017, 4.2.14](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_A201-2017.pdf)). [Download the RFI log template (CSV)](https://origindatapartners.com/downloads/rfi-log-template.csv).

| Column | What to enter |
| --- | --- |
| RFI no. | One sequence for the whole project |
| Subject and reference | Short subject plus the specification section or drawing |
| Question | The full question, with the documents already checked (the AIA form has a references field for this) |
| Asked by | The person or subcontractor who raised it |
| Date sent and reply needed by | The reply date that keeps work moving |
| Date answered and answer summary | What the architect said, and whether supplemental drawings were issued |
| Cost impact and schedule impact | Yes, no or unknown at the time of the answer |
| Linked PCO or change order | The number in the change order log, if the answer changed the work |
| Status | Open, answered, closed |


## Change order log columns and template download

A change order is "a written instrument prepared by the Architect and signed by the Owner, Contractor, and Architect" stating the change in the work, the adjustment to the contract sum and the adjustment to the contract time ([AIA A201-2017, 7.2.1](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_A201-2017.pdf)). The AIA G701 form records the net change from earlier change orders, the new contract sum, the change in contract time and "The new date of Substantial Completion", and says it is "NOT VALID UNTIL SIGNED BY THE ARCHITECT, CONTRACTOR AND OWNER" ([AIA G701](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_G701-2017.pdf)). [Download the change order log template (CSV)](https://origindatapartners.com/downloads/change-order-log-template.csv).

| Column | What to enter |
| --- | --- |
| PCO no. | Potential change order number, given when the change is first priced |
| Change order no. | Given when the change order is executed; several PCOs can roll into one change order |
| Description and origin | What changed, and why: RFI, owner request, field condition, design change |
| Linked RFI no. | From the RFI log |
| Amount requested and approved | Keep both, so the log shows what was conceded |
| Days requested and approved | Changes to contract time |
| Status | Pending, approved, rejected, or proceeding under a construction change directive |
| Date executed | Date the last party signed |


## Change orders, construction change directives and minor changes

A201-2017 allows changes "by Change Order, Construction Change Directive or order for a minor change in the Work" ([AIA A201-2017, 7.1.1](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_A201-2017.pdf)). Who must agree differs: "A Change Order shall be based upon agreement among the Owner, Contractor, and Architect. A Construction Change Directive requires agreement by the Owner and Architect and may or may not be agreed to by the Contractor." ([AIA A201-2017, 7.1.2](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_A201-2017.pdf)).

| Instrument | What it does | Who signs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change order | Changes the work with an agreed adjustment to contract sum and time | Owner, contractor and architect |
| Construction change directive (CCD) | Orders a change "prior to agreement on adjustment, if any, in the Contract Sum or Contract Time"; used "in the absence of total agreement on the terms of a Change Order" | Owner and architect; the contractor may or may not agree |
| Minor change | Changes consistent with the design intent that "do not involve an adjustment in the Contract Sum or an extension of the Contract Time" | Architect alone, in writing |

Quotes from [AIA A201-2017, 7.3.1, 7.3.2 and 7.4](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_A201-2017.pdf). Watch the minor-change trap: if the contractor performs a minor change without first telling the architect that it affects cost or time, "the Contractor waives any adjustment to the Contract Sum or extension of the Contract Time". Log a CCD as its own status until it is converted into a change order.


## Example: one RFI that became a change order (illustrative)

An illustrative sequence on a fictional office building. Numbers and dates are invented.

| Step | Log entry |
| --- | --- |
| RFI 017 sent 15 Jan | Curtain wall anchors on drawing A-501 conflict with the slab edge embed spacing on S-301. Which governs? Reply needed by 22 Jan. |
| RFI 017 answered 21 Jan | Architect issues a supplemental detail adding a continuous embed plate. Cost impact: yes. Schedule impact: unknown. |
| PCO 012 opened 23 Jan | Origin: RFI 017. Requested $18,400 and 4 days for added embed plates on levels 2 and 3. |
| PCO 012 negotiated | Owner accepts the cost at $16,900 and 2 days. |
| Change order 006 executed 9 Feb | Includes PCO 012 and PCO 013. Contract sum and substantial completion date updated. |
| Pay application 5 | Change order 006 appears in the net change by change orders on the G702 and as a new line on the G703. |


## Pending, approved and rejected changes

Keep every potential change order in the log, including those rejected or withdrawn. A log with only approved changes hides the exposure the project carried, and it hides the reasons the owner said no, which is what the next proposal needs to anticipate.

Review pending items weekly with the owner's representative. Old pending items are where final-payment disputes come from.


## Tying the logs to the schedule of values and pay applications

Only executed change orders belong on a pay application. On AIA forms, the G702 carries the "NET CHANGE BY CHANGE ORDERS" line and a change order summary ([AIA G702](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_G702-1992.pdf)), and each change order is added to the G703 continuation sheet as its own line with a scheduled value ([AIA G703](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_G703-1992.pdf)). Reconcile the change order log total to the G702 every month.


## Common change order and RFI log mistakes

These cost money at closeout.

- Doing extra work on the strength of an RFI answer alone. The RFI form itself says the reply is not an authorization for added cost or time.
- Proceeding with an architect's minor change without first saying it affects cost or time.
- Two numbering systems: PCOs in one sheet, change orders in another, with no link.
- Recording only the approved amount, so the log no longer shows what was requested.
- RFIs used as a design service: asking questions the documents already answer. List the documents checked in each RFI.
- Letting RFI answers stay out of the as-builts. Federal specifications name RFI responses as a source of as-built deviations.


## Keeping the logs after closeout

Change orders are part of the record documents delivered to the owner, and RFI answers belong in the as-builts: "official responses to submitted Requests for Information" are one source of deviations the as-built drawings must show ([UFGS 01 78 00](https://www.wbdg.org/FFC/DOD/UFGS/UFGS%2001%2078%2000.pdf)). Keep your own final logs with the job cost report. See the [construction closeout checklist](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/construction-closeout-checklist) and the [submittal log template](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/submittal-log-template).


## Your RFI and change order logs are also a data asset

A decade of RFIs linked to their answers, change orders and final costs records how real projects deviate from the drawings and what that costs. AI developers building estimating and project-management tools ask for that kind of record from the contractors who own it, with owner and architect drawings and personal data left out. See [selling construction project records to AI companies](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/sell-construction-project-records-ai) and the [construction contractor data guide](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/construction-contractor-data).

If your company keeps years of closed project records, the [guide for construction contractors](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/construction-contractor-data) explains what AI developers ask for and who signs. To see what yours could be worth, [describe them in six questions](https://origindatapartners.com/check-fit?sector=construction); no files or system access needed.


## Questions and answers

### What is an RFI log in construction?

A list of every request for information the contractor sends the architect, with the question, the documents referenced, dates sent and answered, the answer, and whether it affects cost or schedule. It is usually kept by the contractor's project engineer.

### What goes in a construction change order log?

Each potential change order and change order: number, description, origin (RFI, owner request, field condition, design change), linked RFI, amounts and days requested and approved, status and execution date. Keep rejected and withdrawn items too.

### Who approves a change order under an AIA A201 contract?

Under A201-2017 a change order is prepared by the architect and signed by the owner, contractor and architect. The AIA G701 form is not valid until all three sign. A construction change directive needs only the owner and architect.

### What is a potential change order (PCO) and how is it different from a change order?

A potential change order is a change the contractor has identified and priced but the parties have not yet agreed. It becomes part of a change order once owner, contractor and architect sign. Several PCOs are often combined into one change order.

### Can an RFI answer change the contract price or schedule by itself?

Not under the AIA RFI form: the reply is not an authorization to proceed with work involving additional cost or time. If the answer changes the contract documents, a change order, construction change directive or minor change must follow.

### How long should a contractor keep change order and RFI records?

It depends on the contract, warranty periods, tax rules and the state's time limits for construction claims, so there is no single number. Ask your counsel which periods apply, and keep the logs with the full project file for the longest of them.

### What should a construction change order form include?

The change in the work, the amount of any change to the contract sum and the new sum, the change to the contract time and the new completion date, and the signatures of owner, contractor and architect. AIA Document G701 is the standard change order form under A201-2017.

### What is a constructive change in construction?

Contractors use constructive change for a change to the work that the owner brings about through its conduct, such as an instruction or a disputed interpretation, without a written change order. For federal contracts, FAR 43.104 says that when a contractor considers such a change to have happened, "it is necessary that the contractor notify the Government in writing as soon as possible", so the Government can confirm it, countermand it or say no change occurred. Under AIA A201-2017 the usual route for added cost or time without a change order is a Claim; for a condition found before the correction period ends, section 15.1.3.1 sets notice within 21 days after the event or after the claimant first recognizes the condition, whichever is later, and section 15.1.5 asks for notice before the work proceeds. Log it as a potential change order the day it happens, so the notice date is on record.

### Is an engineering change order the same as a construction change order?

No. An engineering change order is a manufacturing document: the approved instruction to change a released design, such as a part drawing, a bill of materials or a specification. A construction change order changes the contract work and, under AIA A201-2017 section 7.2.1, records the agreed change in the work, the contract sum and the contract time. For the manufacturing version, see the [engineering change order template](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/engineering-change-order-template).

## Sources

- [AIA Document A201-2017, General Conditions of the Contract for Construction (sample)](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_A201-2017.pdf)
- [AIA Document G701-2017, Change Order (sample)](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_G701-2017.pdf)
- [AIA Document G702-1992, Application and Certificate for Payment (sample)](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_G702-1992.pdf)
- [AIA Document G703-1992, Continuation Sheet (sample)](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_G703-1992.pdf)
- [AIA Document G716-2004, Request for Information (sample)](https://contractdocs.aia.org/PreviewFiles/Preview_G716-2004.pdf)
- [WBDG: UFGS 01 78 00, Closeout Submittals](https://www.wbdg.org/FFC/DOD/UFGS/UFGS%2001%2078%2000.pdf)
- [FAR 43.104, Notification of contract changes (Acquisition.gov)](https://www.acquisition.gov/far/43.104)

## Related reading

- [Submittal Log Template (Excel): Columns and Example](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/submittal-log-template)
- [Project Closeout Checklist: Construction Closeout Documents](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/construction-closeout-checklist)
- [Sell Construction Project Records to AI Companies](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/sell-construction-project-records-ai)
- [Construction Project Data for AI: A Contractor's Guide](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/construction-contractor-data)
- [/sell-company-data/united-states/construction-companies](https://origindatapartners.com/sell-company-data/united-states/construction-companies)
- [/glossary/submittal](https://origindatapartners.com/glossary/submittal)