Change Documentation Methods: ASI, Bulletins, Addenda, Construction Change Directives, and Change Orders

Covers the different instruments used to communicate and authorize changes throughout a construction project, from pre-bid addenda through post-award change orders, including when each is appropriate and how they affect contract sum, time, and documentation requirements.

ARE · Project Development & Documentation

Overview

Every construction project changes. The question is never whether changes will happen but how they get documented. The instruments you use to communicate those changes depend on timing, scope, cost impact, and whether all parties agree.

Before construction starts, addenda modify the bidding documents. During construction, the toolkit expands: Architect's Supplemental Instructions (ASIs) handle minor adjustments that don't touch the contract sum or time. Construction Change Directives let the owner and architect push forward on changed work even when the contractor hasn't agreed to pricing. And Change Orders are the gold standard, a written agreement signed by owner, contractor, and architect that formally modifies the contract.

Bulletins bridge the gap between design changes and the formal instruments that carry them into the contract. They communicate design revisions to the team, often serving as the technical basis for a later change order or addendum.

Getting the wrong instrument for the situation creates real problems. Using an ASI when the change actually affects cost or time exposes the architect to liability. Skipping written authorization and relying on verbal approval invites disputes. For the ARE, you need to match each instrument to its correct use case and understand the contractual consequences of each choice.

Essential

Construction projects generate changes constantly. Owner priorities shift, field conditions surprise everyone, code officials request modifications, and value engineering reshapes the design. Each type of change requires a specific documentation instrument. Pick the wrong one and you create contractual exposure, payment disputes, or schedule chaos. This topic covers the five primary instruments for communicating and authorizing project changes, organized by when they apply and what authority they carry. ## Pre-Bid Changes: Addenda Addenda are written modifications to the bidding documents issued before the bid opening date. They can change drawings, specifications, or bidding requirements. Every addendum becomes part of the contract documents once the contract is executed.

Professional

Consider an architect managing construction administration on a 150,000 SF office building. Three weeks into construction, the owner requests substitution of the curtain wall system to a higher-performance product. The substitution affects structural connections, waterproofing details, and the installation sequence. The architect issues a bulletin describing the revised curtain wall details, modified connection points, and updated specification sections. This bulletin goes to the contractor, structural engineer, and building envelope consultant. Next, the architect issues a Proposal Request (G709) asking the contractor to price the substitution, including any schedule impacts. The contractor returns a price of $340,000 additional cost and requests a 3-week time extension. The owner agrees. The architect prepares Change Order G701 documenting the scope change, the $340,000 adjustment to the contract sum, and the 3-week extension to the contract time. All three parties sign. Now consider a different scenario on the same project.

TLDR

Addenda modify bidding documents before bid opening; become part of the contract once signed
Bulletins communicate design revisions to the team; not a formal AIA contract instrument but precede change orders and addenda
ASI (G710) handles minor changes, interpretations, and clarifications with NO impact on contract sum or time
Construction Change Directive / CCD (G714) directs changed work when owner and contractor disagree on pricing; signed by owner and architect only
Change Order (G701) is the formal contract modification signed by all three parties: owner, contractor, and architect
Proposal Request (G709) asks the contractor for pricing on proposed changes; it is NOT authorization to proceed
Architect's signature on a change order acknowledges the scope change, NOT approval of the cost
CCDs convert to change orders once cost and time are resolved
Never rely on verbal approvals; written authorization prevents disputes
Using an ASI for a change that affects cost or time creates liability exposure for the architect

ELI5

Think of building a house like following a recipe. Before you start cooking (construction), someone might change the recipe. Those changes to the recipe before you start are called addenda. Everyone who is going to cook needs to get the updated recipe so it's fair. Once construction starts, changes still happen. There are different ways to handle them, depending on how big the change is and whether everyone agrees. Bulletins are like sticky notes the architect puts on the plans saying "hey, this part changed." They tell everyone what's different, but they don't officially change the contract by themselves. Architect's Supplemental Instructions (ASI) are for the small stuff. Imagine the architect says "use the blue tile, not the green tile" and it costs the same amount and takes the same time. That's an ASI. No extra money, no extra time, just a clarification.

AREProject Development & Documentation

Change Documentation Methods: ASI, Bulletins, Addenda, Construction Change Directives, and Change Orders

2 min read201 words

Change Documentation Methods: Knowing Which Instrument Fits the Situation

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