The three states of a change: instruction, valued proposal, approved change
An instruction received is the order or indication, verbal or written, to modify something from what was designed; by itself it does not imply the change is economically approved. A valued proposal adds the cost and schedule estimate associated with that instruction, presented for acceptance. An approved change is the proposal that has been formally accepted by whoever has contractual authority to do so, with amount and deadline already closed or with a mechanism agreed to close them later.
The usual risk is treating the instruction received as if it were already an approved change, and executing without waiting for valuation or approval. When that happens and later there is disagreement over the cost, whoever executed is in the weaker position: the technical fact (the change was executed) is indisputable, but the economic right depends on an approval that never became formalized.
What must be recorded from each instruction before executing
Each instruction, even if it arrives verbally on site, needs to be recorded in writing as soon as possible: who gave it, with what contractual authority (not every person present on site has authority to order changes with economic effect), the date, the exact description of what changes and, if possible before executing, a preliminary estimate of impact on cost and schedule.
If the instruction arrives without clear contractual authority to give it, an indication from the final client on site, without going through the supervising architect or the agreed contractual channel, executing it without formal confirmation exposes the contractor to later having no one recognize it as a valid change. The operating rule is simple: every instruction with economic or schedule impact is confirmed via the contractual channel before executing, unless work safety requires acting immediately.
Reservations: when to note them and what effect they have
A reservation is written notice that something is being executed under protest or with disagreement about its valuation, without that implying acceptance of the imposed conditions. It is used when there is pressure to execute immediately (due to schedule, due to dependence on other line items) but there is no agreement on the cost or scope of the change: it is executed to not block the work, and formal notice is left that valuation is still pending agreement.
The reservation loses its value if made too late or in ambiguous form. It must be presented at the moment of receiving the instruction or, at most, before beginning to execute the change, never after having executed it without comment, and must identify exactly what is reserved: the amount, the schedule, or both, with reference to the specific instruction that originates it.
How to structure a claim that will hold up
A well-structured claim separates four elements: the facts, stated objectively and with date; the instruction or contractual fact that originates it, with its exact reference; the claimed impact, in cost and in schedule, with the calculation broken down and not just a lump sum; and the documentary support that backs each of those three elements, instruction recorded, reservation presented on time, evidence of execution.
A claim that arrives without that structure, supported only by the valuation of whoever presents it, is much easier to reject or negotiate down than one that shows the complete chain from instruction to calculated impact. Time elapsed also weighs: a claim presented months after the event, without prior reservation, starts from a weaker position even though the substance is the same.
How Bloqbase supports traceability of changes and instructions
Bloqbase allows using the Contract Analysis module together with document management to record each instruction, its origin, its status, received, valued, approved, and the associated reservation if it exists, within the context of the work, instead of scattered among emails, messages and site notes.
The tool does not decide whether a change should be approved or calculate a claim amount by itself: it orders the chain of evidence, instruction, valuation, reservation, approval, so that whoever must decide or negotiate does so with complete traceability available from the first moment.