California Supplemental (CSE) Practice Exam

Which method is used to change the contractor’s scope of work and may alter the contract duration or cost?

1. Architect's Supplemental Instructions

2. Change Order

3. Proposal Request

4. Construction Change Directive

The correct answer is: Change Order

A change order is a formal document that modifies the original contract between the owner and the contractor. This method is used when there's a need to change the contractor's scope of work, which can lead to alterations in both the contract duration and the overall cost. A change order is essential for documenting any agreed-upon changes and ensuring that both parties acknowledge the new terms, protecting the contractual relationship. In contrast, architect's supplemental instructions serve more limited purposes, such as providing clarification or additional design details without affecting the contract price or duration. Proposal requests are preliminary communications that ask the contractor for prices on proposed changes, often leading up to a change order rather than serving as the final agreement itself. Construction change directives allow a change to proceed without prior agreement on price but do not officially document the agreed-upon modifications and their impacts on costs and duration in the same formal manner as a change order. The clear distinction lies in the fact that a change order formalizes the change and its implications for both time and costs, making it the most comprehensive method for altering the scope of work in a construction contract.