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Independent Construction Cost Review

Your Contractor Is Asking for More Money?

Before you approve the change order, understand what you're paying for.

The project is underway and your contractor has presented a change order — an added $15,000, $30,000, sometimes more. You're mid-construction, under pressure to keep things moving, and it's hard to know whether the added cost and scope are justified. PARASOCIUM reviews the change order independently, from the owner's side, so you can decide with clear information instead of pressure.

The Situation

Why change orders are hard to judge mid-project

A change order is a formal request to add cost or scope after the contract is signed. Some are legitimate — conditions genuinely changed. Others are where a thin original estimate catches up with the owner. The difficulty is that they arrive at the worst possible moment to evaluate them.

Once work has started, the pressure to say yes is highest — and that is exactly when a change order deserves the most scrutiny.

You're mid-build, the crew is on site, and delay feels expensive. An independent review gives you a fast, clear read on whether the added cost is reasonable — before you approve it, not after.

What We Review

What a change order review covers

We look at the change order against the original estimate and scope, and check whether the added cost is defined, justified, and priced consistently with the work already agreed.

Justification

Whether the change reflects a genuine new condition — or work that should have been in the original scope.

Pricing basis

Whether the added amount is itemized, or a lump sum with nothing behind it.

Consistency

Whether the change-order pricing matches the rates and basis of the original estimate.

Scope overlap

Whether any of the added work was already included — and is now being charged twice.

Markup

Whether overhead and profit on the change are in line with the contract terms.

Documentation

Whether the change order is written clearly enough to hold both sides to it.

Common Issues

Common issues in change orders

Patterns that most often make a change order hard for an owner to evaluate. None automatically means the contractor is acting in bad faith — each is a place where clarification is warranted.

What You Receive

A Construction Cost Review Report

After the review, you receive a clear written report you can use when discussing the change order with your contractor.

View a Sample Report

Questions to Ask

Questions to ask before approving a change order

A short starting list you can raise on any change order. Clear answers resolve most uncertainty.

  1. Can you provide an itemized breakdown of the added labor and materials?
  2. Why was this not part of the original scope or estimate?
  3. How does this pricing compare to the rates in the original estimate?
  4. Is any of this work already covered by what I've paid?
  5. What overhead and markup are being applied, and do they match the contract?
  6. What is the schedule and cost impact if I ask for more detail before approving?
Before You Approve

Send us the change order.

We review it independently, against the original estimate and scope, and give you a clear list of what to question — before you approve the added cost.

Request an Independent Cost Review