Documents & records
Construction change directive (CCD)
Also called: CCD
A construction change directive is how an owner keeps work moving when a change is needed but the cost and schedule adjustment isn't settled yet. It directs the contractor to proceed on the changed scope, with the price and time to be determined and reconciled later — typically converting to a formal change order once agreed. It exists precisely so a pricing negotiation doesn't stall the field.
Why it matters
The CCD protects the schedule while protecting the contractor's right to be paid for the change. Because the number isn't locked, tracking the actual cost and time of the directed work — labor, material, the conditions encountered — is what the eventual change order is built from. Thin records here mean leaving money on the table when the CCD is reconciled.
How it shows up on site
A CCD reads like a change order that's missing the agreed price, and it should be logged and tracked the same way. Documenting the directed work as it's performed — including photos of the field condition that drove it — is what turns a disputed reconciliation into a supported one.
Related terms
- Change orderA signed amendment to the contract that changes the scope, price or schedule, agreed by owner and contractor before the changed work proceeds.
- Field directiveA written instruction issued in the field directing the contractor to do or change something, ahead of formal contract paperwork.
- Request for information (RFI)A formal written question from the contractor to the design team when the drawings or specs are unclear, conflicting or incomplete.
- Schedule of valuesThe breakdown of the contract sum into line items of work, used to measure progress and support each payment application.
- Punch listThe running list of incomplete or defective work a contractor has to fix before an area is accepted and closed out.
- Nonconformance report (NCR)A formal record raised when installed work does not meet the drawings, specs or an accepted standard, and the plan to resolve it.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.