Change orders help you manage scope changes without creating new proposals or manually chasing approvals. Update services, pricing, or scope on accepted proposals, then send changes for clients to approve and sign — all in one seamless experience.

Accepted updates automatically carry through to agreements and future renewals, so you capture all revenue even when clients' needs change.

Change orders are designed for changes that need explicit client approval, such as adding a service, removing a service, or updating the price or description of an existing service.

Previously, you may have seen editing an active service referred to as a change order. Editing an active service is different. Service edits update the active service immediately and can optionally notify your client. A change order follows a client approval flow, so the change is sent to your client for review and acceptance before it is applied.

Let's learn how to create and send a change order!

Use a change order when you need your client to approve a change to an already accepted proposal. This gives you a clear approval step that is connected to the original proposal and helps keep the agreement up to date.

Change orders can be used to:

If you need to make a quick correction or internal update that does not require client approval, use editing an active service instead. If the client needs to accept a completely new agreement or a major new scope, creating a new proposal may be a better fit.

To get started, navigate to the Proposals tab and find the accepted proposal that you would like to update.

Click on the Accepted proposal → More actions → click Create Change Order.

This opens a streamlined version of the proposal editor that is focused on amending the services on the accepted proposal.

In the Services step, make the changes you need. You can edit an existing service, add a new service, or remove a service from the proposal.

Review the change order carefully before sending it. Your client will use this information to understand what is changing and approve the update.

When you are ready, continue to the send step, confirm who should receive and sign the change order, then send it to your client.

Once a change order has been created or sent to your client, an icon will appear above the original proposal in the Proposals tab, making it easy to identify proposals with draft or pending change orders.

Your client will receive an email notification with a link to the change order, where they can review and approve the proposed changes. This provides a clear record of the updates to the accepted proposal before they take effect.

Once your client accepts the change order, the changes are recorded against the original proposal. The accepted proposal PDF is updated to reflect the latest version of the agreement, and future renewals will use the amended services instead of the original service details.

Accept on behalf should only be used when your client has already provided consent but cannot digitally accept the change order themselves, such as when they signed in person or experienced a technical issue.

If you do not need client approval for the change, editing an active service is usually the better workflow.

After a change order is accepted, the original proposal reflects the amended services. This helps keep the accepted proposal as the source of truth for the current agreement.

You can use the updated proposal record to see the current services and pricing, and use the amended details when renewing the proposal in the future.

The scope has changed during the engagement and you need to update the monthly package your client is on. Create a change order, update the relevant service details, then send it to your client for approval.

Your client has asked you to add a related service to their existing agreement. Create a change order, add the new service, then send the change order so your client can approve the added scope.

You need to remove a service from an accepted proposal. Create a change order, remove the service, then send the updated agreement to your client for acceptance.

What is the difference between a change order and editing an active service?

A change order is sent to your client for approval before the changes are applied. Editing an active service updates the active service immediately and can optionally notify your client, but it does not require your client to accept the change.

Can I create a change order on a draft proposal?

No. Change orders are used for proposals that have already been accepted. If the proposal is still in draft, you can edit the proposal directly before sending it to your client.

Can I use a change order if the client does not need to approve the change?

If the client does not need to approve the change, editing an active service is usually the better option. Change orders are intended for changes where you need clear client consent.

Will a change order update my service templates?

No. A change order updates the services on the accepted proposal. It does not update the service templates in your service library.

Can I use change orders to update proposal terms?

Change orders are focused on changes to services on an accepted proposal. If you need your client to agree to new terms or a substantially different agreement, consider creating a new proposal.

What if I only need to send an invoice for one-off work?

A change order is best when the change should be connected to the accepted proposal and approved by the client. If you only need to invoice for standalone work, use the one-time invoice workflow in Ignition.