A vendor change order is much higher than expected. How should we review it?
Unexplained change pricingAsk for the scope, assumptions, effort, rates, and consequences supporting the price, subject to the contract's terms. Compare alternatives without assuming that disagreement proves overcharging.
What to do now
- Confirm the requested change
- Review the supplier's pricing basis
- Assess alternatives and impact of deferral
- Use the authorized commercial decision route
When to escalate
Escalate when
The price or entitlement is materially disputed.
Who decides
The authorized procurement or commercial owner
Example
A change quote separates development, testing, and deployment effort so the parties can review its basis.
Mistake to avoid
Approving the amount simply because the project is already late.
Prevent a repeat
Compare supplier evidence with agreed obligations; refer contract interpretation and remedies to qualified owners.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Vendors
- Documents
- Tasks
- Approvals
Keep supplier commitments and evidence linked to the project, assign follow-up work, and route commercial decisions to authorized owners. See the platform
Related cases
- The vendor wants full payment before handover. What should we review?Payment-handover misalignment
- The vendor reports green while milestones are missed. What should change?Supplier status without evidence
- The project is spending faster than planned. What should I check first?Unexplained cost variance
- A fixed-price project is consuming more effort than expected. What should we review?Margin erosion