Construction glossary · Process and Contract Terms

What is AIA G701?

AIA G701 is the American Institute of Architects' standard change order form. On this page: a table comparing G701, G702 and G714, a worked example of the contract sum lines, our view, and a free change order template.

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Updated November 2026 · Reviewed by the Ruh construction team

The definition

AIA G701, Explained.

A G701 records a change in the work and what that change does to the contract sum and the contract time, and it is signed by the owner, the contractor and the architect.

G701 is the form AIA contracts use to make a change official. It names the change, then carries the money forward line by line: the original contract sum, the net change from earlier change orders, the sum before this change, the change this order makes, and the new contract sum. The contract time follows the same way, in days or as a new completion date.

Its fields mirror what section 7.2.1 of the A201-2017 General Conditions asks a change order to settle: the work, the money and the time.

To price a change and keep a log, use the free change order template. It is our own layout, not the AIA document.

How it is measured

A G701 is measured by what it moves: the dollars added to or taken from the contract sum and the days added to the contract time. On a job, the running total of approved change orders against the original contract sum is the number to watch.

G701 vs G702 vs G714

G701 changes the contract. G702 bills it: the monthly application for payment, which carries approved change orders into the contract sum to date. G714 is the construction change directive, used when the owner needs the work done before the price or the time is settled.

Billing works through the AIA G702 and G703 forms, and the change itself starts as a change order request.

Form	What it does	When it is used
G701 Change Order	Changes the contract sum and time	Once owner, contractor and architect agree
G702 Application and Certificate for Payment	Bills the work, including approved changes	Every payment period
G714 Construction Change Directive	Orders a change before agreement	When work cannot wait for a price

Our View

Price and log a change the day it is known, even at a rough number. A change order that waits for the end of the job is harder to agree on, because nobody remembers the conditions that caused it.

Worked example

A Worked G701 Example.

Illustrative example. A $2,450,000 office build-out. One earlier change order added $4,850. This change order relocates sprinkler heads for a revised ceiling, requested at $6,300 and 2 days, and approved as revised at $5,900 and 1 day.

$2,450,000 + $4,850 from an earlier change order = $2,454,850. This change adds $5,900, so the new contract sum is $2,460,750, with 1 day added.

Line	Amount
Original contract sum	$2,450,000
Net change by previously authorized change orders	$4,850
Contract sum prior to this change order	$2,454,850
Change by this change order	$5,900
New contract sum	$2,460,750

Step by step: $2,450,000 + $4,850 = $2,454,850. $2,454,850 + $5,900 = $2,460,750. The contract time grows by the 1 day approved, not the 2 days requested.

Sample figures from the free change order template, not a customer job.

How Ruh handles it

How Ruh Handles AIA G701.

When a change arrives as revised sheets, Ruh AI's Takeoff Agent can measure them like any other drawings, and Ruh AI's Estimating Agent puts a price on what changed using your rate book. A person on your team approves every line before a price goes to the owner.

On this page: A Worked G701 Example.

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AIA G701: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the AIA G701 form used for?+

AIA G701 records an agreed change to a construction contract: the change in the work, the new contract sum and the new contract time, signed by the owner, contractor and architect.

Who signs an AIA G701 change order?+

The owner, the contractor and the architect. The change order takes effect when all three have signed.

What is the difference between G701 and G714?+

G701 is an agreed change. G714 is a construction change directive, which orders the work before the price or time is agreed, so the adjustment is settled later.

Is AIA G701 free to use?+

No. AIA documents are copyrighted and licensed through AIA Contract Documents. Free templates, including Ruh's, use their own layout.

Does a G701 change the pay application?+

Yes. Once signed, the change order's amount is added to the contract sum on the next G702 application for payment and can be billed as the work is done.

Still measuring by hand? Your next takeoff can run while you review this one.

See it on your plans

Keep going: A Worked G701 Example., the free change order template or explore General Contractor Software.

The Construction Estimating Cheat Sheet

Every unit, waste factor, and conversion on one page. Free PDF.

Figures on this page are illustrative. Construction estimates depend on project-specific conditions, source documents, market pricing, and professional judgment. Ruh's AI assists the estimator and does not replace professional review: your team reviews, validates, and approves every estimate, bid, and pricing decision.

Now run it on your job

Knowing what AIA G701 means is the easy half.

The number you actually need is the one from your own drawings. These two are free, take no signup, and give you something you can put straight into a bid.

Change Order TemplatePrice a change and log it, free Markup and MarginThe two are not the same number

Try Ruh on a Bid You Are Pricing Now.

Put us on real work rather than a canned demo. Ruh reads your drawing set, measures the scope, and prices the quantities against your own rates, with every line traceable back to the sheet it came from.

1Tell us about a bid you are working on and the trade you are pricing
2Ruh measures that scope from your drawings and prices it on your own rates, not generic cost data
3Every quantity traces back to the sheet it was measured from, so your estimator can check the work