How the Gilbane | Turner JV is Supercharging Change Order Processing on the Buffalo Bills NFL Stadium Project by Using Clearstory

Coming onboard the Buffalo Bills new stadium project as part of a dedicated three-person cost management group, Garret Gruendike didn’t know the Gilbane and Turner Construction joint venture was going to use Clearstory for processing and closing out all project Change Orders.

A veteran project manager of past JVs. Gruendike was wary of different teams wanting to use their own project budgeting tools and keep financials close to the vest, even as they struggled through manual processes to align on Change Order risk.

From hand-written, carbon copy T&M Tickets to static and out-of-date Change Order logs getting exchanged back and forth, Gruendike was unsure how a three person cost unit would keep up with 85-plus subcontractor packages as the stadium was built.

“I knew we needed a clearing house where everybody had access and visibility into Change Orders and the cost impacts to the project, and Clearstory eliminates that concern,” Gruendike says. “Whether we’ve solicited changes with the change notification tool or a Change Order Request has just come in from a contractor, I’m aware of it immediately.”

Purpose-built by former General Contractors who saw their projects suffering from manual Change Order workflows and paper-driven processes, Clearstory’s core product is a shareable, cloud-based Change Order Log that creates instant transparency between stakeholders and features simple but powerful workstreams to capture field-directed extra work, conduct pricing exercises, and streamline Change Order review.

Gruendike says Clearstory immediately proved its value as the JV built and finalized its Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) plan for owners. By using the Change Notification Response Matrix in Clearstory’s suite of Contractor Insights data visualization tools, the cost team was able to instantly reconcile costs on all pricing exercises to date.

Real-Time Stakeholder Alignment and Accuracy 

“With Clearstory I can go in at any point in time and know exactly who’s received the information and communicate exactly to the owner what they’ve given us in terms of cost impacts,” he explains. “Without Clearstory, that process is much worse. You’re relying on everybody printing out individual PCO or PCI Logs. There’s no way to filter between contractors, nor do you have any kind of matrix to immediately visualize what the status is.”

Clearstory’s shared, cloud-based Change Order Log with real-time updates for all stakeholders is also speeding Change Order review and approval for the project’s Specialty Contractors.

“Clearstory helps us identify exposure and the potential risks from Change Orders much quicker. It keeps everyone on the same page in one concise tool.”

Garrett Gruendike

Cost Manager, Gilbane

“Clearstory provides a defined and standardized process so everyone is on the same page without all the back and forth in different folders and emails,” Gruendike says. “With Clearstory, the instant costs are submitted, everyone gets notified, the documentation is all in one spot, and you can access any version or see the history at any time.”

That process improvement alone easily eliminates the 3-plus weeks of information exchange typical to paper T&M Ticket and static Change Order Log alignment, Gruendike says, adding that PMs on the stadium project say they love the visibility provided by Clearstory to immediately tell if a cost is in review or pending approvals.

“Plus, Clearstory also lets our subs know that their Change Orders have been received and are being looked at, reviewed, and approved for payment,” Gruendike says.

That’s great news for trade partners working on the project, including NFL Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas, a Buffalo Bills icon and president of 34 Group, which is also using Clearstory’s mobile app to create digital T&M Tickets and capture electronic signatures for field-directed work on the project. 

“The T&M solution is another success story,” Gruendike says. “Especially for 34 Group, it's really helping us get their payments issued quickly and effectively to help mitigate their risk.”

And whether its T&M Tickets, Change Order Requests, or pricing exercises, the cost management team on the Bills stadium continues to turn to Clearstory for providing owners with the most accurate and up-to-date information possible.

“For the three people managing costs on this project, we use Clearstory every day,” Gruendike says. “It’s always a window that's open because it provides peace of mind and the highest quality information in one concise tool. And that helps all of us identify risk, manage our workload, and do what we need to do, when we need to do it.

About the Project

New Highmark Stadium is a $1.7 billion NFL stadium in Orchard Park, New York that will replace the existing Buffalo Bills stadium of the same name. The 62,000 seat stadium is being built by a joint venture between Gilbane and Turner Construction, and is expected to be completed in time for the 2026 NFL Season.